Vance Lackey, Bob Johannsen, Charles Lauens
Vance Lackey, Kathrine & C.J. Ross, Charles Laurens, Shaw
McVeigh in background
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OA GETS REGALIA DONATION
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...been there...done that...
(Reports on recent events)
| Scouts and their parents are welcome to email reports on Council and District events (with or without pictures) to us to be posted on this page of the website. Send your entries to oacbsa@oacbsa.org. Best entry each month wins a $10.00 gift certificate for the Scout Store! |
June 2010 Flag retirement CS 2010 Conference
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CAN YOU PICK OUT THE 10 SCOUTERS FROM OAC IN THIS PICTURE?? |
OAC Commissioner Bob Johannsen accepts a certificate of appreciation for his assistance in the Commissioner College, held May 8, 2010 at Fort Stewart. Plans are already underway for another Commissioner College next year to be hosted by the Okefenokee Area Council. |
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CUB SCOUTS 2010 CONFERENCE On May 13th, a large group of Cub Scout Den Leaders converged on Needwood Middle School in Brunswick to hear about the new Cub Scout delivery method being used throughout the BSA this fall. A variety of issues were discussed and new materials were handed out to those in attendance. If your Pack was not represented, you need to see your District Executive to get your copy of the 2 books and 2010-11 program calendar being distributed by the Council. The new method, in national tests, has delivered a large increase in youth retention. |
May 2010 Must watch TV Kingsland Explorer Historical Merit Badges OA Ordeal Popcorn!
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2010 Council Awards Banquet This year's banquet, held May 1st on Jekyll Island, was a huge success. Many of the Council's 29 Eagle Scouts for 2009 were on hand to be recognized along with Webelos earning their Arrow of Light Awards. Silver Beaver Awards were given to two well-deserving volunteers: Bob Johannsen and C. J. Ross. Also recognized was 1989 Silver Beaver Wayne Doke as the class honoree for 2009.
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EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS This is one of a series of articles on the duties and responsibilities of the Council Advancement Committee, which consists of a Council Committee Member, and the Chairs of the District Advancement Committees. One of the major functions of the Council Advancement Committee is to review and approve recommendations for Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Awards. Approval for most of these awards is by a National Court of Honor, but the Council may present a Local Council Certificate of Merit for actions which do not qualify for National recognition. Procedurally, a recommendation for either type of award should be prepared by the unit committee chairman or unit leader, with as much supporting documentation as possible, and forwarded via the District to the Council Advancement Committee. This committee will further investigate the action, and may either return it without action, approve a Council-level award, or forward to the National Court of Honor. There are three levels of National recognition for lifesaving: Honor Medal with Crossed Palms, Honor Medal, and Heroism Award. The level granted is according to the degree of risk to self involved. The Medal of Merit, or National Certificate of Merit, is given to either a youth or adult member who has performed an act of rare or exceptional character, or performed a significant act or service. The Spirit of the Eagle Award is available for youth members who die as a result of tragic accident or through illness. The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award is for those who have been Eagle Scouts for 25 or more years and who have distinguished themselves in their career or public life The William T. Hornaday Award is given to a unit or youth member for distinguished service in conservation. The youth award comes in five different levels. Other awards available include the National President’s Scoutmaster Award of Merit; the Venturing Advisor Award of Merit; and several Venturing Leadership Awards given variously by councils, areas/regions, and the BSA National Council both to Venturers and adults who have made exceptional contributions to Venturing. Many of these awards require submission on special forms, available from the Council, but the easiest way to get started is with a simple letter. Most awards require submission within six months of the act or achievement, so if you think someone you know deserves special recognition, get the ball rolling early! More detailed information is contained in BSA publication #33088. |
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MUST WATCH TV!
