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Pacific Crest Post - April 2009 Chairman’s Message The mission for all of us as Scouting parents is to provide a quality program for our scouts. To keep the program running smoothly for your pack or troop, there are two key activities that are underway between now and May, Friends of Scouting, and Spring Roundup. And you can help. The Friends of Scouting program, or FOS, provides funding for unit, district and council activities including training and related supplies, council facilities including Mataguay, Camp Balboa, and the Youth Aquatic Center on Fiesta Island. It supports events such as Webelos Woods and the Eagle Recognition Dinner. The funding from FOS gives our scouts the foundation of character development, strong citizenship and personal fitness. Each of you can help us meet our financial goals by supporting the Friends of Scouting programs when presented to your pack or troop. Times are tough for all of us this year, but keep in mind that the Scouting program is more than entertainment for your son, it is a training ground for his growth and development. Please give what you can to support his future. Between now and May, several packs and troops are planning to add new scouts and parents to their units through running a Spring Roundup. A Roundup is a recruitment meeting to attract new boys into Scouting, usually through the elementary or middle school. We can help your pack or troop by providing fliers and to help organize your Roundup meeting. Roundup is especially important for packs, to fill in for Webelos moving into Scouts and Tiger Cubs moving into Wolves. Scout troops can hold a Roundup as well to help draw new boys into their unit. In both cases, we have the opportunity to attract new adults as well to help carry the load of leadership and support for our scouts. To set up your Roundup, contact Jeff Young or me (contact info on the back page). FOS and Roundup are two ways we can strengthen our packs and troops, and give our scouts the best program we can offer. Our district committee members are ready to help you with these and other support activities.
Scout Fair Fun in April The San Diego - Imperial Council Scout Fair is coming! This annual community wide event showcases our first-class programs in a fun and exciting way. Cubs, Boy Scouts, Varsity, Venture and Explorer scouts from across our Council join together for a day of good-old Scouting fun! This year's Scout Fair takes place on Saturday, April 18, from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, in the southeastern parking lot at Qualcomm Stadium. Scout Fair offers something for everyone … Scouts, siblings, adult leaders, family and friends. There are plenty of opportunities to participate; sponsor a booth, earn belt loops or merit badges, taste cooking or play games, it’s a day full of fun. Contact Heidi Franklin, District Scout Fair Ticket Sales Chairman for more information at 789-0097, or on the website http://www.sdicbsa.org/activities/ScoutFair/.
Annual District Dinner All units are encouraged to recognize two registered Scouters for the following awards: ** The Pathfinder Award is for significant contribution by someone new to the unit. ** The Redtail Hawk Award is for continued outstanding contribution to the unit. Contact Russ Christensen, our District Commissioner, with your nominees for these awards.
New mandatory Training As of January 1, 2009 it is mandatory that at least one adult
unit leader must have completed
District Executive Letter A successful Round-up night is dependent on getting parents to the meeting. Those who come are ready to sign their boy up. What the meeting is really all about is getting adult volunteers recruited and to run the program. Therefore it is critical that the preliminary legwork take place. That means getting the posters up, flyers in your assigned schools, etc. Doing everything you can to "get the word out" will increase the number of boys and parents that have the opportunity to get involved with the best youth program available, Cub Scouts. Getting volunteers doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth. Experience has shown that when the group dynamics are allowed to come to fruition, those that volunteer will stick with the job for at least one year and most will stay for the full term of their sons Cub Scout career. This is also dependent on getting those volunteers trained! When we lose a boy or a Den because the leader quits in mid stream, we lose that boy to Scouting forever. He becomes one of those who will never have a chance to be an Eagle. Running your Round-up night is not difficult. That said, I know that it can be a bit intimidating or overwhelming for unit leaders who have not conducted one before or feel like their plate is a bit full. As such, I would like to work with each of our packs to discuss and plan their roundup. Where possible, I will attend roundups and help the unit leaders conduct them. Where I can not attend, I will try and get a member of the district committee to fill in. Below is a condensed outline I hope will benefit you. There is a much more detailed version I will discuss with your unit if I am invited to meet with your committee. Because of space constraints I can not include the complete outline here. I ask that you give this method of running a Round-up night a chance. I realize that many of you have done it differently. However, I firmly believe that if you give this a try, you will achieve greater success than ever before. Like you, the district’s goal is to get as many boys involved in Scouting as possible, because we all believe in the benefits of the program.
ROUND UP NIGHT OUTLINE
B. Get the word out C. Plan with your committee to put on the Round-up IV. Running a School Sign Up Night V. Follow Up with new leaders and new families!
Watch for District Day Camp news at
New Eagle Scouts Two new Eagle Scouts, Anthony Bishop, of Crew 631, and Zack Romero, of Crew 635, advanced to the Eagle Rank at an Eagle Board of Review held January 22, 2009. Anthony's Eagle Board consisted of Bob Hailey, Chip Rumis and Susan Carr. Zack's Eagle Board comprised Ken Carr, Charles Teichart and Sandy Tallman. Anthony's Eagle Project was coordinating, advertising and soliciting donors at a special blood drive held Oct 4, 2008, at the Albertsons Shopping Center in Ramona where a total of 98 people attempted to donate blood, with 79 being able to complete the process. Zack's Eagle Project was cleaning and painting 50+ trash cans and 9 wooden lunch tables at Ramona High School with "Bulldog blue" paint provided by the school. Congratulations to both Anthony and Zack! Thank you to all the scout leaders who over the years have helped Anthony and Zack reach this milestone. And, a special thank you to the Eagle Board members who donated their time to sit on the Eagle Boards to review these young men.
