Welcome to our March 10th, 2014 Monday Memo

Silver Beaver Recipients Favorite Scouting Stories

Cathy Hayes  During my second year as a den leader for pack 641, we gained a new member to our wolf den, Brennan. Brennan was a shy boy, who was more into video games and books than doing athletic skills. He was not very physically coordinated. For rank advancement as a wolf, one must do Feats of Skill which included a front roll, back roll and a falling front roll. Brennan had never done any of these before, and was not able to do one the night we went over this achievement. He was frustrated, but refused to give up. Each week I worked with him on mastering the front roll, then the falling front roll which took him about three weeks. The back roll was the hardest to for him to do, as it is a challenging skill. Brennan worked hard on this skill at home and at meetings. We would work on it for a few minutes at the end of every meeting. After about 2 months, Brennan was able to master this skill. His dedication and determination paid off. Several years later, Brennan started taking martial arts lessons. Being a black belt myself, I understand the coordination that this sport takes. I was proud of Brennan for stepping outside of his comfort zone of books and video games to take on a sport, one that a few years prior he may have struggled with. But with the basic skills he learned in scouts, he was able to have the confidence to start a martial arts program, and be successful, going all the way to obtaining his blue belt.

Ken Foutz

Our unit planned an overnighter and hike out in Wrightwood, CA. We had some scouts that had been to a number of these types of troop activities, and we also had a few that were brand new to scouts and camping and hiking.

One of these new scouts went by the name “Junior”. This was his first campout ever.  He was a little nervous and anxious about sleeping in a tent in the mountains, and all the things that come with being on a campout. But he was also very eager to help with whatever needed done- he helped set up the tent. He helped cook dinner and clean it up.

When the scouts woke up, they made a quick breakfast and broke camp. We were now headed to the Baden-Powell trail near Wrightwood. Only a couple of the older scouts had hiked that trail before, and they warned the younger scouts that it would be steep. This made the younger scouts nervous, particularly Junior, but he was still good to go.

At the trail head, we made final preparations for our hike. Everyone started off at a good pace, but it wasn’t long before we began to spread out. Those who were in better shape stayed together and hiked  up at their quicker pace. The rest of us made our way a bit slower. Though it was obviously a difficult hike for Junior, he just kept going. Many of his fellow scouts were very vocal about their tiredness, but Junior just kept going. They all had many stops, many water breaks, more stops, more water, more complaining, too. You could see it on Junior’s face that he was having a hard time, that he was tired, but that he wasn’t giving up.

Just as it seems like the trail goes on forever, we saw the summit!  We were energized (but still slow)!  We had lunch, had a good rest, talked about Baden-Powell, and then prepared to make our way down the trail, back to the cars.  You would think the younger scouts would be very happy about this, but they complained about the distance they would now need to go to get back.  Not Junior, he was looking forward to the easier time he would have on the trail.  It was about two-thirds the way down that the blisters began to take their toll on Junior’s feet.  He only had a pair of high-top tennis shoes for the hike.  His feet were hurting.  He spent the rest of the way walking slower and walking in a way as to not aggravate the blisters too much.  Most of the other scouts had passed him up by now.

As he reached the trailhead, you could see the smile overtake his face with every step.  You could see his head raise higher, his shoulders seemed broader and his chest was puffing out.  He had accomplished something.  He said as he sat on the curb, “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life!”  We asked him why he had a smile on his face then?  “Because I finished.  I never gave up.”  As we left the parking lot, Junior asked if we would ever do that hike again? He was already looking forward to doing it again, and doing it better.

That’s what scouting is all about- Doing things that are outside our comfort zone, something challenging, and not giving up. Seeing it through to the end, and growing from it.
 

Boy Scout Chalk Talk Night with the Reign

Ontario Reign hosts second Scout night of the season on March 29, 2014

The Ontario Reign, back-to-back Pacific Division Champions and proud affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets, are proud to announce Boy Scout Chalk Talk Night on Saturday, March 29, 2014.