The Boys' Life television show - the action-packed, original series "Scouting for Adventure" is back on the Outdoor Channel in reruns, Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. All-new episodes for season three will kick off this summer coinciding with the 100th Anniversary celebration and the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. Season three will continue the adventure, taking viewers on spectacular treks to the BSA's national high adventure bases and giving them an inside peek at "the best, more exciting, fun-filled safest jamboree ever." DVDs of seasons one and two are available at www.boyslife.org/DVD
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HISTORICAL MERIT BADGE PROGRAM We are pleased to introduce the Histroical Merit Badge program and release supported materials for the program, which includes four returning merit badges - Signaling, Tracking, Carpentry, and Pathfinding. With the Historical Merit Badge program, we hope to capitalize on the excitement of the Boy Scouts of America's 100th Anniversary year. The goal of this program is to help stimulate Boy Scout advancement by adding a limited advancement opportunity; to help today's Scouts understand what the world might have been like for Scouts in 1910; to make advancement more fun and exciting, and popular to earn; and, to provide unique program opportunities for council and district activities that go beyond traditional program themes. The BSA National Web site has detailed information about the program for volunteers. Materials include a program announcement flier, program overview, implementation guide, scans of the original merit badge pamphlets, an supplemental fliers that give the original requirements more meaning and relevancy. |
KINGSLAND EXPLORER
WINS STATE COMPETITION
Recently, Post 911
(Kingsland Fire & Rescue) Explorer Robert Dingle, participated in
a State Competition for firefighting through SKILLS USA. This event
was held in Atlanta,
and Robert placed 1st in this event for the entire State! Robert will
now participate in the National Competition in
Kansas City later
in June this year. The Post 911 Explorers
will be heading to
Waycross
on May 8th to participate in a competition with Post 900
Explorers of the Ware County EMS. |
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POPCORN UPDATE No you are not losing your mind - we are just giving you a heads up and an update for the fall popcorn sales. Eventhough you are selling savings cards every unit needs to start looking for a popcorn kernel to attend the council kickoff on August 13th to learn of the new additions and changes. We will also have the military donation again this year. Mark your calendar to find a kernel by July 23 so that your unit can be represented at the kickoff. The show and sell pickup date is August 28 and the take order pickup date is November 6. The Universal Studios trip is tentatively scheduled for December 11. Let's have a record number of units selling popcorn this year. If you are doing show and sell it is not too early to set up dates with businesses to sell in front of the business. It is very important that each unit that plans to sell popcorn attends the kickoff. In 2009 there were a hand full of units that did not attend training and they never did grasp the program. If you attend in place of your kernel you are doing a disservice to the kernel. All of the information does not get passed down to the kernel. Training is very important. See you in August.
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Pilthlako Lodge 229 Summer Ordeal and Fellowship Mark your calendar for the weekend of May 14-16! We will be hosting our summer ordeal and fellowship. Along with the ordeal we will be making camp ready for summer camp. Any newly elected members to the Order of the Arrow can go through their ordeal by downloading the registration form (see link below), fill it out and mail into the office. On June 5th we will be having a work weekend for the lodge to finish up making camp ready for summer camp. As the honor society of campers it is the lodge's responsibility to ensure that camp is as ready as possible for summer camp. We need ALL brothers in attendance on both weekends to make this happen. A dozen brothers cannot complete the projects and have the camp ready. These two weekends is called "all hands on deck." Let us show the new brothers that we can work AND have fun all in the same weekend. Volunteer to head up a team, run a program or work in the kitchen…but do something. See you on both weekends. Click here to register.
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April 2010
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OSPREY PINEWOOD DERBY - Osprey District registered 53 cars for the 2010 District PWD, a new record in recent years. All categories (Cub Scouts) had at least 10 entrants, so the competition was pretty stiff. Kudos to Gregg White and his team of volunteers who put on a great race. The winners for all Cub Scout divisions are shown below (Click the thumbnail to see a larger picture). The Over-all winner for the Cubbies was John Gibbons. The Anything Goes race was won by Daniel Shusko of Troop 281. |
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 Tiger winners: Canyon Thrift, Noah Meemken, Jacob Maffett |
 Wolf winners: Josh Garner, Ryan Jones, Ron Churchwell |
 Bear winners: Tanner Whitetree, Daniel Gibbons, James Howell |
 Webelos winners: John Gibbons, Charles Carson, Matthew Shusko |
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Fun with Son was a Ton of Fun! Thanks to all who came out to camp for the Fun with Son Cub Scout Campout. Our staff of volunteers are amazing and deserve a big thank you for their time and guidance. The newest attraction at camp is Frisbee golf. An 18-"hole" course is set up permanently around the camp, beginning and ending at the Trading Post. The scouts really enjoyed playing the course and learning the game. We had a total of 111 scouts come to camp, compared to 70 from the last Spring's event. That’s amazing! And goes to show that Scouting is alive and well! Thanks again to all that attended and helped out!! Click photos to enlarge.
