Healthy Living, Community Service, Environmental Stewardship Headline White House Meeting Between President Barack Obama and the Boy Scouts of America

Camp Scholarships Presented to President and First Lady as part of the Boy Scouts' Centennial

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Jul 13, 2010, 07:35 ET

IRVING, Texas, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Youth representatives and executive leadership from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) met with President Barack Obama at the White House to deliver the organization's annual Report to the Nation. A delegation presented the official BSA Report to the Nation to members of Congress in March. The report highlights BSA achievements during the past year, including progress on Scouting programs that address national service, conservation, healthy living, and community involvement.

During the meeting, the BSA delegation and President Obama discussed top-line priorities for the youth organization to address in its next century, including initiatives for healthy living, service to the community, and environmental stewardship.

President Obama shares many of the same priorities and has introduced several programs that deal directly with these issues, including the recently announced America's Great Outdoors initiative, Let's Move! initiative, and the United We Serve program. Also, as the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama serves as the Honorary President of the BSA and helps recognize the achievements of more than 50,000 Eagle Scouts each year by signing their Eagle Scout cards.

"Health, community service, and preserving our environment are priorities for all Americans," said Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. "Our first 100 years in Scouting taught us the importance of these issues to America's youth; our next century of Scouting will focus on creating programs to expand our efforts in these areas."

To further demonstrate the commitment to these top priorities and in recognition of the organization's centennial, the BSA youth delegation formally presented 100th Anniversary camp scholarships in honor of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. These scholarships will be provided to area councils in each of the Obamas' respective hometowns, enabling youth from Honolulu and Chicago to attend a summer camp, where they will be able to participate in outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and sports.

About the Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America is the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. The Scouting organization is composed of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 20, 1.1 million volunteers, and nearly 300 local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.

Photos can be provided upon request.

SOURCE Boy Scouts of America