For the first time, the Reign are inviting Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers, Explorers, families, and friends to not only enjoy a great hockey game, but to sit in on a Chalk Talk session with Head Coach Jason Christie, Assistant Coach Mark Hardy, and a few Reign hockey players before the team faces off against the Stockton Thunder at 6 p.m.  Get your tickets early because there is limited seating for the pre-game Chalk Talk which starts at 3:30 p.m.

Each ticket purchased with the order form for Boy Scout Chalk Talk Night will receive a unique, specially designed collectible patch.

Tickets are just $20 for lower level seats, or $14 for upper level seats and can be purchased by CLICKING HERE and using the promo code: CHALKTALK; or by visiting ontarioreign.com/boyscouts for the downloadable order form or faxing order form at  (909) 204-5555. Tickets must be purchased before Friday, Mar. 14 at 5 p.m. You could also contact Willy Lam via phone (909) 941-7809 or email wlam@ontarioreign.com for ticket purchase.

We are looking forward to seeing all Scouts, Explorers, families and friends on March 29th for the Boy Scout Chalk Talk Night!

Parking costs $5.00 per vehicle - we encourage you to carpool whenever possible.

Wood Badge 2014

Greetings from the C.I.EC. Spring Wood Badge Staff! You may have noticed in the March Scouting Magazine (pages 30-33) a fantastic article on the benefits and value of attending a Wood Badge course. This scouting leadership training course is taught the world over and is generally considered the premium leadership training for scouting leaders from cubs through Venturing. The materials and sources for these courses are taught in the business community and are seen as critical elements for successful team-building, conflict management, as well as communication and project planning & implementation. The list goes on! You would be hard-pressed to find another place or training in any industry, business, or social setting that does a better job at building and refining the skills necessary to lead individuals to success in all areas of their personal and business lives. The article talks about the benefits of the training as well as some of the truly enjoyable and life-long relationship building opportunities that come with the completion of a wood badge course. Now you may be wondering what one has to do to become a participant in a wood badge course? I am so glad you asked! It just so happens that there are two courses that will take place this year within our council! They will be held at Camp Emerson just outside of Idyllwild in the beautiful San Jacinto Mountains. The CIEC website has applications available for either course. They are quick and easy to download and fill out. Fifty dollars holds your spot but I must warn you that the spring course to be held in May is filling quickly so you need to act fast. I am including the email addresses for myself and our course director Norris. Feel free to contact either one of us with any questions about the course and what is needed to join us. The council website also has the contact information for the fall course as well. Well, I think I will close for now with the sincere hope that you will come up the hill with us and see why so many people consider the Wood Badge experience the pivotal turning point in their adventure in scouting and leadership.

Spring 2014 Course Thursday, May 1st through Saturday, May 3rd, 2014 and Thursday, May 15th through Saturday, May 17th, 2014 Click Here to Register

Fall 2014 Course Friday, Aug. 22nd through Sunday, Aug. 24th, 2014 and Friday, Sept. 5th through Sunday, Sept. 7th, 2014 Click Here to Register

Camp Wiley 2014

"A Space Odyssey" at Boseker Scout Reservation. Don’t miss out on the FUN… sign up today! We hope you’ll join us for an unforgettable adventure at the Boseker Scout Reservation., located in beautiful Idyllwild, California. 2014 Camp Wiley Sessions: Session#1– May 23rd –26th       “Family Session”  Anybody can attend the Family Session. Session #2– June 29th– July 2nd Session#3– July 3rd - 6th Session #4– July 27th—30th Session # 5– July 31st - 3rd    Camp Fees are as follows: Youth participants $185 ($205 after 4/16/2014)    Adults/Den Chiefs $115 ($135 after 4/16/2014)     Family Session: Those under 7 $90 ($110 after 4/16/2014) Click Here for Flyer   Click Here to Register Online

At Camp Wiley, Cub Scouts will learn a lot of new things and have the opportunity to earnachievements & other awards:

