Our Jan troop Committee and Leaders meeting is Weds 1-29 at 6 PM at Myles. As always parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. We will be finalizing upcoming events including the Klondike 1-31 to 2-2, Biathlon 2-8, Father Son 3-7 to 3-9,spring trip and summer camp. Please try to attend.
CAMP CARDS
This year we are offering Units the opportunity to sell Camp Cards for $5.00 and keep 50%, or $2.50 per card! Come to the Summer Camp Kick-Off to pick up your cards and to learn more about the program. We’ve made several improvements, including a guide and the ability to use a smartphone to find participating locations.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CABIN FEVER
Our 2nd Annual Cabin Fever event will be held February 23rd at MVCC, and we’re looking for volunteers! Email Mike Donaghue for more information.
OPPORTUNITY TO SELL POPCORN AT HOME SHOW
Anyone interested in selling popcorn at the Home Show (February 7-9th at Turning Stone Casino), please contact the Council. We have a booth and popcorn. If you man it, the sales from the popcorn are yours. Interested, call the Scout Service Center at 315-735-4437.
The District Klondike Derby is Jan 31-Feb 2 at Camp Russell. We have reserved the Winter Lodge which is heated with 2 wood stoves. Please respond ASAP to Scoutmaster if you plan to attend. The cost of food will be $7 per person for those staying overnight, and you will need to bring $7 cash to the Jan-29 meeting. If you cannot stay overnight you still can participate on Saturday from 8:30 to 3:30.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CABIN FEVER
Our 2nd Annual Cabin Fever event will be held February 23rd at MVCC, and we’re looking for volunteers! Email Mike Donaghue for more information at michael.donaghue@scouting.org
BENEFIT FOR SCOTT WINCKLER
A benefit will be held for Scott Winckler on January 12 at 1p.m. at the Leon R. Roberts American Legion Post in Holland Patent. Scott was struck by an SUV on Father’s Day of 2013 and is permanently paralyzed from the waist down. The benefit will help with his medical expenses. Scott is an Eagle Scout from Troop 56 in Floyd, was a member of the OA dance team and is the son of Sue and Gary Wedgewood. The benefit will have food, raffles and Chinese auctions. If you cannot attend but would like to donate, contact Sue Wedgewood at 315-865-8901.
PHYSICAL FITNESS PROGRAM
This year we applied for and received an American Heart Association Grant for a Get Out & Get Fit Program. With the money received, we were able to purchase snowshoes, ski poles and Akhio sleds as part of the Winter Challenge program. It is a 3 part program: Winter, Summer and Fall! So if you want to take the challenge come to the Gold Nugget (for Cub Scouts) or Klondike Derby (for Boy Scouts), Super Sports Saturday (Cub Scouts), Mighty Run (Boy Scouts) and Summer Camp (for Cub Scouts this includes Day Camp).
SUMMER CAMP KICK-OFF
Scouts and Leaders-don’t miss the Summer Camp Kick-Off on Thursday, January 23 at Utica College. The evening will begin at 7 p.m. in the Library Building on the campus. Parking is in “Lot C”. Information on Cub Scout Day Camps, Camp Kingsley, Camp Russell and Cedarlands Scout Reservation will be provided and our new Camp/Activity Card Sales program will be unveiled. Be the first in your area to get your fundraising cards at the Kick-Off! Door prizes and lots of great information will be provided! Click here to register!
CAMP CARDS
This year we are offering Units the opportunity to sell Camp Cards for $5.00 and keep 50%, or $2.50 per card! Come to the Summer Camp Kick-Off to learn more about the program. We’ve made several improvements, including a guide and the ability to use a smartphone to find participating locations.
Join us on January 23rd at 700pm for the Revolutionary Trails Council Camp Kick-Off event. It is being held at Utica College in the “Library Building.” Park in Lot C. Get all the information you need on Day Camp, Cub Family Camps, Camp Kingsley, Camp Russell and Cedarlands Scout Reservation for 2014.
There will be raffles and giveaways as always, and your chance to win a free week at either Camp Kingsley or Camp Russell. Bring the whole family.
