A Year in Review Follow us on:

The Central Point

Newsletter of Central Region Venturing | BSA Special Edition Newsletter 2014

Venturing is a Scouting program for male and female youth ages 13-21 that lets youth experience new activities, build leadership skills, earn awards, make new friends, and of course have fun.

The Central Region is one of four regions of the Boy Scouts of America. This region includes the states of: Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and West Virginia.

About Our

Organization...

Over the past year, the Central Region has

accomplished many great tasks. For the first

time in several years, all seven areas had

officers serving their area! Out of the 69

councils within the Central Region, over 45

councils submitted information for the

Council Standards of Venturing Excellence

Award! This information will greatly help

enhance Venturing within the Central

Region. Plans for the third Central Region

Venturing Fun Event began based off of

evaluation results from the last fun event in

2012. The Central Region Venturing website was reviewed and updated

and the Central Region Venturing Facebook continues to grow, reaching

more Venturers and Advisors daily. The new changes to the Venturing

program were released and will be implemented starting June 2014.

Who Represents You? Meet the 2014-2015

Central Region Venturing Officers’ Association

The Special Edition of the Central Point has been created to allow you to

get to know the incoming Central Region officers better. Find out more

about who represents you throughout the rest of the newsletter! Their

term officially begins on June 1, 2014. Please don’t hesitate to reach out

to any of the officers at any time over the upcoming year!

Central Region President Emily Mausshardt

Central Region Vice President of Administration

Lizzie Schneider

Central Region Vice President of Program

Dagny Gargas

Emily Mausshardt is currently the

Central Region Vice President of

Communications. She is from Ballwin,

Missouri in the Greater St. Louis Area

Council. She will be a sophomore at

Truman State University in the fall,

studying mathematics and secondary

education.

Favorite Outdoor Activity: Slacklining

Interesting Fact: She has belayed a Halloween

decoration skeleton

down a rappelling cliff.

Favorite Quote: “A

candle loses nothing by

lighting another

candle.” ~James Keller

Lizzie Schneider is currently serving as

the Area 3 Venturing President. She is

from the Greater St. Louis Area

Council in St. Louis, Missouri. She will

be a sophomore at Lindenwood

University, where she is studying

mathematics and secondary

education.

Did you know?! Lizzie is one of 6 children in her

immediate family!

Favorite Scouting Memory: Watching the sunrise from a

canoe in the middle of a 270 acre lake during NYLT

If you were stranded on an island with all of the basic necessities and could bring only one luxury item, what would you bring?

A hammock!

Central Region Vice President of Communications

Brian Parro Dagny Gargas is the current Central

Region Venturing Vice President of

Administration. She is from Indianapolis,

Indiana and is part of the Crossroads of

America Council. She attends St. Mary

of the Woods College, where she is

majoring in Biology, Psychology, and Pre

-Medicine.

Fun Fact: Dagny is the

Commissioner at Ransburg Scout

Reservation, where she has served

on staff since 2010.

Favorite Quote: “You miss 100% of

the shots you don’t take.” ~Wayne

Gretzky

If you were a salad dressing, which type would you be

and why? Citrus Vinaigrette—it is an uncommon type of

salad dressing that brings a lot of flavor to a salad!

Brian Parro is completing his term as

the Area 7 Venturing Vice President of

Administration. He is from the

Rainbow Council in Bolingbrook,

Illinois. Brian will be attending Case

Western Reserve University as a

freshman studying Business Finance

and Economics in the fall.

Fun Fact: Brian is the valedictorian of his high school

class.

If all of your clothes for the rest of your life were made out of the same type of fabric, what fabric would you choose and why?

Cotton—it can be used for every article of clothing and is

super comfortable!

Central Region Advisor Kris Zahrobsky

Central Region Area 1 President Michael O’Hara

Central Region Area 3 President Katie Bruton

Central Region Area 4 President Nate Steele

Kris is from LaGrange, Illinois and is

part of the Des Plaines Council. Kris is

currently serving as the Area 7

Venturing Advisor, where he has

served for 12 years. He is the Service

Manager for Life Safety/Fire

Protection and Prevention Company.

Did You Know? Kris served as the

Central Region Venturing President as a youth and is one

of the youngest recipients of the Silver Antelope Award.

Outside of Scouting: He has a dog named Hawkeye.

If you had to have a toaster for a hand or a donkey follow you around for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?

