Bomazeen Oldtimers Association 501(c)3
The Bomazeen Old Timers Association 501(c)(3) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and support of Scouting in the Kennebec Valley. This support can include supporting and maintaining Camp Bomazeen in Belgrade, Maine. It also extends help to Cub Scouts, Troop Scouts, Venturs, Sea Scouts, and Explorers in the Kennebec Valley. The Old Timers may also occasionally work with or support other nonprofits, community groups, and activities that work with youth, as it sees fit to do.
The Bomazeen Old Timers Association predates the formation of this nonprofit by more than fifty years. It originally started as a group of Scoutmasters and Cubmasters who had attended Camp Bomazeen with their units. The first known membership card for the Bomazeen Old Timers Association was dated 1968. One of the original founding members has informed us that this was in fact the original start date of the Bomazeen Old Timers.
Summer camp, camporees, and other events are what make Camp Bomazeen so special, and bonds were formed through them over the years. As such, an unofficial group of adult leaders who had been attending the camp regularly (aka old timers) coalesced into a community of adult volunteers who very much care for Camp Bomazeen. Many of these volunteers have given many hours of support — and sometimes physical labor — to help keep the camp up, making sure it remains available to the youth of Scouting for all time.
Over the years, the Old Timers have been support staff for events and summer camp, volunteers for camp maintenance, and even financial donors to the camp and its operation. What started as an unofficial bond of Scout leadership evolved into an unofficial club. This club continued the mission of supporting Scouting in the Kennebec Valley and at Camp Bomazeen. Over the years of the unofficial club, thousands of dollars were raised for various projects at Camp Bomazeen — from maintenance of existing buildings to the fundraising of materials and manpower to build new buildings, such as some of the staff cabins at Camp Bomazeen. These projects have all been the heart of what the Bomazeen Old Timers is.
In 2021, a handful of the Old Timers thought the club should evolve once again — this time to form a 501(c)(3) in order to further the mission of the club. That year, the IRS granted the group official nonprofit status. Since then, the Old Timers nonprofit 501(c)(3) has continued to support Scouting in the Kennebec Valley and at Camp Bomazeen.
The Bomazeen Old Timers Association predates the formation of this nonprofit by more than fifty years. It originally started as a group of Scoutmasters and Cubmasters who had attended Camp Bomazeen with their units. The first known membership card for the Bomazeen Old Timers Association was dated 1968. One of the original founding members has informed us that this was in fact the original start date of the Bomazeen Old Timers.