FoxFire: Youth Leadership Training

Date:    June 14 - 21, 2014 (Saturday Morning - Saturday Morning) - Online Registration

Foxfire will take what a Scout learned at National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and bring it to a whole new level.  Scouts will work as a crew to complete many challenges put before them, including Dutch oven cooking, tomahawk throwing, black powder rifle shooting, forging, and other team building games and activities.  Beyond developing a better understanding of the leadership skills taught at NYLT, Scouts will gain knowledge that will help them in the “real world” including resume writing and interview skills.  Scouts that have completed Foxfire are sought after for positions on camp and event staffs due to Foxfire’s emphasis on staff development.  Foxfire is a unique experience that should be the goal of any youth in our council.

To attend Foxfire, a youth must be 14 years old, have completed NYLT, and if a Boy Scout, have completed Star rank. There is only one course of Foxfire available, so sign up early. Click Here for Flyer

New, Simplified Annual Health and Medical Record

In preparation for the summer camp season, we are rolling out a new, simplified annual health and medical record effective March 1, 2014. Thanks to many employees and volunteers who provided constructive feedback on how we could make the record easier to use while still collecting the information needed to make sure our Scouts are ready for their experience. To learn more, we invite you to participate in a webinar on April 4 at 1 p.m. Central time. On April 4, log on to http://www.livestream.com/bsanationalcouncil.

Some of the key updates are: 

• The primary version will be in English. The existing bilingual version will remain available.
• Part A (Informed Consent, Release Agreement, and Authorization) will contain no medical information and will be shorter by one page.
• Part B (General Information/Health History) will include only the most important information needed.
• Part C (Pre-Participation Physical) will be reduced to one page with expanded sections for explanations of allergies.
• Supplemental Risk Advisory (former Part D) will be shortened and be location specific. This is designed to take to physicians so they will better understand what activities their patients will participate in.
• A redesign of the landing page for the annual health and medical record website so participants and parents will be able to download only what they need.

Action Needed
We need your help in eliminating all references to any prior versions of the record within council literature, leader guides, websites, and chartered unit materials.

Please host only this link: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx. Don’t print out the record unless absolutely necessary. If you have previously hosted parts of the annual health and medical record, delete the PDFs; don’t just hide the link.

If you have questions about this updated record, please contact health.safety@scouting.org.

2014 National Marketing and Communications Plan

Insight from Today’s Families

The BSA commissioned the Authenticity Gap to gather deeper intelligence on parents of current Scouts (to support retention) and parents of potential Scouts (to support growth). Through the research, we identified shared values between the BSA and parents of Scouting-aged children. A summary of some key findings includes:

• More than half of parents agree with the BSA’s key message that “Scouting offers life-changing experiences youth cannot get anywhere else.”
• While parents are aware of and have positive impressions of Scouting, many also say that it’s not “for families like mine” and “not easy to join.”
• Innovation, in terms of a fresh image and forward-looking programs, is the leading driver for expectations among all parents surveyed. The BSA lags behind their expectations in this area.
• The BSA also lags behind parents’ expectations in credible communications and better value, i.e., value for the money and time invested.
• More than half of families in this study indicate that they’ve never been asked to join Scouting.

From Insight to Action
The primary insight drawn from this study and the other research is that parents today are pressed for time. Work, school, homework, television, video games, religious life, and extracurricular activities all put pressure on a family’s limited time. The reality is that kids grow up fast—and parents have to make the most of the little time they have to positively shape the lives of their children. Our strategy is to help parents understand that among all the choices they are faced with, Scouting makes the most of the little time they have to positively impact their children.

This insight is the lens through which the BSA is shaping all of its marketing and communications strategy going forward.

The BSA’s One-Stop Marketing Toolbox
All of the BSA’s most current marketing tools and resources can be found on the Marketing Toolbox at www.Scouting.org/marketing.

