The Belize Scout Foundation holds Annual Meeting for 2018 & 2019
The 1st official Annual General Meeting of the Belize Scout Foundation was held on Saturday, May 7, 2022.
The meeting was held at the Sir Colville N. Young Museum room in the Sir Colville N. Young building in Belize City and was called to order at 10:30 a.m. by the Chairman of the Foundation Dr. Rene Villanueva who welcomed the Directors to its first Annual Meeting.
The singing of the Belize National Anthem was sung by everyone present and the opening prayer was said by Mr. Roberto Harrison followed by the official welcome by Dr. Erasmo Franklin.
Patron of the Foundation, the Most Honourable Sir Colville Young in his message to the Directors of the Foundation thanked the Foundation for taking the bold decision to construct a permanent home for Scouting and naming it in his honour. He also said he was touched by the decision to include a museum in his name depicting his entire life and career. In his message in the annual reports, he said that he has found serving as Patron of the Foundation to be very gratifying, and attending meetings has never been a dull moment as the Foundation is always looking at ways to raise the necessary funds to support the Scout Association. In his closing message, he challenged the Scout Association to be more proactive and be more visible since this is something that the Foundation feels needs to be addressed.
The Chairman’s message followed in which he said that Scouting is all about building confidence and self-esteem, learning important life and leadership skills, team building, outdoor adventure, education, and fun. He went on to say that Scouts learn how to make good choices and take responsibility for their actions so that they are prepared for their adult life as independent individuals. In closing, he emphasized the importance of an increased Scout membership which needs to be doubled to reach all young people who want and can benefit from the program. He also made an appeal for increased donations to the Foundation so that more support can be provided to the Scout program in an effective and transparent manner.
Executive Director, Mr. Hilberto B. Riverol in his report covering the years 2018 & 2019 said that it is important to note that since the establishment of the Foundation in December 1996 a total of $439,880.00 in total funding has been provided to the Association. Funding went primarily towards the training of both youth and adult Leaders, subsidies for National Camps, program development, subsidy for uniforms, support to attend international training and camps, supply of training manuals to Scouts and adult Leaders, environmental projects, support to attend international seminars, expansion program and the improvement of Camp Oakley.
In closing, he said that the years 2018 and 2019 proved challenging and unprecedented decisions were taken to enable the Foundation to function the way it was set up to be so that its mission can be achieved in a transparent and accountable manner. (His full report can be found on pages 7 to 14 of the Annual Report that will be posted shortly)
The treasure report was presented by the Assistant Treasurer Mr. Jose Garcia. In his presentation, he highlighted the fact that this is the first audited report since the Foundation was established and he was content to be able to see the different statements prepared with their respective figures. He said the Audit clearly shows where the Foundation stands in terms of assets and expenditures for the two years in review and also shows how much work the Foundation Directors have put in to meet the Foundation’s goals and live up to its Mission. He highlighted the fact that most of the Foundation’s investments are with Belize Electricity Limited through debentures and that it is imperative that other means of investments be identified in the near future. (The audited Financial Statements can be found on pages 16 through 24 of the Annual Report)
The meeting ended with a lunch and a social.
The Mission of the Foundation is: TO RAISE, INVEST AND ADMINISTER FUNDS TO CREATE THE MEANS TO SUPPORT SCOUT PROGRAMS THAT WILL PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE TO MAKE SOUND PRINCIPLED LIFE DECISIONS AS THEY DEVELOP INTO RESPONSIBLE ADULTS.
The Belize Scout Foundation – Investing in a better Belize
Photo credit: Alejandro Tovar – Click & Photos