FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2023
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
FUNDING SUPPORTS A COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH SENTARA HEALTH
Virginia Beach, Va. –Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America, a leading youth development organization serving families in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, is pleased to announce a generous contribution of $7,500 from Sentara Health to assist the 2024 Scouting for Food drive.
The $7,500 donation from Sentara will be utilized by Tidewater Council BSA to increase participation and impact of the annual food drive. Scouts will collect food items in February and March 2024 to benefit local food banks and food pantries. Support from Sentara will ensure that Scouts have the supplies and resources needed to make the project a success.
Tidewater Council teaches life lessons centered on character, personal fitness, citizenship, and leadership development to girls and boys ages five through twenty. Through Scouting for Food, Scouts make an impact on food insecurity in the region, as well as build their own character and citizenship skills through service.
“Scouting is built on giving back to the community and doing community service,” said Tidewater Council Scout Executive James Parnell. “We are grateful for the support from Sentara, which will enable more families to participate in Scouting for Food.”
This contribution from Sentara reinforces their shared commitment to creating healthier communities through partnerships with organizations and individuals.
About Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Those values are as important today as they were a century ago: “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”
Tidewater Council is the fifth oldest Boy Scouts of America council in the United States, established in 1911. Today, the council serves more than 4,000 youth and 1,700 adult volunteers in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach and the North Carolina counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. Information about Tidewater Council is available by visiting TidewaterBSA.com, emailing james.parnell@scouting.org, or calling 757-497-2688.
Sentara, an integrated, not-for-profit healthcare delivery system, celebrates 135 years in pursuit of its mission— “we improve health every day.” Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 30,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division, which serves more than 1.2 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary healthcare experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named to IBM Watson Health’s “Top 15 Health Systems” (2021, 2018) and was recognized by Forbes as a “Best Employer for New Grads” (2022), “Best Employer for Veterans” (2022), and “Best Employer for Women” (2020).
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