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The following is from an article written by Scouts West President Tim Potter to the club:

The Chicken would go to Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), for the kids. Four or, five new DVD’s for the kids would make the greatest impact with what the Chicken had to offer. We sat there, all of us looking at each other for what can only be described as the longest, quietest ten seconds in Main Chapter meeting history. We must have all been thinking the same thing. The gift did seem minimal, given the cause. In those ponderous ten seconds, Scouts West Members were asking themselves perhaps the biggest question of all; “how blessed are we?”

And then, something extraordinary; something wonderful began to happen. First, one Member said, “I’ll throw 20 bucks at it,” then, another Member said, “I’ll throw 20 bucks at it,” then another and, another and, another. The hat was passed among the Members and, it came back filled to overflowing with bucks. In less than two minutes another $200 had been collected, raising the total to just over $250; a tidy sum to be sure, and greater than previous years’ donations.

Read related article on Scouts West being selected as Club of the Month

Then, another Member must have thought, that’s not a really nice round figure and, contributed even more to the sum, which spurred another round of giving up to $375. Now, we’re really talking about a useful and, meaningful gift to the kids. But, $375 isn’t round either, another Member must have thought and, yet another round of giving ensued bringing the total to over $400, then to over $500. It became a giving frenzy, I tell you, with Members repeatedly reaching into their wallets for more and, more and, more. Members from San Diego and Grapevine Chapters, even our guests for the evening joined in the giving. I swear to you, that in the hour or so after this ridiculous rubber Chicken was first opened, these wonderful people opened their hearts to these kids who are in the care of CHOC and, they opened their wallets, that Scouts West might give them the most meaningful gift possible and, answered the question in thunderous fashion. Truly, we are blessed.

My friends, I must tell you, that while I know what an extraordinary group of people Scouts West Members are, because I have experienced their generosity many times: even I was and, still am as I write this, amazed at what this great group of people can do. Truly, this is by far, the finest group of human beings that I have ever known and, repeatedly they show it. So, you ask if this moment is an apparition and, I tell you; no. It is commonplace and everyday, and it comes in many forms. It is who these people are. It is what this group is, at its core. It is the heart of Scouts West that beat so strongly and loudly that night. And it moved us all to do something greater than any of us was capable as an individual.

I suppose that even the casual onlooker may be able to see, from this account, the type of people who make up this Club. What one might not see though, is the real camaraderie among these folks that transcends the Club: the feeling of oneness that exists between these diverse individuals who come together once a month at meetings, on trail runs and, at Club parties? One might still miss that these people are in many ways a family. They are brothers and sisters, who despite their diverse opinions and imperfections, when together, create something that could not otherwise exist. They are the heart and soul of greatness. They are Scouts West.

In the end, these kind and generous hearted people had donated just over $600 to this cause. Our Sheriff graciously agreed to go shopping, to buy the DVDs that would be the gift to CHOC. He did a wonderful job of selecting 56 brand new DVDs for the money that had been collected. All the movies he was able to get are all first quality movies that these kids will really enjoy.

Club of the month is a way for the association to show clubs and members that we appreciate your support. Club of the month recognizes clubs that go beyond what it takes to be a 4x4 club. These clubs not only support CA4WDC, but their community as well. I hope you will agree Scouts West is one of those clubs. I know there are many more great clubs out there! If you know of one of these clubs, then write an article and send it to the In Gear. Let’s give these clubs the recognition they deserve.

When I first decided to write this article it was to be about the Scouts West International Harvester Western Regionals. But getting to better know some of the members and meeting the ones we didn’t know gave me a different perspective of the members and club as a whole. If you enjoy four-wheeling with a group of fun people, then look no farther than Scouts West. Whether you own a Scout or are a closet aficionado of International Harvester products then you will find you have a lot of friends in Scouts West.

On the 21st of April, Val and I attended the International Harvester Western Regionals. This event was held at Calico, CA near the town of Barstow. There were 66 registered Scout owners from as far away as Fresno. With some of the vehicles, the only way you could tell it was a Scout was to look for the remains of a logo. But then again they could have stolen a logo from a real Scout. After all, doesn’t International also make farm tractors?

Val and I set up a Cal4 wheel table next to registration, where Chuck and Ruthie were hard at work… well Chuck was. Most all the vehicles were out on the trails in and around Calico. It was interesting listening to all the radio cummunications with Chuck and the trail leaders. Sounded like a lot of broken stuff out on the runs. If I remember correctly, there were two broken axles, a broken pinion gear, and some damage to body panels and to the rock formations in the canyon. The last run to leave was the easy run with about 15 vehicles and one Jeep bringing up the rear; one could only surmise the Jeep was to pick up all the broken Scout parts and to help keep the trails clean.

I want to provide everyone with an update on the status of the AB 1595 fix. We have a limited window to get any bill passed, so I have been working closely with the Senate and Assembly Transportation Committees on language that can be passed before the legislature adjourns on August 31. I believe I have been able to reach an agreement on two provisions that will guarantee that come January you will still be able to ride with your kids while using aftermarket seats. It will also provide time for a more complete legislative fix next year.

The fix will remove the provision dealing with passengers' feet being required to touch the floorboards and will delay the implementation of the restrictions on aftermarket seats until July 1, 2013. This will give everyone another 11 months to get a more thorough and permanent fix drafted and passed during the next legislative session.

I expect that we will have a bill for this fix by early next week, at which point I will send out an email to all of you with the bill number. I expect this to move through the legislature extremely quickly and should be headed to the governor's desk for signature before the end of session.