Boy Scouts expect to raise $15,000 in Stratosphere SkyJump fundraiser

By Dylan Scott

Thursday, March 24, 2011 | 2:25 p.m.

Ryan Moon is taking a plunge on Friday -- 885 feet from the top of the Stratosphere, to be precise -- as local Boy Scout and business leaders Jump for Scouting to raise money for the group's Scoutreach program.

Moon, the scouts' local director of field services, Shane Calendine, scout executive for the Las Vegas Area Council, and Nathan Casper, a corporate communications associate with Shift4, will be among those taking a leap from the hotel-casino's SkyJump attraction Friday morning.

Moon is "a little excited and kind of nervous at the same time," he said, chuckling. "I'm not really an extreme adrenaline junkie, but I'm excited."

For their bravery, participants will raise about $15,000 or more for the Scoutreach program, which allows the Boy Scouts to reach underprivileged children, Moon said. They set up after-school programs with a scout leader at the head, and boys in the Scoutreach program are charged no fees for their involvement.

The purpose of Boy Scouts is "to instill values in young people and help them make ethical decisions," Moon said. "And we want to be sure any young man who wants to become a scout has that opportunity."

So far, the organization has set up programs in 11 area schools and has served 2,000 at-risk youth through Scoutreach, Moon said. Fundraising efforts such as Friday's jump are crucial to supporting that mission, he said.

It's the second year for the Jump for Scouting fundraiser, and Moon said he hopes to continue making it an annual event.

The event is sponsored by the Shift4 Corporation, an independent payment processing company that serves more than 20,000 clients throughout North

America.

To donate, or for more information about Scoutreach or the Boy Scouts in general, visit the area council's website.