Heart of America Council, BSA Be Prepared Program

As Scouts, it's our duty to be prepared. And now more than ever, being prepared is more than just a slogan. It's a promise. A promise to make our communities better places to live and a promise to develop young people of character. The Heart of America Council's Scouting program, by emphasizing ethics and moral values, prepares youth to be leaders, to accept responsibility, and to care about causes beyond their own self-interest.

There have been three national studies and one local study (in North Kansas City) conducted that demonstrate youth in the scouting program have better attendance in school, score higher on state assessments and the ACT test, and are more likely to graduate. The Scouting program is successful because it emphasizes character, citizenship, leadership and personal fitness through advancement and local unit activities.

Scouting provides a series of surmountable obstacles—and the necessary steps to overcoming the obstacles—in order to advance in rank. This approach, and the resiliency it helps develop, provides invaluable life lessons at an early age. Scouts plan their advancement track and progress at their own pace as they meet each challenge. Merit Badges, Chips and Adventures are all key pieces of the advancement method. There are more than 135 Merit Badges available to Scouts on a wide variety of topics and skills.

Child Abuse Exercise & Crime Prevention Merit Badge

In the Cub Scout Program, in addition to each rank advancement's requirements, the Scout must also complete an exercise with their parent or guardian entitled, "How to Protect your Children from Child Abuse" and a corresponding age-appropriate video.

In addition, Our ScoutsBSA program introduces the Crime Prevention Merit Badge where Scouts explore the role and value of laws in society with regard to crime and crime prevention. Each Scout will progress through the Crime Prevention Merit Badge requirements and participate in the "Drugs: A Deadly Game Choose to Refuse" booklet. 

Cyberbullying

To help our youth stay safe while online, we will also introduce the Cyber Chip program. In developing this exciting new tool, the BSA teamed up with content expert NetSmartz®, part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children® and training expert for many law enforcement agencies.

Topics addressed include cyberbullying, cell phone use, texting, blogging, gaming, and identity theft. The Cyber Chip program is woven into our Scouting Rank Advancement system and delivers grade-level specific information to empower our Scouts to remain safe while online. Finally, we will provide training resources to all Scouting Units in Jackson County on how to administer these programs within their own pack or troop. 

The Scouts participating in our pilot program at the Kansas City Police Department Explorer Post, which provides career exploration activities to our youth, will go beyond simply participating in these programs and will also learn to disseminate this critical information to other youth in our community. 

Conflict Resolution

Finally, are proud to be able to continue expanding our partnerships and youth offerings through the ScoutReach program. With support from the Blue Hills Neighborhood Association and Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, our Scouts benefit from Conflict Resolution Training.

A partnership with the Kansas City Public Schools District allows us to work with three KCPS middle school cohorts and share Trauma-Informed Care training to identify and support those Scouts who have experienced or witnessed violence based trauma. In addition our Explorers program requires all Scouts to deliver at least three trainings (learned in the Scouting program) to their classes in 10-15 minute presentations throughout the school day. Those trainings must include Conflict Resolution and Drug-Violence prevention along with a third topic of their choice.

Locations

Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.

Contact:
816-942-9333 • hoac-bsa.org

2023 COMBAT Funding:
$160,874

2023 Service Projection:
4,000 People

Areas Of Focus

Heart of America Council, 10210 Holmes Rd, Kansas City, MO 64131

South Patrol Station Kansas City Police Department, 10210 Holmes Rd, Kansas City, MO 64131

Gregg/Klice Community Center, 1600 E 17th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64108

Blue Hills Neighborhood Association, 5309 Woodland Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110

Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, 3700 Woodland Ave, Kansas City, MO 64109

LINC - Troost Elementary After Care Program, 1215 E 59th St, Kansas City, MO 64110

Central Middle School, 3611 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64128

Operation Breakthrough, 3039 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64109

Brush Creek Community Center & Pool, 3801 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64130

LINC - George Melcher Elementary, 3958 Chelsea Ave, Kansas City, MO 64130

LINC - Lee A Tolbert Community Academy, 3400 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64109

Success Academy at Anderson, 1601 Forest Ave, Kansas City, MO 64108

KC Board of Police Commissioners, 1125 Locust St, Kansas City, MO 64106

Ingels Elementary School, 11600 Food Ln, Kansas City, MO 64134

Academy for Integrated Arts, 7910 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64131

