Dan Gross

This is NOT an urban legend. I personally (Dan Gross a.k.a. Vdub144) am organizing this for a friend and fellow Scout in need. I’m happy to vouch for the validity of this project personally. What’s more, I am back here begging because we really NEED YOUR HELP!

Here’s the story:

In late March 2009, 13 year old Tenderfoot Scout, Chase, from Georgia was hiking with his troop. He came home with a sore lump on his leg that everyone thought was some type of bite. It was hot to the touch and painful. A blood test revealed that Chase had Leukemia, a complete surprise diagnosis. He was immediately admitted to the hospital where doctors cleaned his blood to lower his white cell count and then began chemotherapy.

What bummed Chase out most was that he would miss Scouts with his troop over the summer. We’ve all been sick before, and one of the best ways to get better that I know of is to help keep spirits up and keep a positive attitude.

Thanks to social networking sites like Twitter and Plurk, I thought a great way to show support for Chase was to help start a Council Shoulder Patch collection from all around the country. CSP’s are inexpensive, colorful, and represent how far and wide support for Chase’s recovery comes from.

Chase has a twin brother, William, so we are asking for everyone who wishes to participate to send two CSPs from a council near them. To avoid duplication, we set up a spreadsheet on Google Docs so you can see what has been promised, and what Chase has received already. Please send all donations to Chase’s mom at her school (work) address:

Caroline O’Bannon, c/o Barrow Schools, 179 West Athens St., Winder, GA 30680.

You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to participate. This is something that a 13 year old boy is interested in, and therefore a great place to start. Just about any little small personal care item or a positive note can be sent to Chase to show him that you are thinking about him and wish him well. Scouts love patches – maybe a museum patch, a patch from the college or university you work for or attend, or some geocaching swag might be more your style? He has been extremely impressed so far in how well connected his mom is “in all the right ways.”

Here’s what I’m asking for…

I want to get TWO BSA Council Shoulder Patches from every council across the US sent to Chase. (The second for his twin brother William.) There are several hundred councils across the US, and many councils have more than one design for a CSP, so there is a LOT of chance to participate. Patches are pretty inexpensive – about $3-$5 each, and are available are nearby Scout shops, sporting goods stores, neighborhood hardware stores, and online from BSA Supply. Total investment might be in the $6-10 range, plus a little bit of your time. If a couple of people work in the same office and are willing to send a package, it might only cost each person a buck or two to send from the group. Again, any other personal little pick-me-up for Chase would be a great addition to the envelope as well if you are willing.

Please take a look at the following Google Docs spreadsheet. It will let you know who has already committed to send a patch, and from where. We don’t need to duplicate efforts, so if your local patch is already taken, maybe you can send a patch from another nearby council?

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p69S8eaBr9-aUavWSz5jieQ&hl=en

If you’re not sure what council you live in, a quick trip to http://www.Wikipedia.com and type in “scouting  <your state>”  will bring up an article letting you know what councils are near you.

Then you can visit a Scout shop, or talk to a nearby Boy Scout or Cub Scout unit near you to find out where you can get patches to send to Chase. If you want to buy them online and send them, you can do that at the BSA supply site:

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/default.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&C2=UNIFORMS&C3=CSHPATCH&C4=&LV=3

(I have noticed that the prices on the BSA supply site are pretty in line or even a bit less than what some of the local councils are charging these days!)

Don’t forget to go back to the spreadsheet again and mark off that you have sent the patches.

Please forward this message on and let everyone know. I don’t want to keep bugging everyone, but this project is really important to me as I do my own “good turn.” I hope you can help out and brighten the day of this young man as he makes this very serious fight.

Yours in Scouting,

Daniel Gross