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COASTAL PINEWOOD DERBY RESULTS Overall: 1st Chandler Muddgridge (P-224), 2nd Trevor Reeves (P-224), 3rd Andrew Meyer (P-224). Web. 2: 1st Douglas Auguste (P-370), 2nd Chris Kirkland (P-211), 3rd Chester Mackey (P-370). Web. 1: 1st Matthew Merck(P-224), 2nd Dalton Thrift(P-224), 3rd Alec Diestel(P-224). Bears: 1st Chandler Muddgridge (P-224), 2nd Jonathan Kirkland (P-211), 3rd Hunter Diesch (P-209). Wolves: 1st Trevor Reeves (P-224, 2nd Andrew Meyer (P-224), 3rd Joseph Poppell (P-207). Tigers: 1st Camron Cutforth (P-224), 2nd Paxton Rozier (P-1), 3rd Martavius Dallas P-213) |
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The two pictures (right) are from an event sponsored by Glynn County board of Elections to encourage residents of McIntyre Court to mail in their census forms early. |
  Left, kids of McIntyre Court enjoy the climbing wall. Right, the mayor prepares to climb. |
click to enlarge |
Here are just 2 or the cakes that were devoured by packs of hungry Scouts at the BSA Birthday Bash on March 13th in all 3 Districts. It was a very festive atmosphere and the Scouts had a blast playing games, bouncing on the inflatables and watching the Pine-wood Derby. |
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Troop 360 recently visited
Adventure Base 100 as it stopped in Jacksonville on
it's tour of the U.S. The boys were greeted with hearty
handshakes and smiles by volunteers manning the many
displays. Of course the boys made a beeline to the
low ropes
course. Each of the boys negotiated the many
obstacles and really enjoyed the zip line at the end!
Also available was the walk-thru museum
which detailed scout history for the last 100 years. This
was filled with a multitude of items throughout the scouting
years. There were also several electronic interactive
displays where the boys could test there scouting knowledge,
learn about
merit badges from past to present or even race a
pinewood derby
car!!!
The boys also got to see a short film
inside the domed tent, observe native American dances
performed by scouts in native American dress, listen to an
orchestra, hear scouting stories related by experienced
(that's the nice word for OLD!) scouters. As an added bonus
each scout got his picture taken using a green screen to
depict him on the cover of Boys Life Magazine,
white water
rafting or rock climbing. No doubt about it Adventure
Base 100 was fun!!!
-Richard Gwaltney |
click to enlarge |
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March 2010
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Explorer Post 100 by Diane Richardson
The McIntosh County Law Enforcement
Explorers Post 100 completed the required hours of training on 05
January 2010 for their certification in CPR, AED,
Heimlich Maneuver and choking person
training. The training was held at FLETC in Brunswick at the ATF
(Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms) National Academy,
taught by ATF Agent Michael Hodnett. A special thanks goes out to Agent
Hodnett, Ms. Kimberly Wallace (ATF Executive Assistant), Chief of the
ATF National Academy John Williams and
FLETC Director/ National Law Enforcement Explorers Programs President
Connie Patrick for allowing our post to complete such GREAT and NEEDED
training at FLETC. "You never know when someone might need CPR within
our very own schools and communities", stated Chief
Marcus Williams. With middle school and
high school students participating in
the explorer post, we have certified and trained explorers ready to give
a hand within ouschools. Explorer Commander, Captain Carly Howard
stated, "I am very excited to have such fine explorers in the post, it's
a great program!" Special Operations Commander Lieutenant Matthew
Mangram (Second in command) stated, "I am pleased with the work ethics
that the explorer's displayed during the CPR training and wanted to
thank all sponsors for their contributions to the post".
