November 2022

The decisions on who would be best to carry out your wishes aren’t always clear-cut, and it’s easy to make a mistake. So, before you name the agents for your estate planning documents, take these five tips into consideration. 

Making sure that your estate planning documents are implemented as early as possible is extremely important. One of the biggest challenges that clients encounter during the process is deciding who to appoint as their trustees, powers of attorney, health care surrogates and executors. 

Below are some practical tips. 

1. Give preference to those who have the most time to devote and live nearby 

Many parents have very accomplished successful children. They, many times, have tight schedules, giving them less time to devote to helping. Some have more family responsibilities (young children). It is easier for people who are closer in proximity to you in terms of being your power of attorney and health care surrogate. Being nearby matters less for trustees and executors. 

2. Do not make arbitrary designations: 

Selecting an individual based on arbitrary characteristics. Like appointing a particular child because they are the oldest. Or based on gender. 

3. Avoid naming multiple agents: 

Parents want to make sure none of their children feels left out, so they want to appoint all their children to every position possible. This leads to deadlock or discourse once decisive action is necessary. 

4. Pick the best agent for today: 

If you are appointing an agent who is older, maybe that person dies or becomes incapable of acting when you need them. If you appoint a friend, maybe that person isn’t a friend in the future. 

Appoint the best person for today. You can always make changes as your life evolves. 

5. Consider a professional trustee or fiduciary under certain circumstances: 

In some situations, appointing a professional or institution as a trustee is best. If you have a beneficiary whose share of your estate must be held in further trust so they are not getting their inheritance all at once, you should consider the above. Otherwise, discretionary distributions may be left up to family members, this could create an adversarial relationship between them. 

If you are of substantial wealth or have generational trusts, professionals and institutions are better suited to deal with those issues. 

The estate planning vehicles themselves are important to have. The documents and plan are only as good as the agent(s) you appoint. The agents are the real drivers of whether a plan is successful. 

Use the tips above to help guide you, speak to a professional estate planning attorney and get their help on your specific situation. 

September 2022

2023 National Scout Jamboree

July 19-28, 2023

Time is running out to sign up and be a part of a once in a lifetime opportunity!  The National Scout Jamboree, is coming up next summer 2023.  Every four years, scouts from across the country and the world gather together to share the “greatest scouting experience on earth.”  This tradition was started to celebrate the 25 anniversary of scouting and the first Jamboree held in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1937 (the 1935 Jamboree was cancelled due to a polio outbreak).  Beginning in 2010, a permanent home was found in the wilderness of West Virginia to hold the Jamboree at The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, an 11,400 acre property.

Imagine camping with tens of thousands of scouts in a massive state of the art facility, that includes High Adventure Areas constructed on the property specifically for Jamborees:

• The Park (skateboarding)
• The Trax (BMX)
• The Pools (scuba and swimming)
• The Cloud (popular science & robotics)
• The Bows (archery sports)
• The Barrels (shooting sports)
• The Ropes (challenge courses in the trees)
• The Rocks (climbing, bouldering and rappelling)
• The Zip (zipline)
• Low & High Gear (mountain bike headquarters locations connecting over 36 miles of downhill and cross-country mountain bike trails)
• The Canopy (canopy tours)

Additionally, there are massive amphitheater shows (holding up to 80,000 people), exhibitions and demonstrations, patch-trading, hikes, white-water rafting trips, the longest Zipline in North America and many special guests.

Mt. Baker Council is forming contingent troops and patrols, both male and female, to send to the Jamboree next summer for ten days, along with a tour of the greater Washington, D.C. area and all the great monuments/attractions of our nation’s capital.  We want you to be a part of this incredible opportunity. 

If you are interested in learning more or want to sign up, please reach out to Mark Hallerman, Mount Baker Council Jambo Chair at markhallerman@hotmail.com for information and application.  We need to finalize our group by the first week of September!

Please feel free to reach out with any questions,

Mark Hallerman, Mount Baker Council Jambo Chair

markhallerman@hotmail.com

425-241-6682

September 2022

Mike Lockwood was born and raised in Rochester, New York, where he grew up hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and hunting on and near Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes region.  He is a 1991 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy via the Naval ROTC program.

Through a three decade Navy career, Mike served on Cruisers, Destroyers, Amphibious ships, and Aircraft Carriers.  During this time, while conducting dangerous and difficult at sea operations (including nine overseas deployments to the Western Pacific and Middle East), he trained, mentored, and lead Sailors helping them achieve their fullest potential.  During his service he has visited 26 countries, including three years stationed in Japan.