 

Program Updates - 2014 and Beyond

The next three years promise to be exciting for Scouting as all three of our traditional programs will be updated based on several years of volunteer-led research and development. Venturing is first up in 2014 with a totally new program and recognition approach focusing on progressive development in adventure, leadership, and service to others and personal growth.

Cub Scouts is coming in 2015.

The Program Update page of Scouting.org will always have the most recent information on what is coming and when. Check out the files and opportunities by Clicking Here

 "2013 Eagles: Don’t miss your chance to be in the ‘Eagle Scout Yearbook" 

Yearbooks are priceless windows into the past, and the Eagle Scout Yearbook, Class of 2013 will be no exception.

To make it happen, though, the National Eagle Scout Association needs your help to fill the yearbook’s pages with the stories of the 56,841 young men http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/02/12/behind-the-numbers-analyzing-the-2013-eagle-scout-class/ who earned Eagle last year.

If you or a young man you know earned the Eagle Scout rank in 2013, make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to be a part of this momentous opportunity. The yearbook is an exciting new tradition started last year (and something I wish was around when I earned my Eagle Scout award in 1999).

We normally associate yearbooks with high school, but the journey toward Scouting’s highest honor has a lot in common with the journey toward graduation.

“We see getting the Eagle Scout rank as on par with getting a high school diploma,” says Ryan Larson, associate director of NESA. “A yearbook lets these Eagle Scouts track this moment in history. They can look back 30 or 40 years from now at those memories.”

If they haven’t already, members of the 2013 Eagle Scout class will soon hear from the company that NESA commissioned to make the book, Publishing Concepts (PCI).

Dallas-based PCI publishes directories for educational institutions, fraternities, sororities and military organizations across the nation. They’ve been around for 30 years, so they know what they’re doing.

PCI will contact 2013 Eagle Scouts by phone, email or snail mail to gather information from these young men. I’m talking name, Eagle project, favorite merit badge, dream job, favorite author and more.

I know you get a lot of junk mail, spam and irritating calls from telemarketers. But this is one contact you won’t want to ignore. You can also be proactive and get in touch with PCI directly at 1-800-395-4724. Remember, this is for 2013 Eagle Scouts only.

The number above is also the one to use if you prefer not to have certain information printed in the yearbook.

PCI will give these 2013 Eagle Scouts a chance to purchase the yearbook when they call. Note that only 2013 Eagle Scouts may purchase the 2013 Eagle Scout Yearbook, which should be shipped out around December 2014.

It’s important to mention that this isn’t a money-making scheme for the National Eagle Scout Association or the Boy Scouts of America. Profit from the book will go toward NESA scholarships.

As I mentioned last year http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2013/08/05/money-for-national-eagle-scout-association-scholarships-up-165-since-2007/, money for NESA scholarships is up 165 percent since 2007, thanks in part to innovative programs like this one. NESA gave out roughly $600,000 in scholarships last year and wants to keep growing that number.

If you have additional questions, check out this great FAQ page http://www.nesa.org/2013eaglescoutyearbook.html on NESA’s website. And be sure to Like the NESA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NationalEagleScoutAssociationBSA to stay on top of NESA news.

Railroading Merit Badge Day

The Boy Scout Railroading Merit Badge Day at Knott’s Berry Farm on April 12, 2014 will include presentations and activities, which will fulfill all the requirements for all Boy Scouts to earn the Railroading Merit Badge. The event is Limited to 650 Tickets! This event will include all-day admission to Knott’s Berry Farm and all Railroading Merit Badge Day activities. Only 650 tickets are available to the first 650 participants (Scouts, leaders, guardians, siblings & friends). Tickets are $60 per person - includes Knott’s adventure pass and Knott’s All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Lunch. “Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner” To attend, Scouts must be an active member of a Boy Scout Troop, Team, Ship, or Crew. Adults attending must be a BSA unit member, guardian or family member of an attending Scout.