McIntosh County Law Enforcement
Explorer Post 100, 2009-2010 sponsors
are as follows: |
FUNDRAISING IN THE BSA Unless you've been involved with Scouting for a while, you may not understand how fundraising works in the BSA. There are basically two types of fundraising done by the Council: internal and external. Internal funds are raised from the members of Scouting in the form of Family Friends of Scouting campaigns, sales from the Scout Store, and activities where the Council charges a participation fee (such as Summer Camp, Camporees, Tiger Prowl, Fun with Son, etc). Internal fundraising accounts for only about 25% of the total budget. The other 75% comes from external sources (such as Golden Eagle Dinners, grants and investments, United Way, etc). There's a sub-category which involves product sales - popcorn and Scout cards. This is external fund-raising that also allows the units to raise funds along with the Council. For units who participate, everybody wins. So, where does the money go? This Council has historically been a good steward of its resources. We've worked hard to balance the budget each year and keep expenses under control. The Scout Executive has been vigilant, always reminding the staff to do more with less so there's more to spend on the program areas. Yes, from the top down, it is truly "all about the boys." Only 14% of our budget goes for support services, leaving 86% for the Scouting program. When your District Executive visits your unit for a Family Friends of Scouting presentation, take time to really look at the brochure. You'll be surprised at the hidden costs of Scouting - things that you take for granted but must be budgeted in order for the Council to provide. And when you make your contribution, wear those patches with pride because YOU made Scouting possible in southeast Georgia. |
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What every parent needs to know about summer camp. Whether your son's Troop is going to Camp Tolochee or to North Carolina for summer camp, it is important that you are part of his preparation. If you are a first year parent and this is the first time your son is going away, this list will be useful. If this is year two or three for you and your son, this should serve as a quick refresher. No matter where you go, it's going to be hot! Don't think because you are going 8 hours north that it's going to be any cooler or dryer than it is here in Southeast Georgia. Pack plenty of cool clothes that dry quickly. It's going to Rain. Bring rain gear that is durable. An inexpensive poncho may last the week but when you're done, it will probably need to be thrown away. The best rain gear will keep you dry and warm. It will also dry quickly. Mosquito netting is worth every dime. Sometimes the tent may not have the proper rigging for the mosquito netting, so be sure to have plenty of string. When not in use, take your netting down. This will prevent mosquitoes from getting in during the day and then being trapped inside with you at night. Sun Block and Mosquito repellent. Not only is it important to pack it, you have to use it and make sure to reapply throughout the day. Make sure you are using Sun Block, not tanning lotion. Everyone has an opinion on mosquito repellent. Just make sure you bring the one that works for you. A week before you leave for camp, your Troop should have an entire meeting dedicated to a shake down. This is where everyone brings what they are bringing to summer camp. The idea is to make sure things that shouldn't be on the trip are left behind and to make sure that everyone has the proper equipment. Parents don't expect your son to call you every night. This is a chance for them to grow away from home. When you do get a call and your son wants to come home, this is usually Wednesday night, resist the urge to pick him up. Talk to your son's Scoutmaster to see if he feels that it is absolutely necessary. Most of the time, if a boy sticks it out through Wednesday night; he has a great time Thursday and Friday and forgets he ever wanted to come home. Boys who leave Wednesday night usually regret it. |
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ADULT STAFF FOR SUMMER CAMP As we prepare for the 2010 summer camp we are looking for some adults to be on the staff. There are some positions that cannot be filled by youth and we are looking for willing, qualified adults to support summer camp. The following positions are filled by adults. Camp Commissioner-The commissioners' job is to ensure that every troop has its needs taken care of. The commissioner also does the daily inspection, conducts daily meetings with the senior patrol leaders and the scoutmasters and generally police the camp. Provisional Scoutmaster-The provisional Scoutmaster is the resident scoutmaster for all of the scouts that come to camp without their troop. The scoutmaster maintains troop spirit, records, attendance and is like every scoutmaster in camp with their own troop. You are responsible for those boys for that week. Assistant Scoutmaster-The provisional Assistant Scoutmaster is also the resident scoutmaster for the scouts at camp without a troop. You will be assisting in every way with the scoutmaster in running a smooth Troop 1 at summer camp. Archery Director-Your job is to run the archery program under the direction of the Shooting Sport Director. Assistant Aquatics Director-We have three adults as directors which gives us most of the coverage we need. We do need you at the waterfront with the canoes and rowboats to ensure a safe program can be accomplished. You will need to be lifeguard certified as well as first aid certified. Lifeguards-Adults and youth are needed to have adequate coverage both at the swimming pool and at the waterfront. All certifications must be current through June 30, 2009. If you are interested in any of these positions or you know someone that is interested please contact the camp director Don Lajoie at 912.269.0054. We will send you to National Camp School in May. |
