Nebraska football icon Tom Osborne is set to headline the Mid-America Council's Investment in Character Luncheon on Dec. 2, a Scouting fundraiser organizers describe as a multimedia showcase gala with lunch service at the CHI Ballroom in downtown Omaha. The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 455 N. 10th St., and organizers say it will draw hundreds of attendees, including community leaders, government leaders, business people and families.
According to the Mid-America Council, Osborne will serve as the event's headlining keynote speaker, and the listing notes there will be a formal request for support from all attendees. Event chairs Bryan Slone and Leslie Slone have said the luncheon is the largest fundraiser for Scouting in the Mid-America Council and funds most of its programs, according to a report from KMTV 3 News Now. The Slones also called it the most important annual event supporting Scouting in the region, per the same report.
A Showcase With a Nebraska Football Legacy
Osborne, the former Nebraska head football coach, steps into a keynote role that in years past has featured high-profile names. A separate KMTV report on the prior year's event noted that the 2025 luncheon, planned for Dec. 3 of that year, had listed Rex Tillerson, the former U.S. Secretary of State and former National President of the Boy Scouts of America, as its keynote speaker — details tied specifically to that earlier gathering rather than the 2026 event.
The Mid-America Council states that all proceeds from its events go directly to supporting Scouting throughout the council. The organization describes itself as a values-based youth development group whose programs build character, and according to the KMTV report, Scouting helps develop the next generation of leaders in communities and states by teaching responsibility, teamwork, leadership and outdoor activities.
How Omaha Residents Can Get Involved
Per the KMTV report, people interested in supporting the luncheon can do so by registering through the Mid-America Council for Scouting America website, buying a table or becoming a sponsor. Scouting America is a paid advertiser of Omaha Extra, the KMTV section where the event has been promoted, with Kary Wurth hosting that program.
The CHI Ballroom gathering follows the council's broader fundraising efforts, including its 2024 Investment in Character Campaign, which told supporters that financial contributions would ensure that youth continue to benefit from the Scouting program in the Mid-America Council. With Osborne's name now attached to the Dec. 2 event, organizers appear to be banking on his local stature to draw a strong turnout for a cause they describe as central to keeping Scouting programs running across the region.
