FreedomPay Makes Payments and Transactions Safe, Secure and Convenient for BSA’s 2010 National Scout Jamboree
When 40,000 Boy Scouts celebrate 100 years of scouting at this year’s Jamboree, pre-funded Smart Bracelets from FreedomPay mean Scouts and their parents will leave the cash at home
RADNOR, Pa.--(
BUSINESS WIRE)--When 70,000 attendees comprised of 40,000 Boy Scouts and 30,000 visitors and volunteers convene this July in rural Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia for the
2010 National Scout Jamboree, they will be sporting a high tech bracelet that allows them to purchase snacks and souvenirs with the simple swipe of their wrists, all thanks to Radnor, Pennsylvania based
FreedomPay, and the company’s highly flexible transaction gateway,
FreeWayTM.
“As the Jamboree has grown and evolved over the past 100 years, so have the needs of the Scouts that attend”
As planning began for this year’s Jamboree, which will celebrate 100 years of Scouting, The
Boy Scouts of America (BSA) identified the need for a safe, secure and convenient payment solution in its discussions with Scouts and parents. The challenge was to find a solution that could be deployed in a rural, remote location that lacks the infrastructure needed for most payment and transaction providers.
The BSA enlisted the help of FreedomPay to provide a BSA branded Smart Bracelet. The Smart Bracelet provides a virtual wallet that can be funded by parents on-line prior to and during the Jamboree. To enable wireless transactions in the woods of Virginia, FreedomPay worked in concert with a leading mobile infrastructure provider to develop a 3G wireless network that ensures that the Smart Bracelet works, even in the remote environs of rural Virginia.
The result is a customized, easily deployed payment and transaction processing solution that allows Scouts full access to concessions, activities, and memorabilia without the hassle of cash or credit cards. What’s more, the bracelet can also be used as a credit or debit card by BSA staff, Scout leaders and other onsite adults, allowing them the same freedom to securely and conveniently buy concessions at the Jamboree’s Trading Posts.
For Michael Ramsey, Director of Brand Management for the BSA, FreedomPay’s solution offered the high level of security, convenience and flexibility that they were looking to offer parents and Scouts.
“As the Jamboree has grown and evolved over the past 100 years, so have the needs of the Scouts that attend,” says Ramsey. “The transaction solution that FreedomPay has customized especially for this event gives Scouts, and more importantly their parents, an easy, flexible and secure way to give their Scout access to needed funds during the Jamboree. Even better, it eliminates the need to carry cash, which could be lost during the event, and gives parents the ability to add additional funds as needed.”
The rugged, water-resistant Smart Bracelet is easy to set up and means there is no need for Scouts to carry cash, credit cards or a wallet during the Jamboree. Parents can load funds and monitor their Scout’s spending from home. Scouts can purchase snacks, beverages and supplies from the Trading Posts without worrying about losing cash or credit cards, and can even swim while wearing the bracelet.
“The Smart Bracelet for the BSA’s 2010 Jamboree is a great illustration of how our highly flexible and customizable transaction gateway, FreeWay, can be developed and deployed for just about any business or organization,” says Tom Durovsik, Chief Executive Officer of FreedomPay. “The BSA had a truly unique set of circumstances to address their Scout’s payment needs during the Jamboree, including access, location and multiple uses for the Smart Bracelet. The customized options that FreeWayTM offers at the point of transaction, processing and fulfillment allowed for a secure and easy-to-use payment network for Scouts and parents during this important event.”
About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. For nearly a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes — and, through nearly a century of experience, knows — that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society. Visit us online at
www.scouting.org.
About FreedomPay
FreedomPay® helps companies realize new productivity and revenue opportunities through enhanced transaction processing and analysis that delivers greater insight into how companies interface with their customers. With FreedomPay, businesses are free to choose their payment method; cashless, debit/credit, stored-value and vouchers, while also accessing enhanced transaction and payment analysis, security and a single, easy to understand transaction statement. Visit the company at
www.FreedomPay.com.
About FreeWay
FreedomPay’s easily deployed software-as-a-service (SaaS), FreeWayTM, is the world’s most flexible transaction gateway, joining all areas of payment and transaction management into a single, easy to use interface and reporting system.
With FreeWayTM, businesses are free to choose their provider for payments, processing and POS, while giving them limitless transaction solutions, fine tuning of promotional offerings, cross-selling opportunities, and delivering enhanced service at the point-of-sale. FreeWayTM ensures the security of customer data with end-to-end encryption and PCI compliance.
Passwords are fundamentally insecure and represent the biggest security threat facing organisations, says Jason Hart, senior vice-president for Europe at security firm Cryptocard. 