SUMMER CAMP 2010 Summer camp 2010 is not far away. As of this writing we have a few sites available for both weeks. If your troop has not made the reservations, don't hesitate. We will be have again this year a high adventure week for older scouts. Merit badges will not be worked on but the scouts will be having a blast every day away from camp. Additional merit badges have been added as well. Our plan is to make summer camp an experience that the scouts will enjoy and want to come back each year. We have received a few staff applications but we need a lot more if we are going to make the changes that the scoutmasters expressed at the scoutmasters dinners. We need returning staff members as well as some new staff. Adults that can take the three weeks in June off are a huge asset to the staff. If you are an adult and cannot give three weeks contact us and we can find something for your weeks you can give. Regardless, adults and youth who have repeatedly told us that they wanted to work at camp must submit an application. Go to the council website and download the application and send it to the office. We need your help to make Camp Tolochee a better camp. We are looking forward to two or more full weeks of camp in 2010. |
February 2010
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SCOUTING FOR FOOD—HOW IT WORKS REVISED January 2010 1. By January, a “Land Rush” may be held in each district where each unit will choose the territory it wants to cover and plastic bags will be available that night for each unit to distribute in its assigned territory. If a “Land Rush” is not held, the District Executive will make the needed arrangements to get plastic grocery bags to the participating units. 2. Each participating unit needs to place a bag note in each bag identifying the person from each Scout unit & their contact phone number! Include the name of the food agency that will be receiving the food. On Saturday February 6th, each Scout unit divides into working groups paired with adult drivers. These groups place a bag (with a bagnote) on every front door in their assigned territory. NO BAGS ARE TO BE PLACED IN OR AROUND ANY MAILBOXES!! The more bags distributed, the greater amount of food will be collected!! 3. On SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13th, the working groups and their adult drivers return to pick up the bags. Some units like to leave a thank you note at each of the homes donating food. Remember Scouts are not allowed to ride in the back of trucks, or hanging out of open car or van doors!! Double back thru your area looking for any missed food bags!! 4. Each unit should have a check-in station (usually located at their Charter Organization or at a Leader’s house) where: a. The items are checked to make sure that they are in good shape; b. All boxes and cans are counted so that an overall total number of food items collected can be reported on the “Tally Form”. 5. With smiles on your faces and the knowledge that you have done a very good turn, your unit then takes the collected items to the pre-selected food agency of your choice. 6. Your unit fills out the “Tally Form” and hand this form to the designated SFF person at the pantry. Units may fax or take the Tally form to the Scout Shop. Tally forms are due no later than Feb. 26th, 2010 for every scout that participate they are eligible of the Scouting for Food Patch.
Associated links: Tips for success Troop Bag Note Pack Bag Note Tally Form
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PINEWOOD DERBY For those Packs who have a qualifying Pack Derby prior to the District Derby on March 13th, the top 3 winners for each category (Tiger thru Webelos) are automatically qualified for the District Derby. (Substitutes are allowed - if one of the 3 are unable to race on the 13th, the Pack may assign another Scout (same category) to race in his place. If no Pack Derby is held, the Pack leaders may assign Cub Scouts to represent them in the District Derby. A third option, should the Pack not make such an assignment by March 12, the District Officials will accept the first 3 Cub Scouts to register in each category on March 13th. The District Derby rules are quite comprehensive and all participants are expected to comply. Registration form is found on page 15 of the rules. |
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JANUARY 2010
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ADVANCEMENT FOR SCOUTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Advancement is one of the keys to retaining Scouts at all levels. The Advancement Committee Guide (pub #33088) lists five Advancement Principles:
For the great majority of Scouts and Venturers, advancement requirements are well defined in numerous publications, familiar to all adult leaders. However, there are many special needs youngsters, including those with recognized physical and mental disabilities, who come to Scouting for the many benefits we can and do provide. These youngsters need special attention, and they also deserve to advance, and earn the recognition their efforts have brought. Scouting has developed many programs and policies attuned to special needs youth. Foremost among these is the policy that all Scouts must do as many standard requirements as possible. Next is that any deviations from standard requirements must be identified in an approved Boy Scout publication, or approved, in advance, by the Council Advancement Committee. Requests for Alternate Requirements, time extensions, and age waivers must include a medical or educational specialist’s detailed analysis of the youth’s condition, abilities, and disabilities. The most common requests to Council on advancement exceptions are for time extensions for completion of requirements for Eagle rank. The Council can grant certain exceptions for up to six months, and can forward to the National Boy Scout Committee requests for longer delays, with proper explanation of the need. However, if the Scout is a medically approved Special Needs Member, there is essentially no time or age limit for earning rank. In fact there have been units comprised entirely of Special Needs Scouts, with membership largely of men over age 18! Please be sensitive to our Special Needs Scouts, and be aware of the help available for their advancement. Contact your District Advancement Chairman for help. |
