An open message to all families in the Verdugo Hills Council, Boy Scouts of America.

With the wildfires raging in the nearby mountains, it is unfathomable to think of the physical toll of the brave firefighters battling the flames in this heat.

As we have in the past, the Verdugo Hills Council Scouts & leaders stand ready to assist in anyway necessary. To this relief effort we are using the Verdugo Hills Council parking lot as a collection point for our Scout families to bring gifts of fluid replenishment drinks, hopefully in case quantities, to refresh the fire crews. The following types of drinks are welcome & will be transported in bulk to the command center, where fire crews are camped out, getting much needed rest for their next shift:

Gatorade or PowerAde type drinks
bottled water
soft drinks

Then so-called energy drinks like RedBull, Monster & so forth, are not the best for replenishing minerals & fluids, and in fact may not be a welcome contribution by the crews.

Please send this out to all of your Scout families, and generate all the support you can. Many of these hard working crews are from out of our area, and are obviously risking their lives for our communities.

I have made dozens of phone calls to Verdugo Hills Council Scout families & Board member families who live in threatened areas. All that I have spoken to have reported being safe, and are thankful for the efforts of these firefighters. Let's do our best to show them how much we appreciate them and their efforts!

The Verdugo Hills Council parking lot will be cordoned off starting early Monday morning as a collection point. There will be a sign-in list where we would like you to indicate who is making the donation.

Thanks...let's "DO OUR BEST" to help out! It would also be great to keep the fire crews in your prayers, sending them good thoughts to keep them safe.

Yours in Scouting,

Jon V. Maeda
Scout Executive