“The donkey because maybe it

would have the comedic

stylings of Eddie Murphy.”

Michael is currently serving as the

Area 1 Vice President of Program. He

is from St. Paul, Minnesota and will be

pursuing a degree in business.

Fun Fact: Michael is starting his own

business and managing a band!

Scouting Experience: He has attended

2010 National Jamboree, 2012

National Order of the Arrow Conference, Philmont Scout

Ranch, and Northern

Tier.

Scouting Fact:

Michael earned his

Eagle in 2012 and has

been a part of three

different Venturing

Crews!

Katie Bruton is currently serving as

the Central Region Sea Scout

Boatswain. She attends St. Francis

Borgia Regional High School. Katie

is from Union, Missouri in the

Greater St. Louis Area Council.

Did You Know? Katie has had her

feet in Canadian water, but not on Canadian land!

Favorite Scouting Memory: Sailing on a J-35 Racing

Yacht on Lake Huron for a week with the Sea Scouts

If you could swim in a

pool filled with any

liquid, what liquid

would you choose and

why? “Orange Juice—

Orange Juice is my

favorite beverage and why wouldn’t you want to go

swimming in a pool full of orange juice!?”

Nate Steele will be attending The

Ohio State University in the fall,

studying biology with a

concentration in Pre-Med. He is from

New Concord, Ohio and is part of the

Muskingum Valley Council.

Interesting Fact: Nate owns a

tandem bike that he frequently rides through the park

with his friend!

Favorite Food: A large steak right

after an enjoyable hike

Hobbies Outside of Scouting:

Skiing, reading, running, and

hanging out with friends

If you were a crayon in a crayon box, what crayon would

you be and why? “Atomic Tangerine—who wouldn’t

want to be a color named that?!”

Central Region Area 5 President Ramin Rostampour

Central Region Area 7 President Katlin Adams

Ramin is from the Heart of America

Council in Lexena, Kansas. In the fall,

he will be a sophomore at Kansas

State University, where he is

majoring in biology with a minor in

chemistry.

Did you Know? Ramin has a pet

crested gecko named Cheerio.

Favorite Scouting Memory: Serving

on staff for the 2013 National

Jamboree at the Rocks.

If you were a kitchen utensil, what

utensil would you be and why? He

would be a spoon because he is

really laid back most of the time

and is not very rough around the

edges. He is also good at catching things at the very end.

Katlin is from Markham, Illinois which is

part of the Calumet Council. She will be a

junior at St. Francis Xavier University,

where she is studying Elementary

Education.

Interesting Fact: Katlin’s nick name from

her crew is Squirrel because she loves to

talk and frequently talks without stopping!

Favorite Scouting Memory:

First trip to summer camp

Hobbies Outside of Scouting:

Photography

If aliens landed in front of you and would give you any

one item in exchange for your most prized possession, what would you ask for and what would you give them?

Katlin would ask for a rock climbing wall in her backyard

in exchange for her claddagh ring.

Serving as an officer at the area or regional level is

the experience of a lifetime. While planning events

and conferences, working on various projects, and

teaching training courses, officers get to meet

countless passionate youth and adults and travel

around their respective area or region providing

support for councils or areas. It is truly an eye

opening experience to see how Venturing is run in

different parts of the country. Serving in a leadership

role also teaches youth lifelong skills. Officers learn

skills such as public speaking, organization,

professional writing, and more! While that sounds

great, the best part is that the position is a blast!

While attending events and conferences and working

on projects, officers get to experience new

opportunities that are extremely fun and rewarding.

Consider applying next year—or this year if there are

positions open in your area!

Area and Region Positions—

Why Serve?

Big Shoes to Fill—A Job Well

Done As we welcome in new officers for the 2014-2015

term, let us take a moment to recognize and thank

those who have served during the 2013-2014 term.

Venturing in the Central Region wouldn’t be what it

is today without the hard work of the Central Region

and area officers that served this past year. Thank

you for all of your hard work, dedication, and service.

Thank you to Christina Vogt who tirelessly served the

Central Region as the President over the past year,

implementing new ideas, enhancing old ones, and

bringing endless enthusiasm for the Venturing

program. Thank you to Keith Gehlhausen, who has

served for TEN years as the Central Region Venturing

Advisor. You have left a lasting impact on the Central

Region and we could not thank you enough for your

service. The Central Region will undoubtedly miss

you for years to come!