100th Anniversary Celebrations Right out of the box in 2010, we will undertake a Scouting for Food Drive. Each District will be responsible for finding bags (flyers will be provided by the Council), distributing them in the various neighborhoods, picking them up at a later date and bringing the food to a central location where it can be counted and sorted. The tentative dates, published on the Council calendar, are to distribute the bags on February 6 and pick them up on February 13. Units associated with churches may also place a box there for collection. We're asking for NON-PERISHABLE food items only. Scout Sunday will be on February 7 (Scout Sabbath is Feb 13). Each unit associated with a church should check with the presiding official to see what role the scouts might play in the services that will make them visible to the membership. This might be as simple as asking all scouts to stand and be recognized during Sunday services, or for scouts to simply wear their uniforms to services that day. For those who attend a church that does not sponsor a Scouting unit, just making the presiding official aware of Scout Sunday may be a good opportunity to introduce him/her to the Scouting program. March 13 is the big day! Each District will hold a "Birthday Bash for the BSA." There will be lots of fun and games, special events, a huge birthday cake, and the District Pinewood Derby. This is also the deadline for reporting the results of the food drive. Be sure you watch this Newsletter in the coming months for details on each Districts' plans for the big party. Also in March, we will kick off the American Flag Retirement /Replacement program. This is an opportunity for folks in the community who have old, worn or tattered U.S. flags to turn them in to local banks and order replacement flags. Each District will partner with local organizations like the VFW, American Legion or other civic group to provide an official flag retirement ceremony that will be open to the public, perhaps in conjunction with existing Memorial Day celebrations. The event is meant to foster patriotism at the local level, educate the public on proper flag etiquette, and show Scouting participating in citizenship. As 2010 moves along, there will be other opportunities for Scouts and Scouters to remind their local communities how 100 years of Scouting has benefitted this nation, this state, and this community. We hope you'll strive to be part of it.
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SCOUT SAVINGS CARDS - SPRING FUNDRAISER As you know, Scouting is a volunteer-run organization. That includes the fundraising campaigns sponsored by the Council. The Savings Card program is a great way for your unit to earn money for your summer activities. The better the discounts, the better the card and the better the sales will be. The quickest way to increase sales is to increase the quality of the card. Here's where the volunteer part comes in. It's up to you, the volunteer, to make sure we have high quality discounts on the card. If every unit turned in just ONE good vendor with a good discount, we'd be able to produce a highly saleable Savings Card. So, download the vendor form and turn in some great discounts. Forms can be faxed or mailed to the Council office. The deadline is January 22nd, so hurry! |
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SUMMER CAMP STAFF 2010 - a great way to "give back to Scouting." If you desire to work at summer camp in 2010 then all need to do is click here to download the staff application and fax or mail to the scout office. We are looking for scouts and scouters age 15 thru 80. If you are 14 you can apply for a counselor in training which means you will learn what has to be done and then the following year you can get paid. If you were 14 years of age last year, please apply again this year as you have the experience and WE NEED YOU. Camp is getting better every year and in 2010 we will have some new merit badges and new programs. As of now, we are planning for one week of preparation and two weeks of camping. Don't hesitate; apply now for 2010 camp staff. We promised you some good changes in 2009 and we are going to have more in 2010. We have had a large number on staff in the last five years and now it is time to come back home for you veterans and bring the experience with you. Let's start a Camp Tolochee Alumni so former staff members can gather and talk about the good ole days. The alumni can help with camp set up for a day and rekindle that fire that was in your belly when you were on staff as a youth. Yes, it is time to come home and help. See you in 2010 and help celebrate our 100th Anniversary. |
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DECEMBER 2009
| POPCORN SALES WINNERS Although sales were not as brisk this year compared to 2008, we still had some good competition for the top salesman in each district. The top salesman in the Satilla District was also the Council's highest achiever: Campbell Singer of Troop 472 with $4,025 in sales. In the Coastal District, Alec Diestel of Pack 224 took the honors and Osprey's top dog was Brendon Monreal of Troop 218. All three of these scouts won a new i-Pod Touch for their efforts. |
