1912
* Scouts mobilize for the first of a series of national civic Good Turns, including the promotion of a safe and sane Fourth of July. Other community Good Turns begin.

1914
* The first William T. Hornaday gold medal for the conservation of wildlife is presented.

1917
* The day after war is declared on Germany, under the slogan "Every Scout to Feed a Soldier," BSA members are urged to plant vegetable gardens.
In two plant-growing seasons, 12,000 Scout farms are established. At the same time, the BSA pledges to aid the American Red Cross and promises cooperation with the U.S. Navy by organizing Scout coastal patrols to watch for enemy ships.
* Scouting's full resources are placed at the service of the government as part of the war effort. From 1917 to 1918, Scouts sell 2,350,977 Liberty Loan bonds, totaling $147,876,902; and war savings stamps, to a value of $S3,043,698. More than 300 million pieces of government literature are distributed, and services rendered include food and fuel conservation and Boy Scout war gardens.

1918
* After the signing of the armistice, the slogan "The War Is Over, But Our Work Is Not" is adopted. Scouts render nationwide service during the influenza epidemic.

1934
* In response to the request of President Roosevelt in a radio address delivered February 10, Boy Scouts perform a nationwide Good Turn, collecting 1,812,284 items of clothing, household furnishings, foodstuffs, and supplies for the distressed and needy.
* The Order of the Arrow becomes an approved part of the Scouting program.

1937
* The First National Jamboree Is held in Washington from June 30 to July 9, at the invitation of President Roosevelt, with an attendance of 27,232

1941
* With the declaration of war, the government requests Boy Scout service for the distribution of defense bonds and stamp posters; collection of aluminum and wastepaper; defense housing surveys; victory gardens; distribution of air-raid posters; cooperation with the American Red Cross; and, by joint agreement with the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization, services in three capacities--messengers, assisting emergency medical units, and firewatchers.

1942
* Scouts continue in war service. Twenty-eight projects are requested by the government, including the collection of 30 million pounds of rubber in a two-week drive; all-out salvage based on the government-issued pamphlet Scrap and How Scouts Collect It; distribution of pledge cards for war bonds and savings stamps; victory gardens; work on farms and in harvest camps; and government dispatch bearers.

1943
* Scouts render war service at the request of the government in four general classifications: collections+aid in salvage drives; distribution, as official dispatch bearers for government pamphlets and posters; production; and conservation.

1945
* The total Boy Scout war service includes 69 requests from the government during 1941 through 1945.
* General Dwight D. Eisenhower's outstanding Wastepaper Campaign culminates in the General Eisenhower Award; a gold medal is presented to him in December by the Boy Scouts of America in appreciation. Other service includes collections in many communities, distribution of circulars on conservation projects, and the Green Thumb program.
* Twenty thousand Scouts earn the General Douglas MacArthur Medal for growing food.

1951
* Scouts collect 2 million pounds of clothing for domestic and foreign relief.

1952
* Scouts distribute more than a million posters and 30 million Liberty Bell doorknob hangers in a get-out-the-vote campaign.
* Scouts cooperate in a national campaign to secure blood donor pledges, collect clothing for worthy causes, distribute seeds for Asia, and aid in conservation projects and civil defense.

1954
* The Boy Scouts of America conducts a National Conservation Good Turn, distributing 3.6 million conservation posters. In parks, rural areas, and wilderness areas, Scouts plant 6.2 million trees, build and place 55,000 bird-nesting boxes, and arrange 41,000 conservation displays.

1956
* In a nationwide nonpartisan get-out-the-vote campaign, Scouts distribute more than a million posters and 36 million Liberty Bell doorknob hangers.

1970
* Project SOAR (Save Our American Resources) is initiated as an ongoing BSA service project. It is estimated that during the year, 60,000 BSA units take part in SOAR-related conservation projects.

1971
* Scouting Keep America Beautiful Day is held on June 8, and Scouts collect more than a million tons of litter.

1972
* Nearly 4 million Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts take part in Scouting Keep America Beautiful Day.

1986
* The BSA conducts a nationwide Donor Awareness Good Turn to inform American families of the urgent need for donated human organs and tissue.
An estimated 600,000 youth members distribute 14 million brochures to families, informing them of the need for donated human organs and tissue and urging them to make a commitment to donate.

1988
* The first annual Scouting for Food drive collects more than 65 million containers of food.

2001
* In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, Scouts respond to our nation's call for assistance by collecting gloves, socks, toothbrushes, bottled water, and other necessities requested by rescue workers and victims.

2004
* The BSA launches Good Turn for America, a national initiative to address the problems of hunger, homelessness/inadequate housing, and poor health.
The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity join in the effort.