2000-2010

National
The Boy Scouts of America reached a notable milestone in 2000. As a new century dawned, it registered its 100 millionth youth member, Mario Castro of New York.

The same year, the BSA set—and reached—a four-year goal of logging 200 million service hours by its members. In 2004, the BSA created the Good Turn for America pro- gram, partnering with The Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity to address the issues of hunger, homelessness/inadequate housing, and poor health.

Many of those projects occurred in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. However, the decade’s biggest service project was Arrow- Corps5. During the summer of 2008, 3,800 members of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society, contributed more than $5 million worth of labor to five national forests. It was the BSA’s largest national service project since World War II and the largest such project ever to benefit the USDA Forest Service.

The BSA issued the twelfth edition of The Boy Scout Handbook in 2009. Printed on recycled paper made using environmentally friendly processes, the handbook features artwork and quotations from previous editions as a nod to the past, and introduces an interactive iPhone application to align with the times. Just as the previous eleven editions did, the new handbook is certain to inspire today’s Scouts to under- take lives of adventure, leadership, and service. It is they who will write the story of Scouting’s second century.

Locally
In 2000 the Southwest Florida Council and the Foundation For Dreams signed a 30-year agreement on joint usage of the facilities at CFE. As part of that agreement the FFD was given exclusive use of 10 acres located in the southeast corner of the camp. They were permitted to construct up to ten multiple room self contained cabins for their “at risk campers.” They named that corner of the camp “Camp Dream Oaks.” In return, the FOD agreed to build a Nature Lodge and to remodel and enlarge the swimming pool and Health Lodge.

The Selby Foundation constructed an eight-room central shower house at CFE in 2002.

Through spontaneous contributions from Manatee County private and corporate citizens over $300.000 in major repairs and upgrades, and construction of new facilities occurred throughout CFE during 2007-2009. These included major upgrade or replacement of equipment in the dining hall/kitchen, a complete rebuild of the amphitheater and the Road Kill Café, replacement of the seats in the Chapel, an entrance portal from the parking lot to main part of camp, an 8 foot by 8 foot by 64 foot climbing wall, an 8 event Leadership Reaction Course, upgrades to the shooting sports complex, re-roofing of several camp facilities, and the construction of 35 new picnic tables.

Todd Greene replaced Bud Johnson as the CFE Ranger in 2003.

Scouts in Manatee County are celebrating 100 years of Scouting in Manatee County during August through September 2010.