Brookside Charter School, 1815 E 63rd St, Kansas City, MO 64130

Emmanuel Family & Child Center - Food Distribution Center, 2416 Swope Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64130

Genesis School, 3800 E 44th St, Kansas City, MO 64130

Guadalupe Center's Elementary School, 5123 E Truman Rd, Kansas City, MO 64127

Pleasant Green Baptist Church, 2910 E 30th St, Kansas City, MO 64128

Southeast Community Center, 4201 E 63rd St, Kansas City, MO 64130

University Academy, 6801 Holmes Rd, Kansas City, MO 64131

Lincoln College Prep Middle School, 2012 E 23rd St, Kansas City, MO 64127

LINC - African-Centered College Preparatory Academy, 6410 Swope Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64130

LINC - Baptiste Educational Center, 5401 E 103rd St, Kansas City, MO 64137

LINC - Banneker Elementary School, 7050 Askew Ave, Kansas City, MO 64132

LINC - Border Star Montessori, 6321 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64113

LINC - Center Elementary School, 8401 Euclid Ave, Kansas City, MO 64132

LINC - Conn-West Elementary School, 1100 Highgrove Rd, Grandview, MO 64030

LINC - Dobbs Elementary School, 9400 Eastern Ave, Kansas City, MO 64138

LINC - Faxon Elementary School, 1320 E 32 Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64109

LINC - Foreign Language Academy, 3450 Warwick Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111

LINC - Garfield Elementary School, 436 Prospect Ave, Kansas City, MO 64124 

LINC - George Washington Carver School, 4600 Elmwood Ave, Kansas City, MO 64130 

LINC - Gladstone Elementary School, 335 N Elmwood Ave, Kansas City, MO 64123

LINC - Hale Cook Elementary School, 7302 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO 64114

LINC - Holliday Montessori School, 7227 Jackson Ave, Kansas City, MO 64132

LINC - Indian Creek Elementary School, 9801 Grand Ave, Kansas City, MO 64114

LINC - J.A. Rogers Elementary School, 6400 23rd St, Kansas City, MO 64129

LINC - James Elementary School, 5810 Scarritt Ave, Kansas City, MO 64123

LINC - King Elementary School, 4848 Woodland Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110

LINC - Longfellow Elementary School, 2830 Holmes St, Kansas City, MO 64109

LINC - Martin City K8, 201 E 133rd St, Kansas City, MO 64145

LINC - Meadowmere Elementary School, 7010 E 136th St, Grandview, MO 64030 

LINC - Primitivo Garcia Elementary School, 1000 W 17 St, Kansas City, MO 64108

LINC - Santa Fe Middle School, 8908 Old Santa Fe Rd, Kansas City, MO 64138

LINC - Topping Elementary School, 4433 N Topping Ave, Kansas City, MO 64117

LINC - Trailwoods Elementary School, 6201 E 17th St, Kansas City, MO 64126

LINC - Truman Elementary School, 9601 James A Reed Rd, Kansas City, MO 64134

LINC - Warford Elementary School, 11400 Cleveland Ave, Kansas City, MO 64137

LINC - Wheatley Elementary School, 2415 Agnes Ave, Kansas City, MO 64127

LINC - Whittier Elementary School, 1012 Bales Ave, Kansas City, MO 64127

Butcher-Greene Elementary School, 5302 E 140 St, Grandview, MO 64030

Pitcher Elementary School, 9915 E 38 Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64133

Calvary Temple, 5612 St John Ave, Kansas City, MO 64123

Child Development, 5900 Swope Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64130

Covenant Presbyterian Church, 5931 Swope Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64130

Friendship Baptist Church, 3530 Chelsea Dr #3500, Kansas City, MO 64128

Garrison Community Center, 1124 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106

Holy Cross Catholic School, 121 N Quincy Ave, Kansas City, MO 64123

Macedonia Baptist Church, 1700 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64109

Metropolitan Missionary Baptist, 2310 E Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64109

Palestine Missionary Baptist of Jesus Christ, 3619 E 35th St, Kansas City, MO 64128

Saint James, 5540 Wayne Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110