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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!
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