Fall 2009 District Camporee What a weekend. We had 96 campers and 11 of 13 troops represented at the Coastal District fall camporee the weekend of November 13-15 and Camp Tolochee. This camporee was different in that we concentrated on the environment and ecology merit badges as part of the Hornaday Award. Each scout was able to pre register for up to three merit badges and depending on the availability of instructors they were assigned their choices. The weekend, weather wise, turned out to be ideal. The dining hall was filled to capacity for each meal and the majority of scouts were able to complete the merit badges. On Sunday, for the troops that stayed, completed some projects in camp that were used to fulfill the requirement for the first Hornaday award. The scouts have a few more requirements to finish and the troops that did the projects also can earn an award. This type of camporee was the first in the Council but will not be the last. Everyone had a great weekend and the scouts earned some merit badges. |
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NEW CSP's GO ON SALE DECEMBER 1st. The colorful "Train" CSP has glow-in-the-dark lettering and headlight. The khaki & green "Retro" CSP will look great on the new Boy Scout uniforms. It's a great way to bring old and new together. CSP's are $5.00 each at either Scout Store. Details... |
NOVEMBER 2009
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STAY UP ON ALL THE LATEST...VISIT www.scouting.org/cubscouts2010 | ||
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FALL 2009 FUN WITH SON This year the fall fun with son was a huge success with 380 people attending and 145 scouts. Both the front parking lot and the field next to the Satilla bath house were filled with vehicles. The weather was a perfect "10" and everyone had a great time. Our campfire was a huge hit as each den developed a song or a skit with guidance from the adult leaders. The boys did a super job and everyone even got to sing "Joe and the Button Factory". On behalf of the scouts A huge THANK YOU to the entire volunteer staff that made this weekend a success. Without you this weekend would not have happened. Watch for the fliers in January for the spring fun with son and a word of caution, do not wait to pre register. |
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 10/10/2009 Don Lajoie, Kent Dykes, Art Adams at Camp Tolochee . |
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sEPTEMBER 2009
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Cub Scout Family Campouts When new scouts are recruited one of the things they are told is if they go camping they will be able to shoot BB guns, shoot arrows and climb walls among so many other things. This is our chance to deliver on that promise. Osprey - 43 scouts and their families converged on Etowah Park for an overnight of fun. Friday night was capped off with a campfire of epic proportions where they were introduced to that great Scout song, "Ravioli". On Saturday, 88 campers enjoyed knot-tying, cooking, archery and hiking to the Indian mounds, all while providing dinner to local mosquitoes. Coastal - Again this year the Coastal district held its annual Cub family campout at Camp Tolochee and it was a huge success. 47 scouts (138 total) enjoyed a rather warm Friday night and a sun splashed Saturday morning while the scouts tried to be like Spiderman and walk across the wall, be superman and climb up 25 feet. Everyone enjoyed the fine art of shooting a BB gun and an arrow at the archery range. We even tried fishing but the fish wanted nothing to do with that hook. By noon the boys and parents where tired and ready to head home. Satilla - We had a total of 170 people attend camp and participate in all of the great activities. We all made new friends and shared in learning great traits and practices. Our district looks forward to more fun, successful events in the future. Thanks again to all of the volunteers who provided great service and leadership for our youth! ****************************************** TOP POPCORN SALESMEN EARN A MARSHMALLOW BLASTER The following scouts have gone above and beyond with filling up a take order form. They have earned a pass to summer waves for 2010, fill it up patch, fill it up certificate and a marshmallow blaster. As of September 29th 36 scouts have won the blaster. Keep the forms coming don't give up now we still have 39 blasters left. Camp Singer T-472, Joshua Darsey P-472, Alec Diestel P224, Griffin Creekmore T-224, Ryan Biegel T-218, David Bazemore P-378, Bryce Mixon T-355, Ethan Tatum P-355, Dakota Merritt P-355, Cody James P-355, Blake Osborn T-1, Patrick Neddo Pack 378, Danny Neddo P-378, Adam Rueber T-224, Drew Jacobs P-472, Joshua Meadows P-227, Dylan Kelly P-345, Andrew Thomas T-224, Brian Scott P-224, Bryan Wilson P378, Luke Davis P-355, Donald Barnett P-355, Preston Kuhbander P-304, Cameron Cash P-304, Tommy Montgomery P-304, James Montgomery P-304, Christian Jared P-304, Michael Jared P-304, J. Cash P-304, Matthew Cash P-304, Caleb Heydon P-316, Evan Kelment P-316, Chase Cutforth P-224, Cameron Cutforth P-224, Bruce Simpson P-224, Austin Thrift T-224. REMEMBER: only one blaster per scout; please don't send in multiple forms for a scout. |
POST 911 WINS OAC COMPETITION
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 Recognize any of these faces? This picture has been posted on the Camp Tolochee Facebook page. If you know the story of this photo, go to Facebook and post it there. |
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IMPORTANT POPCORN REMINDER Your final popcorn order is due on October 14. Don't be late! Get your prize orders in, too. These scouts have worked hard to earn those prizes and they deserve to get them in a timely manner. You don't have to wait for the payment deadline...if you have the money in your account, PAY EARLY. AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE YOUR PAYMENT, THE PRIZES WILL BE RELEASED. The sooner the prizes are released, the better chance the boys will get the prizes they ordered (as prizes are depleted, substitutions will be made).
