We had a terrific Council Annual Dinner on January 24.  My heartiest congratulations to our Silver Beaver Award Winners and the many other adult volunteers who were recognized for their outstanding service.  We also had a number of boys present from our record 78 that achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2007.  It was noted that all of our Districts, our Order of the Arrow Lodge and the Council all achieved Quality status!  Congratulations to President Bill James, the council staff and all those who worked so hard to make 'The Year of the Dog' one of the best ever. 

I am pleased to announce that 2008 will be the Year of the Penguin.  Some of you might wonder why I chose the penguin.  To answer that question, I suggest that you see two Academy Award winning films out on DVD.  'March of the Penguins' (Best Documentary) vividly demonstrates the kind of dedication we want to have toward caring for our youth.  'Happy Feet' (Best Animated Feature) portrays the enthusiasm for life and cultivation of individual youth's talents & abilities with which we want to approach all of our Scouting activities.

Our theme for the year is 'A Good Deed Every Day and an Outing Every Month.'  The first half of this theme emphasizes the Scout Slogan and the daily character-building impact that Scouting can have on each of us.  The second half reminds us that the real draw for the kids and the memories we take away from Scouting are centered on outings!  There are lots of reasons to put our theme into practice, but I'll leave you with just one: I've found that by doing these things in my own life, I'm happier.

Here's to an exciting and action-packed 2008 in Verdugo Hills Council!

Yours in Scouting,

 

Dennis Fors

Council President