The capstone of Mike’s career was serving as Commanding Officer of the Naval ROTC Unit at University of Washington.  In his nearly four years at UW, Mike trained and developed more than 200 exceptional young Americans, resulting in the commissioning of 104 Navy and Marine Corps Officers.

The Lockwood’s have been a Scouting family since 2011 when their son became a Tiger Cub in Far East Council, Japan District.  Since then, from Pike’s Peak Council, to San Diego-Imperial Council, to Mount Baker, they have participated where possible as Adult Leaders.  Since retiring from active duty, Mike has served as Troop Committee Member, Assistant Scoutmaster, and is now serving as Scoutmaster for Troop 122, in Mill Creek, WA.

Mike holds Masters degrees in Applied Physics and National Resource Strategy and completed his Wood Badge ticket in March 2022.

Join the Everett Aqausox for two different exciting nights.

The much enjoyed Scout Night at the Aquasox happens on August 19th.  Scouts will sit in a special Scout section and then have the opportunity to camp in the outfield.  Order your tickets using the QR Code and code below. If you want to add a special patch and food be sure to select the drop down menu items prior to completing checkout.

Enjoy another night out with the Aquasox on September 10th.  No camping in the outfield this time but you’ll still sit in a special Scout section and enjoy some great baseball.  Invite some friends and recruit them into the fun of Scouting.  Use the QR Code and code below to order tickets.

June 10, 2022

Dear Scouting Family, 

You may have seen or heard about recent advertisements promoting a documentary about the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), which is expected to be released on June 16 by streaming service provider Hulu. The documentary covers a range of complex topics, including youth protection, the national organization’s financial restructuring case, changes in membership policies over recent years, and the future of Scouting.

We are reaching out because of your significance to the mission of Scouting. We want our parents, volunteers, donors, employees, and all those we serve to feel prepared for the attention this documentary is likely to receive. We expect that this documentary will raise questions about Scouting, garner media attention, and prompt some scrutiny of the BSA.

While we understand there are aspects of the film Leave No Trace that mischaracterize the BSA’s policies and actions, rather than challenge these inaccuracies, our focus is on supporting survivors. The BSA welcomes any opportunity for survivors to share their stories as part of the healing process, and we applaud the bravery and resilience of survivors of past abuse in Scouting.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is committed to listening to and learning from survivors, and we are actively working together to ensure our policies and programs offer a safe place for youth. For more information about how we can keep kids safe in Scouting today, please visit https://scouting.org/youthprotection.

Please know that the Mount Baker Council’s focus remains on the safety and future of Scouting. Nothing is more important than the safety of youth in our programs – it is the Mount Baker Council’s top priority as shown by our leader training policies, including our policy of requiring Youth Protection Training for all registered leaders on a yearly basis.

Thank you for all you to do to make the BSA our nation’s foremost program of character-building and value-based leadership training.

Yours in Scouting,

Some information about this training…..

Once the video has completed you will be sent to a page to register you completed the training.

Posted March 2022

Part-time

Posted March 2022

Part-time 

The Mount Baker Council (BSA), headquartered in Everett, Washington and serving the counties of Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan is seeking a Special Event Fundraising Coordinator. The Special Events Fundraising Coordinator is a part-time employee of the Mount Baker Council (MBC), Boy Scouts of America and reports to the Scout Executive. The Special Events Coordinator works with Council staff, Scouting volunteers, and community organizations on development events that benefit the MBC, the Boy Scouts of America and its youth development programs. This position includes no benefits. The position is hourly, non-exempt, up to 20 hours average per week for 50 weeks per year with starting pay $25/hr, depending on experience. Business travel reimbursed at IRS rate and all approved business-related expenses reimbursed. 

Special Event Coordinator is the lead staff member up to four events where he or she manages fundraising goals, event logistics, and volunteer management and recruitment. Managing a volunteer committee is a key objective of the position and requires a flexible schedule for early morning, day, or evening meetings. This position will also assist in other events as assigned. The days leading up to events or campaigns can require extra hours.  

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Event fundraising management, including developing and implementing of unique fundraising strategies related to special events. 
• Budgeting and project management, including creation and adherence to project budgets and timelines for special events. 
• Recruitment and retention of event volunteers, including developing and implementing recruitment plans and volunteer management strategies (as applicable) for events. 
• Donor/participant relations, including managing special committees for events. This includes developing goals and objectives for committees, facilitating meetings and leading those committees towards successfully completing the established goals and objectives. 
• Other duties as assigned by the Scout Executive. 

For full position description including qualifications or to apply: send resume and cover letter to Kevin Nichols at kevin.nichols@scouting.org.