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MYSTERY HOUSES BEING FOUND BY POPCORN SELLERS We wanted to reward those scouts who are actually out in the community selling popcorn, so we created the Mystery House program, where scouts win prizes for finding a Mystery House. Clues are posted on the website weekly to help the scouts narrow down their search. So far, four Mystery Houses have been found in Satilla District. Osprey and Coastal are still waiting for their first to be found. Keep looking! Mystery Houses can be found up until October 14th, when the Popcorn Campaign officially ends.
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On
This
competition was the first for both Explorer Posts, and next year several
more will be held also. The fire/rescue Explorer post allows young
adults between the ages of 14-21 the opportunity to look into a new
June 2009
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CUB SCOUT DAY CAMPS It was another banner year for Cub Scouts at this year’s Cub Day Camps. There were over 100 Cub Scouts, adults, brothers, sisters, and friends of Scouts that had a blast doing all kinds of activities like swimming, archery, BBs, crafts, nature, the climbing wall, and much more. We had three “OUTSTANDING” Day Camps this year…Osprey District’s was at the Kings Bay Navy Base under the leadership of Tracy Wallace, Coastal District’s was a Camp Tolochee under the leadership of Dina Cutforth, and Satilla District’s was at the First United Methodist Church in Blackshear under the leadership of Vicki Kuhbander. THANK YOU to all of the Day Camp Leadership for making the 2009 Cub Scout Day Camps the best ever.
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State Senator Jeff Chapman came to Camp Tolochee this summer and presented all Troops with a new Georgia state flag.
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BOY SCOUT CAMP AT CAMP TOLOCHEE Camp Tolochee buzzed with excitement and was jam-packed full of Boy Scouts and Scouters who experienced an exciting 3 weeks of Summer Camp at Camp Tolochee. There was over 280 Scouts, Scout leaders and staff members from 19 Troops (including three Troops from outside the Council!) who came to camp with a mission…work on advancements and have fun…”Mission Accomplished” and much more! History was made at Camp Tolochee this summer: the first ever High-Adventure Trek took 9 youth (two of them female) on a week-long adventure of kayaking, canoeing, wilderness camping, COPE course and shooting sports, led by Thomas Thrift and Conn & Trudy Cole. Plans are already in progress for another great adventure in 2010. One highlight for our volunteers was the Scout Leader’s Appreciation Dinner…“Our Scouters at camp enjoyed the Low Country Boil hosted by our Order of the Arrow Lodge. They had great fellowship, met with members of our Council Executive Board, and had the opportunity to discuss their concerns with the Scout Executive,” said Camp Director, Don Lajoie. If your Troop missed out on this year’s Camp Tolochee Summer Camp Adventure, your Scoutmaster can sign up and reserve your Troop’s campsite and program starting on August 15th for the 2010 Summer Camp Adventure.
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2009 Philmont Ranch Trek Wow! I helped take the 2009 crew to Philmont this summer and let me tell you it was great! First let me tell you about staff camps. At every staff camp along the trek there was always something new to do. Whether it was spar pole climbing, rock climbing, lassoing, firing black powder guns or playing horseshoes it was always fun. All and all staff camps are one of the best things at Philmont. Another great thing is layover camps, where you stay for 2 nights in a row. Even though you would stay there twice in a row, there was always more you still wanted to do. We had two of these camps, Beaubian, a cowboy ranch, and Cimarron Cito, a rock-climber’s heaven, on our trek. They were both really amazing. A few of our crew climbed to the top of the Tooth of Time to watch the sunrise on the last day of our trek. And when I say climb, I mean climb. This free climb was treacherous going over large boulders to a height of 9,003 feet. But the view from the top was worth it. We also climbed Mt Phillips which was 11,711 feet in elevation. We hiked over 77 miles, up and down, crossing river streams, through sun and rain and hail. All and all this was a hard trek, but I am glad I did it. Now I can say this is what I did for my summer; what did you do?
-Philmont Crew Reporter - Thomas Thrift, Jr.
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