As a valued volunteer of the Heart of America Council (HOAC) of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), you will be both glad to learn of and are responsible for supporting our strong efforts to practice good governance consistent with the Scout Oath and Law. This short summary is followed by links to our website where you can review more detailed and transparent information. Important Youth Protection and other safety procedures are emphasized in other parts of your training materials. If you ever become aware of incidents inconsistent with the HOAC Code of Ethics and Conduct, Bylaws, or other governance policies please report specific information to our anonymous HOAC hotline 1-877-874-8416 as well as to an appropriate volunteer Scouter or BSA staff professional.
Following incorporation in 1910, the BSA was granted a charter by Congress in 1916 to make its program available through community-based organizations. Each unit (Cub Scout pack, Scouts BSA troop, Sea Scout ship, or Venturing crew) are chartered by organizations with goals compatible with the BSA purpose of providing Scouts with an effective program designed to instill desirable qualities of character, develop personal fitness, and train youth in the responsibilities of participating citizenship. Local councils are chartered to provide service to help chartered organizations be continuously successful in their use of the Scouting program. The four major functions for program delivery are membership/relationships (making Scouting available to all youth), finance (providing adequate funds), program (maintaining standards and policies), and unit service(serving organizations that use the Scouting program).
The National Council is divided into four regions, each of which have several areas which support the approximately 300 local councils, each of which implements programs through districts supporting individual units. In the HOAC, there are 13 districts supporting 1207 units in 19 counties comprising the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The “key 3” leaders for the HOAC and each district are the President/Chairman (who lead board and committee meetings), the Commissioner (who ensures unit service), and the professional Scout Executive.