SCV Membership

Membership is currently 29,801 including 3,268 Life Members and 52 Real Sons, and an additional 259 cadet members. The SCV also has well over 50,000 dues delinquent former members who may want to rejoin your camp. If you would like a mailing list of your camp’s delinquent members, please contact the GHQ staff. Every SCV member needs to continue to recruit new members while en­couraging current members to make the commitment to be long term members which is the best way to grow the SCV. Life member­ships are a great value at only $500 up through age 64, $250 for age 65 to 79, and $125 for age 80 and up. These rates will increase on August 1, 2008 as the rates are tied to a multiple of annual dues.

Prorated Dues
Please take advantage of prorated dues for new members and reinstating former members during the last six months of the fiscal year. During June and July 2008 the prorated dues amount is only $32.50 which will pay the member through July 31, 2009. Please take advantage of this fine opportunity to keep members in another year and so the camp will not have to go back to the members in a few months asking for dues a second time.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Boyhood Homecoming
The annual fund raising celebration will be held all day on Saturday June 21, 2008 at the Forrest Boyhood Home near Chapel Hill TN. Please come to this event to see the progress on the restoration of this unique early 1830s structure, join the fun, and help support the efforts to raise additional funds to speed up the restoration work. The day’s events will include infantry, cavalry and artillery demonstrations, historic speakers, special live period music, food and much, much more. Donation items for this year’s silent auction are much needed. Please contact Bryan Sharp at (800) 380-1896 ext 201 or membership@scv.org to donate.  A map and schedule of the day’s events is posted at http://elmspringscsa.com.

Concord Reunion
All SCV members and camps are encouraged to attend the 113th Annual General Reunion which will be held in Concord NC during the period July 16 to July 19, 2008 and hosted by the Captain Jonas Cook SCV Camp 888. Their website is http:// www.jonascookcamp.com for registration and hotel info including a schedule of events. There are a number of important documents that are related to this event and normal SCV business with which you will need to be familiar.

Credentials Form
You may print this document, which is attached to this electronic version of The Gray Line as a .pdf file, on plain paper. Please ensure that GHQ has the names of the correct camp Commander and Adjutant in their database records because one of these two officers must sign the credentials form to validate it. The credentials committee will check the name against the master camp rosters. Please do not send the signed credentials form back to the GHQ as it must be retained and taken to Concord NC by your camp’s delegate(s).

2008 Awards Program Information sheet
This information should answer all of your questions concerning national awards for this reun¬ion. You may download a distinguished camp award entry form at member services, forms and documents on the SCV website at this link:http://www.scv.org/pdf/distCampAwardForm.pdf You may also download the annual camp report form at this link: http://www.scv.org/pdf/camp_reporting_form.pdf

Friends of the SCV (FOSCV)
As a way to recognize persons who support the SCV, but do not meet the requirements for membership, the GEC previously adopted the “Friends of the SCV” concept which has now come to fruition. For a minimum initial donation of $40, the “Friend” will receive a nice certificate suitable for framing, a lapel pin and a one-year subscription to the Confederate Veteran magazine. Subsequent donations of $30 or more each year will maintain their subscription and friendship. Please note that “Friends” are not SCV members, may not exercise any rights of membership to include claiming to be members. The “Friends of the SCV” application may be accessed on the SCV website, http://www.scv.org/pdf/FOSCV_MembershipApplication.pdf

Miniature War Service Medal
Based upon a member suggestion, the SCV General Headquarters has developed a War Service Medal (WSM) Lapel Pin which is a miniature version of the medal. Both new WSM recipients, as well as any member who has previously received the award, may or-der the new lapel pin from the SCV Merchandising Section for a cost of $10.00 plus the appropriate shipping and handling charge.

Logo merchandise
Camps may use the SCV’s trademarked logo on clothing and other merchandise items for sale within the camp provided that the camp’s name or number, or both camp name and number, appear along side the logo. Logo items may only be worn or purchased by active SCV members. There have been several recent incidents where the SCV logo has been misused by both individuals and rogue businesses who were attempting to sell items through the internet for personal profit. The SCV vigorously protects its logo.

2008 IRS Annual Electronic Notice Filing Requirement
SCV camps with gross receipts less than $25,000 a year are not required to file an IRS Form 990 tax return; however, beginning in 2008 at the end of the current fiscal year, all camps will be required to submit an annual electronic notice. This will be a simple task, providing camp officer contact information that must be accomplished online between August 1st and December 15, 2008. You may not make this report before August 1, 2008. The SCV will provide further guidance and assistance on completing this task as we near the end of the current fiscal year.

