Tent-in 2020 Fundraiser
My involvement with Scouting
Most people who know me know that I volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and more specifically Hawk Mountain Council and more specifically than that Pack and Troop 529 and Troop 377. I also do a few other things and serve in a few other roles at various levels.
I volunteer over 1000 hours each year to Scouting, and am doing something Scout related at least 6 out of the 7 days each week. Sometimes it’s an hour each day, sometimes it’s more. This post I am writing (and that you are reading right now) is Scouting related.
A Friend of Scouting
In addition to my time, I also have been raising and donating financially to Hawk Mountain Council since my children became involved over 14 years ago; mainly through the annual Friends of Scouting (FOS) campaign run by the council and its volunteers. This year was different. The council was unable to conduct many of the FOS campaigns at local units due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families were sheltering in place, businesses were closed, people were unable to work, children were not attending school or having to school remotely and virtually. In addition to FOS, the council also had to cancel all summer camp programs at our local camp. This has caused a huge deficit in revenue for the council.
BSA councils are registered non-profit organizations. The money raised helps to provide the Scouting program to the youth who are participating. It costs the council on average $150 per Scout per year to deliver a quality program, district and council events, camp maintenance and operations, program materials, training, office staff, etc.
Hawk Mountain Council serves 6,500 youth and 170 individual Scouting units. That’s roughly $975,000 needed to just deliver the program to our young people.
“Virtual” Tent-In
On October 29th, Hawk Mountain Council is having a “Virtual” Tent-In, and for three hours, volunteers will be “locked in” their tent and are trying to raise money to get them “out” of the tent.
I’m doing things a little different…
I want people to donate money to keep me “inside” the tent. I am also going to livestream from inside the tent on my YouTube channel and on Facebook and Instagram as well. This way those donating can watch as I complete the challenges given to me. “What challenges?” you ask. I’ll discuss that a little later.
My goals
My goal is to raise $2,500, but I am hoping I can raise a lot more than that.
For every $100 raised, I will stay in the tent for 1 hour. If I reach my goal, I will stay in the tent for over a day. The tent-in starts on a Thursday, and I’ve cleared my weekend, so I will be prepared to stay in as long as needed. The only exception is restroom breaks, but that’s it.
Challenge Tasks
In addition to staying in the tent, I am also prepared to perform “Scout appropriate” tasks. For any single contribution of $50 or more, You can challenge me to do something. I’ve listed some examples below, but you can be creative and come up with your own.
- shave my beard
- shave my head
- ice bucket challenge
- Saltine cracker challenge
- eat something gross
you get the idea…
Those wishing to donate at the challenge level should do so early so I have time to prepare materials, grocery shop, grow a beard, make ice, etc.
Donating
To donate, simply go to the donation page.
Make sure you indicate you are supporting a Tent-In Participant, and provide my name “Eric Silva”.
If you donate $50 or more, and want to challenge me with a task, you can email me, text me, ping me on Twitter @ericjsilva, or message me on Facebook.
Scouting for Food
Another activity I have been involved with for the past 14 years is Scouting for Food. Scouting for Food is an annual food drive conducted by the Boy Scouts of America to benefit local food banks, pantries, and other organizations that help to provide food to those in need. Hawk Mountain Council annually collects over 50,000 pounds of food for Helping Harvest, our local partner in this effort.
Helping Harvest can purchase 12 pounds of food for each dollar donated. This year I will make a donation to Helping Harvest equal to my Tent-In goal of $2,500 if I am able to reach my Tent-In goal. That would equal 30,000 pounds of food.
Please help me to reach both goals.
Tax deductions and employer matching
Hawk Mountain Council is a registered 501(c)3 organization (EIN 23-1352047). Donations are 100% tax deductible. Many employers may match charitable contributions. If your employer does, please think about asking them to match your donation.
Thank you in advance for helping me to support two worthy causes and organizations this autumn.