| | | | | | | | | | Fall Recruitment is underway and the Bay-Lakes Council is starting this Fall with a great membership position and we are planning for significant membership growth this year. According to Council Fall Recruitment Chair, Jay Van Zeeland, all districts have kicked off their Fall Recruitment campaigns with September full of Cub Scout recruitment events.
If your Pack, Troop, or Crew hasn’t yet scheduled a Fall Recruitment event, then it’s time to call your District Executive! For an insight into what a Fall Recruitment Campaign looks like and the resources available to help, check out the Recruiting Guide for Cub Scouts and the Recruiting Guide for Scouts BSA.
Remember to give your new Den Leaders access to the streamlined Den Meeting plans of the Bay-Lakes Council Den Leader Kit designed last year by the Bay-Lakes Council Commissioner Corps. Your district membership team has a hard copy available for each pack.
We look forward to welcoming both your new and current Cub Scouts at our Welcome to Cub Scouts events starting with Bobcat Trail at Camp Hiawatha on October 1, the Adventure Hike at Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve in Suamico on October 15, and at Autumn Blast at Camp Rokilio on October 22. | | | | | | | | | | Come race with us at our adult only Pinewood Derby fundraising event, held at 3 Sheeps Brewery, in Sheboygan. Corporate sponsorships and individual racer opportunities are available. Please join us! | | | | | |
I recently had the opportunity to be involved with two trainings of the Boy Scouts of America.
First, I renewed my Youth Protection Training online. I have to admit, I did miss a question and had to go back and watch a portion to make sure I understood the concept completely. When I think about how parents entrust their children to us, all of us must stand united to ensure our precious loved ones are kept safe. The training only takes an hour. The training reminded me that I must be vigilant. The second training was a lot more fun. I was able to attend a meal as a part of our Wood Badge course. I witnessed an amazing staff and excited participants. The majority of those in attendance were Cub Scout leaders looking to understand how Scouting works. It made my heart warm to see so many leaders dedicated to bringing our program to life. This training reminded me that every Scout deserves a trained leader...one who is prepared to make a difference in the life of a young person. I have spoken at hundreds of Eagle Scout Court of Honors in my tenure as a Scouting professional and not once was there a parent who wished they hadn’t gotten involved. There was also a group of very proud volunteer leaders, who had been trained, and who were also dedicated to the growth and development of their Scouts.
Training! I hope you can find a course that charges you up like the two I was recently involved with. | | | | | | While helping with a recent elementary school open house event promoting Cub Scouting, a woman shared with me that she had three children and would love to enroll them in Scouting, but was concerned about the cost. She was a single mother with limited resources. I reassured her that help was available and that we were committed to making Scouting available to all interested families. So, is Scouting really available and accessible to everyone interested? Does everyone know the answer? We should all be prepared to offer support and assistance to make Scouting accessible. | | | | | | | | Join us in congratulating these recent Bay-Lakes Council Eagle Scouts:
Alex Berzowski, Troop 3 of Menasha, WI, Gathering Waters District
Owen Handrich, Troop 1477 of Pulaski, WI, Gathering Waters District | | | | We feature those Eagles who submit their Eagle Board of Honor news. | | | | | | Word came to me that another parent of one of my high school classmates passed away. This makes three, including my mother earlier this year -- all in their 90s, so it was not surprising news. But it is always saddening. We grew up in a Fox River community during an era where most moms were able to stay at home and maintain the household. They were vigilant about the goings on around the town. Busybodies, we kids thought, especially when we were confronted upon returning home about something that happened somewhere else, like the area playground. Nowadays, most of us are the matriarchs and patriarchs of our own families -- legacy roles much different than our parents, even grandparents. During our youth and adult training camps, there is an underlying question to participants... What is your legacy? Webster's Dictionary defines "legacy" as "something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past." One example: "He left his children a legacy of love and respect." Most people never give it a second thought. But a legacy is something we create every day, whether we realize it or not. It will be positive or negative and perhaps not a conscious decision--it just seems to happen. A decade ago, life coach Lisa Haisha said, "Legacy is not what we leave FOR others that matters; it's what we leave IN them that matters most. Possessions and wealth do not a true legacy make. It's about leaving behind the essence of your Authentic Soul." (© 2011 The Legacy Series; used with permission.) The attitude underlies what we try to do in Scouting: serving others with the best parts of each one of us. As our training programs encourage: today, and every day, create your legacy. See you on the trail, and of course, at camp!
Warren Kraft Program Development guide@baylakesbsa.org | | | | | | | | | | Feedback: Have a thought or question? We'd love to hear from you. Please share your comments with us. It is easy; just reply to this email or send a message to guide@baylakesbsa.org. | | | | | | | | | |