To register contact Diane Drake at 735-4437, or through ConstantContact at the ScoutingCNY.org web site.
All Scouts– We have been invited to the Biathlon sponsored by T-108 and The Cassidy Hollow Rod and Game Club on Feb 8, 2014. The event will consist of firearm safety training in the morning, lunch and the biathlon in the PM. The biathlon will consist of 5 shooting stations on a 1 mile +/- course. Participants can cross-country ski, snowshoe or walk the course. 22 rifles will be located at each station. You must be 12 years old to participate (NY State Law). There is a cost for lunch and snacks. Please let me know if you are interested so that I can give a reasonable headcount for food.
Just a reminder that we will be packaging food for the needy at St. Thomas Parish center at 5:30 to 6:45 PM then going to Myles for our meeting. We need to have 6 to 8 scouts help with this project.
Also any gifts for the Adopt a Vet Holiday project are due at the Troop meeting. The items you signed up for should be wrapped and labeled.
If you have any questions regarding these two projects, call Rosella Pandolfo at 792-9939.
UNIVERSITY OF SCOUTING
Have you signed up yet for this great training opportunity to be held Saturday, Dec. 7 at Utica College? For just $10.00, you will receive a full day of exceptional training, great fellowship, plus a great buffet lunch at the college dining hall. Please click here for more details and to register.
GAWASA WINTER CAMPING TRAINING
Does your unit camp or participate in outdoor winter activities? Do you have adults and junior leaders trained and ready to conduct a safe outdoor winter event? GAWASA is the outdoor winter camping and activity training program designed to provide your unit with the knowledge to safely conduct a winter campout or event. The course is open to adults and Scouts that are First Class and above. The indoor session is being held during the University of Scouting on December 7th and the outdoor portion is the weekend of January 4-5 at Camp Russell. For more information, email course director Mark Perrin or click here to register.
CAMPMASTER TRAINING
We are seeking volunteers to serve as campmasters at camps Russell, Cedarlands, and Kingsley. Campmasters are trained and registered Scouters who assist units camping at council camps on weekends. Campmasters select their own time and frequency of service, but they usually serve two to four weekends a year.
Campmasters need some basic training to understand the procedures and responsibilities, and this training will be held at the University of Scouting on Dec. 7 at Utica College. The campmaster sessions are at 2 and 3 PM, and you would only need to attend one session. It’s not too late to register. Click here to sign up for this valuable training and thank you for volunteering for this important role! Click here to read more about Campmaster Training.
OA CUB SCOUT CAMPING AWARD
To promote camping and to encourage the development of outdoor skills and participation in outdoor activities, the Ga-Hon-Ga Lodge of the Order of the Arrow is pleased to announce its Cub Scout Camping Award. Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos Cub Scouts are all eligible. Click here to learn more about the award, and how it is earned.
LEADERSHIP MINUTE
“If I only knew then what I know now.” For maximum impact as a leader, get the most training that you can get, as soon as you can get it. Boy Scouts offers a world-class training experience known as Wood Badge. This training experience is immersive and fun and is based on timeless leadership principles that will equip you with the tools you need to create the best experience for the youth in your unit and leave a legacy that lasts. Registration opens in December for a two-weekend course taking place August 15-17 and September 20-22, 2014. Save the dates.
SUMMER CAMP KICK-OFF
Join us at the Council’s Summer Camp Kick-Off to find out about Day Camp, Camp Kingsley, Camp Russell and Cedarlands Scout Reserve. Save the date: Thursday, January 9, 2014, Location TBA.
Those of you who attended the Eagle Court of Honor on Sunday 11/24 have already received this info. I suggest that you decide which item(s) you would like to give and let Rosella Pandolfo know as soon as possible. Rosella can then coordinate the gifts so that we will know what else needs to be acquired. Please contact Rosella at your earliest convenience. The troop has a veteran and his family (wife and baby). The items donated need to be in by Wednesday, December 11th.
Our monthly committee meeting will be this Wed at 6 PM, prior to the scout meeting, at Myles School cafeteria. As always, parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.
We will be finalizing plans for the Eagle court of Honor, discussing the University of Scouting and setting plans for the next couple of months. Hope to see you there.