Schedule: begins at 8:00 AM sharp. Pick up your tickets at the Knott's entrance ticket booths on April 12, 2014 from 7:30 am to 8am. Check-in no later than 8:15 AM. The Railroading Merit Badge Day concludes with lunch at 12:30 PM (lunch is served for 90 minutes with the "All you Can Eat Buffet." Then it's off to the thrills & chills of Knott's Berry Farm Amusement Park. Scouts will be assigned to a Patrol of 8 along with 2 Adults for the day. Each Patrol is assigned to a Troop for the day also. The Troop will travel together to each round robin sessions to complete all requirements.

Activities: 8:15 a.m. – 12:30 PM Each Troop of 48 Scouts will rotate, round robin style, through the requirements 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, & 8 in 8 sessions. Requirement 1a-c & 5a-c are prerequisites and must be completed before arriving at Knott’s Berry Farm Railroading Merit Badge Day! Everyone will be treated to a private tour of the Roundhouse and also a private tour of a Parlor Car and a Business Car - vintage 1880s, which are not normally open to the public.

For Tickets and more information visit: http://knottsmeritbadge.org

All Boy Scouts, siblings/friends/parents/guardians/leaders from anywhere. Any questions after reading the website info just contact Star La Rogers, event organizer, at: 714-883-7635 Rogers_family@hotmail.com or Rachael Cueva 714-546-4990 rachelc@ocbsa.org This event is approved by the Orange County Council Advancement Committee.

Scouting Cartoons from the ’60s, Do they still hold true today?

Oops!

Donor Matching

California Inland Empire Council's IRS EIN (Employer Identification Number) is: 95-1744350

Bank of New York Mellon Employees:
Bank of New York will match your donation to our Council from $50 to 10,000! Full and part-time employees are eligible. Call the BNY Mellon Foundation at 888-593-2580 or email BNYMellonCommunityPartnership@easymatch.com for more information.

Baxter Employees:
Donate $25 to $5,000 to the Council and Baxter will match it! Full and part time employees, spouses and board members are eligible to participate. Visit https://www.easymatch.com/Baxter/ or call the Baxter Foundation at 866-297-7220 for more information.

Becton Dickinson and Company Employees:
Donate $25 to $10,000 to the Council and BD will match it! Full and part-time employees, spouses and retirees are eligible. Visit http://www.bd.com/responsibility/community/matching_gifts.asp or call BD’s Employee Giving Program at 877-248-5452 for more information.

Belden Inc. Employees:
Give any gift between $25 and $2,500 to CIEC and Belden will match it! Full and part-time employees, board members and spouses are eligible. Contact your HR department for more information (HumanResources@belden.com).

Bemis Employees:
Give any amount between $25 and $1,500 to CIEC and Bemis will match it twice! Full and part-time employees, spouses, board members and retirees are eligible. Call Sandra L. Ebel- Bemis Foundation Administrator at 920-527-5300 or email slebel@bemis.com for more information.

Stanley Black & Decker Employees:
Give $10 to $10,000 to the Council and Stanley Black & Decker will match it! Full-time employees, spouses and board members are eligible. For more information visit https://ucentral.stanleyblackanddecker.com/psp/PAPRD/EMPLOYEE/EMPL/h/?tab=BD_PERKS or call Mona Zdun at 860-827-3531.
 

Camp Wiley Availability

Camp Emerson Availability

Positive Quote & Prayer
--------------------------------------

“I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations.”

    ~  George Bernard Shaw, on why we should give 2014 every ounce that we’ve got.
 

"God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

    ~  Reinhold Niebuhr (American Theologian) 

Monday Memo is from Scout Executive Joe Daniszewski and contains his reflection on what is happening within the Council. The purpose of Monday Memo is to communicate information about the week ahead, to acknowledge the good things happening around the Council and to address specific issues that the Scout Executive wants to bring to your attention. Joe welcomes any comments, suggestions or recommendations on how to make this memo as helpful as possible. If you have something you want publicized in the Monday Memo, please send it to his attention c/o Monday Memo: Joseph.Daniszewski@scouting.org for Monday Memo Archives Click Here??????