WASHINGTON, DC - The Boy Scouts of America presented its annual Report to the Nation to President Clinton and US House and Senate members during a five-day tour of Washington. Seven youth delegates from across the nation representing Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing presented the report.

Report to the Nation delegates meet Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert and the press in the Speaker's chambers.

The delegates represented more than 4.7 million youth who participate in the values-driven programs of the BSA. The Report to the Nation is presented annually to the executive branch and both houses of Congress by a youth contingent and highlights Scouting's achievements during the year.

The delegates for 1998 were: Dawnn Rae Burnett, 18, Highland, Michigan; Andre Mitchell, 18, Daphene, Alabama; David Maldonado, 17, River Ridge, Louisiana; Aaron Hall, 16, Milltown, Montana; Will Parker, 18, Davidson, North Carolina; Truong Dang Nguyen, 13, Portland, Maine; and Roberto Mercado, 10, Stow, Ohio.

Delegates get in a few minutes of fun and exercise with BSA Volunteer Jin Matsumoto refereeing

In addition to the presentations, the delegation toured traditional sites and visited with national dignitaries. Sites on the touring schedule included; the White House; the Supreme Court; the Secret Service laboratory; the Pentagon; the US Capitol: the Vietnam, Lincoln, and Jefferson Memorials; and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

With more than 5.6 million youth and adult members, the Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest youth-development organizations. Since the BSA's inception in 1910, more than 99 million young people have been involved in Scouting.

Andre Mitchell, 18, Daphene, Alabama: Andre, an Eagle Scout, is a hero in his family, and within the BSA. Andre was awarded the Heroism Award for administering artificial respiration to his 3-week-old cousin. In addition to instructing other family members on the correct procedure for administering CPR to an infant, Andre was able to resuscitate the child when the child stopped breathing three times.

David Maldonado, 17, River Ridge, Louisiana: David is an Eagle Scout, and staff junior leader instructor at the BSA's Philmont Scout Ranch in, New Mexico. He has been active in Scouting for more than 10 years. The Maldonados are a true Scouting family. David's brother, Daniel, is a Star Scout and his parents, Julio and Cynthia, are adult leaders. David will be studying engineering when he enters college this fall.

Will Parker, 18, Davidson, North Carolina: Will, a freshman at Davidson College, is national chief of the Order of the Arrow - BSA's honor society. Fellow OA members elect a peer to the position whom they feel exemplifies the Scout Oath and Law. More than 178,000 young men belong to the Order of the Arrow, and Will was chosen from 44 OA leaders from across the nation to represent OA at the national level.

Dawnn Rae Burnett, 18, Highland, Michigan: Dawnn is a freshman at Wayne State University, a certified emergency medical technician, and a volunteer firefighter. An active member in the BSA's high-adventure program, Venturing, she is using the experience, training, and leadership skills she is learning in the program to assist her as she pursues a degree in medicine.

Aaron Hall, 16, Milltown, Montana: In 1998 Aaron was awarded the Heroism Award With Crossed Palms. In the BSA's 89-year history, only 130 other Scouts have received this award, which is bestowed upon Scouts who put their lives at extreme risk in an effort to help another. Aaron is credited with saving a 6-year old boy's life after the child was attacked by a mountain lion. Aaron's quick actions, strong determination, and the first aid skills he learned while in Scouting saved the boy from being mauled by the 80-pound cat.

Truong Dang Nguyen, 13, Portland, Maine: Truong, a recent immigrant to the United States, has been a part of BSA's Scoutreach program for nearly two years. Scoutreach is designed for youth in the inner city and in rural communities. Truong is a talented artist and speaks highly of the many new and different experiences he has had while participating in this character-building Scouting program.

Roberto Mercado,10, Stow, Ohio: At age 9, Roberto Mercado was the youngest Scout to receive BSA's Heroism Award for saving his mother's life by applying the Heimlich maneuver-which he learned while a Cub Scout. "Berdo" as his friends and teachers call him, used the correct procedure to dislodge a piece of meat that was choking her.