As 2019 comes to a close, we take a look back at the amazing year that we have had.
2019 was a year of growth, a year of excitement, and above all else, a year of growth.
In February, the Order of the Arrow opened its doors to more units, now conducting unit elections in Scouts BSA troops, Venturing crews, and Sea Scout ships. The same month, Scouts BSA was launched and the Order of the Arrow began welcoming its first female youth members soon after.
This was also a year of celebration with all three lodges in the section having a major anniversary year.
Wauna La-Mon’tay celebrated their 25th anniversary this year during their annual Rendezvous at Camp Meriwether in March.
Tsisqan, the oldest lodge in the section, celebrated their 75th anniversary in Eugene, OR in March. The 3-day event consisted of a variety of activities, a Trade-O-Ree, auction, banquet, and special Vigil gathering. The keynote address was delivered by the National Order of the Arrow Chairman, Mike Hoffman.
Lo La’Qam Geela also celebrated their 25th anniversary this year during their annual Fall Fellowship at Camp McLoughlin in November.
In August, Wauna La-Mon’tay Lodge hosted ArrowCorps 2019. Over 100 Scouts and Scouters gathered for the week-long service project partnered with the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Check out their week in review video.
In September, Section W-1S returned to Camp Meriwether after more than two decades for “Conclave by the Sea: Shipwreck at the Cape.” 540 Arrowmen were in attendance including a contingent of over 50 Arrowmen from Nisqually Lodge in southwestern Washington. During conclave. Arrowmen attended training classes, participated in fun activities, and joined together in fellowship.
The National Vice Chief, Eric Harrison, and Western Region Chief, Antonyo Mitchell, were also in attendance speaking with Arrowman throughout the weekend.
During the Saturday night show, the section presented the Arrow of Honor award to two individuals for their dedicated service to the Section W-1S. The first was Bo Griffin of Wauna La-Mon’tay Lodge. The second was Kevin Padrick of Lo La’Qam Geela Lodge. Unfortunately, earlier this year, Kevin passed away from a plane accident. The award was presented to his wife, who said Kevin would have been honored to receive it. Kevin was a huge asset, not just to Section W-1S and Lo La’Qam Geela, but to all of Scouting and he will be missed.
Conclave came to a close with the announcement that the next conclave will be held September 11-13, 2020 at Hoodoo Ski Area.
Faced with a significant membership decline, the Order of the Arrow held its first ever national webinar in October. “Thrive: A National Webinar, A Local Commitment” gathered over 5,00 chapter, lodge, section, and national leaders to come together and tackle the challenges the Order is facing and to commit to make sure the Order of the Arrow doesn’t just survive, but thrives for years to come. The webinar introduced new programs, initiatives, and resources to help lodges become high performing. A high performing lodge has a 90% unit election rate, 90% induction rate and a 50% activation rate according to the Lodge Performance Measurement Program, which replaced the Journey to Excellence program earlier this year. During the webinar, each lodge made 90 day goals that will help start them on the path to become high performing.
This year, as part of the Thrive webinar, the role of the section was revised. The section will now play a greater role in helping lodges become high performing. One way it will do this is by hosting an annual ACT Conference which will bring lodge leaders from around the section together to Adapt, Collaborate, and Thrive.
2019 was an amazing year for Section W-1S. All across the section, the spirit of our Order is alive and well. It is this excitement and enthusiasm for our brotherhood that sets the tone for our future. While 2019 was great, we believe that the best is yet to come in 2020.
Thank you for an amazing year!