News

Scouts try their best to live by the 12 points of the Scout Law seven days a week, 365 days a year. But each February, around the time of the BSA’s birthday, we ask our Scouts to pause and pay extra attention to the Scout law’s finishing touch: reverent. Through the celebrations known as Scout Sunday,...

The New Birth of Freedom Council is constantly on the alert for opportunities to make improvements in all aspects of council operations. As part of the annual rechartering process, we noticed more than a few adult leader applications that new leaders filled out months before being submitted with the unit’s charter renewal materials. At our...

    On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered a 2-minute, 272-word speech at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetary in Gettysburg. His remarks that day became known as the Gettysburg Address – one of the most famous speeches in American history.   We drew inspiration from President Lincoln’s words in choosing...

Through the generosity of the Adams County Community Foundation’s Shirley Smith Youth Service Fund, prospective Eagle Scouts now have a new potential source of funding for their Eagle Scout Service Projects. Eagle Scout candidates from anywhere in the New Birth of Freedom Council can apply for up to 75% of the cost to do their...

Unfortunately, due to shipping delays, the special Rendezvous-themed Council Shoulder Patches and Lodge Flap didn’t arrive in time for the event.  But they’re here now, and we’d like to see them flying out the door as special keepsakes of that amazing weekend. There are two different versions of the special Council Shoulder Patches available.  The...

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the October 2021 Council-wide Roundtable.  We had a great meeting and we hope that all of the participants were able to get a lot of good information on how to KEEP SCOUTING and to do so safely. We shared that during the presentation we would share both...

I am pleased to welcome back Josh Nimmerichter, who will be assuming the Facilities Manager/Ranger role at Camp Tuckahoe starting October 18, 2021. In addition to his work at Tuckahoe, Josh will also oversee maintenance operations at Hidden Valley Scout Reservation. As many Scouters will recall, Josh served as Ranger at Hidden Valley from September...

Rendezvous 2021 – The Dragon’s Quest – was a memorable weekend for so many reasons.  The overwhelming attendance at Rendezvous made clear that our Council’s Scouting family was ready for outdoor activities to return.  There were 1,024 weekend-long campers at Rendezvous, along with a total of 467 Saturday-only participants.  Combined with more than 250 staff...

With mixed emotions, I wanted to pass along the news to our New Birth of Freedom Council family that Scott Holbrook will be retiring as the ranger at Camp Tuckahoe on January 31, 2022.  Scott has served as the ranger at Tuckahoe since August 1999, and his skills, work ethic, and love of Scouting will...

The Delta variant is currently the predominant strain of the virus in the United States and its higher transmissibility is fueling a rapid and alarming rise in the COVID case and hospitalization rates around the country and here in south-central Pennsylvania. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status,...