SCV Affinity Credit Card
Texas Independent Bank and the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) have had a mutually beneficial affinity credit card arrangement for the past nine years. TIB terminated the contract on April 30, 2008 after which the SCV receives no benefit from purchases made. The bank claims their action is due to the small number of SCV card holders. TIB further refused to provide to the SCV the names and addresses of current card holders; however, TIB did allow the SCV to print a one time announcement on each cardholder’s monthly statement. TIB will also send each affinity card holder a new generic TIB card to replace the current cards with the SCV logo and others with General R. E. Lee featured. The SCV is seeking a new contract with a different bank; however, at the time this is being published we have not been successful. If you wish to continue to support the SCV through a new affinity card, please provide your name and address to SCV, P O Box 59, Columbia TN 38502-0059, by email to exedir@scv.org

Sixth Annual Sam Davis Youth Camp
The co-ed camp will be held from Sunday July 27th to Saturday August 2nd at Magnolia State Park, Millen GA, between Waynesboro and Millen at a beautiful historic site. The deadline for applications is Monday July 21, 2008. You may download an application at http://www.scv.org/pdf/2008SamDavisYouthCampApplication.pdf Scholarships are available for deserving youth whose parents or host SCV camp cannot afford the tuition; however, the camper, his family or host SCV camp must arrange transportation for the child to get to and from the camp site according to the camp schedule. For more info http://www.scv.org/samdavis

Important Notice
If you or any of your Compatriots would like to receive occasional notices and announcements from the official, SCV news source, please visit http://www.scv.org/maillistSubscription.php. The Gray Line is only being sent via email on the internet through the official SCV News List! If any member of your camp would like to join the SCV News List, please direct him to the link above where he can sign up for this service. Please forward this Gray Line, as it contains useful information, on to all members of your camp.

Confederate Veteran Magazine
The May June 2008 CV magazine is currently being printed and should go into the mail on approximately June 20, 2008. Please under-stand it is mailed at Non Profit bulk mail rates and the US Postal Service will not forward it if you have a change of address. Please report address changes as soon as they are known. If you have any question about GHQ having your correct information, you can check it by entering your SCV ID number and your last name in the box at the following link: http://www.scv.org/checkData.php If a correction needs to be made, you will see a form for that purpose, which will notify Elm Springs to update their records. You may also call GHQ on (800) 380-1896 or send an email to the appropriate secretary with an address change.

New Confederate war service record research tools Military Research at the National Archives.
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DNA Service Offered to SCV Members
If you are interested in furthering your own genealogical research, the SCV has made arrangements to allow our members to do this research using their DNA through a company called Family Tree DNA. Genetic genealogy through the use of DNA is growing rapidly. It allows us to connect with other people who perhaps may have more information to add to your family mystery. Family Tree DNA has set up a group program, offering us discounts and profit sharing for the SCV. Please visit Family Tree DNA’s web site https://www.familytreedna.com/ and look it over. If you decide you would like to join the project you can do so from this link: https://www.familytreedna.com/surname_join.aspx?code=K17699 Family Tree DNA has offered excellent discounts to SCV members. The process is very simple should you wish to participate.

Cadet Membership
Cadet membership was established in 2006 for males from birth to 12 years of age who are otherwise eligible for SCV membership. You may access an application that may be completed on line at this link: http://www.scv.org/pdf/SCVCadetApplicationFillable_20080501.pdf The completed application can then be submitted along with $10 to General Headquarters (GHQ) to include the Camp’s approval. The GHQ will enter the young man in the database, assign him a SCV membership number, and all records will be the same as a full mem¬ber except that his membership status will be different. The names of cadet members will not appear on the camp membership roster nor will they receive the Confederate Veteran magazine. A new cadet member joining for the year August 1, 2008 through July 31, 2009 will be status CM08. Once the young man becomes 12, he may pay his regular dues to have his status changed to the appropriate fiscal year which will make him a full member.

Future Reunions The 2009 SCV National Reunion will be held in Hot Springs AR and hosted by the James M. Keller Camp 648, and the 2010 Reunion will be held in Anderson County SC and hosted by the Manse Jolly SCV Camp 6. Montgomery AL is the proposed site for 2011 Reunion, and the GEC will be recommending this location to the 2008 Annual General Reunion attendees at Concord NC in July 2008.