Merit Badge Night At the time of this writing, we are putting together the next Merit Badge Night planned for Wednesday, May 13. As always, the announcement and web registration link are sent to Troop Leaders via e-mail and available at Roundtable, who then distribute that information in their unit. Scouts should register themselves using their own contact information in case we need to contact the Scouts of any changes. The Scout needs to print out and mail in the registration/permission slip signed by the parent. Registration is required. Some classes have size limits. The following Merit badges are going to be offered: Aviation Camping Computers Weather Environmental Science Thank you to the Merit Badge Counselors who have stepped forward to help with this event.
Cub Roundtable News The Cub Scout theme for April's Roundtable teaches our Cubbies how to appreciate the environment. "Leave Nothing But Footprints" will show our Cubs how to have a minimal impact on nature so those that follow can enjoy the fabulous outdoors. This is a great month for "Leave No Trace" related service projects. There are parks in our area that need extra willing hands. Contact our local Ranger Stations and volunteer. Several youth groups have enjoyed working with Katie at "The Wildlife Institute" off of Highland Valley Rd. here in Ramona. Katie is in charge of a fun project that regenerates growth to our burned areas. Give her a call and ask her about the "seed balls". What a great month to fulfill several Webelos requirements for the Outdoorsman activity badge. The scenery from the great outdoors may inspire the Webelos while working on their Artist activity badge. May's theme welcomes fun for June... a month where one road ends for the summer(SCHOOL!), and another road is well traveled...CAMP! "A-Camping We Will Go" is a theme that offers so many possibilities. Through their camping experiences, Cub Scouts will learn to maintain personal cleanliness in the outdoors and develop strong minds and bodies with outdoor activities. Encourage your Cubs to attend Day Camp here in Ramona. Several requirements are completed at Day Camp while enjoying age appropriate activities. Have a Pack family camp out to promote unity with the boys and with their families. Enjoy a campfire sing-along and/or story time with your Cubbies at your camp out or for a Pack meeting. Webelos can continue to work on their Outdoorsman activity badge during this month. The Traveler and Handyman are also recommended for June. Have your Webelos fulfill some of their Handyman and Traveler requirements in preparation for and during a family vacation. In June we will team up for July's theme, "Be a Sport". A perfect month to have a Pack sports day for your Cub Scouts and their families to play together. The boys will practice their favorite sport, learn a new sport, and learn how to be a "good sport". A great month to watch or attend some pro sports. Many great discounts are offered to Scouts and their families. Webelos will continue to enjoy the great outdoors while working on their Aquanaut and Geologist activity badges. Change it up---invite a lifeguard to your backyard pool to help pass off your Aquanaut requirements. Contact a local Geologist Merit Badge Counselor to see if they are available for a demonstration. The Pacific Crest District Committee is on vacation during the month of July. Roundtable resumes in August. The Cub-Webelos Resident Camps at Mataguay are also great for your summertime adventures. Just a reminder to fill out an application for "The Summertime Pack Award".
Unit Commissioners Pacific Crest Unit Commissioners were invited to attend a Unit Commissioner Meeting Thursday March 12 at the LDS Church in Ramona. During that meeting, important information for Commissioners was exchanged and plans were made to hold a Commissioner meeting each second Thursday from 6:30 PM until 7:00 PM before the Pacific Crest Roundtable meeting will be held. If you are a Pacific Crest Unit Commissioner, please make plans to attend our next meeting on Thursday April 16, 2009. We look forward to seeing you there.
Leader Training I just wanted to thank everyone who participated in our training on Saturday, March 21. It is easy to look at training as a box that we need to get checked off. But it is much more than that. In fact, I believe one thing that distinguishes Scouting from other organizations that serve youth is the amount of training it offers its leaders. Training that not only helps leaders in working with Scouts, but that can be applied to every aspect of a leader’s life. For those of you have just taken your first training, I would encourage you to continue on, taking advantage of other training that is offered by the Boy Scouts. At the Cub level, there are great trainings such as Baaloo (which we are currently planning), CLOE (Cub Leader Outdoor Experience), Webelos leader specific trainings, etc. In the programs serving older boys, there are trainings such as SALT (Scout Adult Leader Training), VALT (Varsity Adult Leader Training), Powder Horn (for Venturing Leaders), HALTT (High Adventure Leader Trek Training), and all of the follow on trainings related to HALTT. And, of course, for all levels, there is Wood Badge, which I would encourage each of you to make plans to attend. This is a leadership training that covers the same materials that my company has paid thousands of dollars to put me through. And more than any other Scouting training you will take, will be applicable to every aspect of your life. Wherever you find yourself in a leadership role, whether it be at home as parent, at work leading a team, a department, or a company, at church organizing a service activity, or in any other leadership role, you will find that what you learned at Wood Badge will be applicable to the situation. I would like to give a special thanks to all those who spent the time to make this training successful. To Patty Andrews, who helped with the set up and registration. To the instructors, Jamie Holabird, who taught the Wolf-Bear session, Roark Galloway, who taught the Webelos session, and Russ Christensen who taught the Cub Master and Committee session. Each of these individuals took time out of busy schedules to share what they have learned to help improve Scouting in our area. And I would like to thank each of you who took the time out of your schedules to attend. I know the young men you work with will be better for it.
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