Laurie

Also, they often have several units assigned to them, and they are volunteers. I know several UCs, each with an average of 5 units assigned to them, and each working full-time as well as serving as UC with most serving in some unit and/or as trainers in addition to serving as UC.

Tiger Dad, with your attitude and obvious concern for keeping things going and keeping the boys interested, you should have a great summer. Good for you for keeping them going in some way over the summer!

(This message has been edited by Laurie)

Good point about not going for the whole Wolf badge over the summer. I agree with that, and in fact, we encouraged the following activities last summer--as a pack though some could be done as a den--and found this to be effective: (1) Use the summer months for outdoor activities, especially for those going into Webelos. (2) Use the Sports and Academic Program, and this way the boys are earning something but not knocking out the rank so quickly. Host some pack activities, maybe one a month, and during that time earn a belt loop. This was a huge hit last year! By the way, if one activity per month is held by the pack, that means the boys who qualify can be awarded the National Summertime Award--a cool way to kick off the new Cub/school year! (3) Leave No Trace activities, hikes, day camp, family overnight camp, and other activities that are fun but not required to advance. (4) Pack fundraising can be done now, and this pack had a great time holding 2 fairly small carwashes. (5) Patriotic observances. The pack looked for, and found, opportunities to be part of small observances (it's a small pack just beginning summer activities), but the flag ceremonies were a hit with the boys and with the community. This year we are adding Good Turn For American projects and the BSA Family Program. Each allows the boys and their families opportunities to keep Scouting going, but in a far more flexible way. The GTFA project that just kicked off is on-going and is recycling so it does not depend on meetings. The BSA Family Program also does not depend on pack/den meetings. This appeals to the pack (and to individual dens too) in the summer.

Maybe I missed this in the posts, but don't forget Bobcat. Not all Tigers earn Bobcat during the Tiger year, so make that the number one item. Then go for it! As for everyone earning things at the same time, as CM it makes it easier on me, but it is much rewarding to the boys to have their badges immediately. Our den leaders include items that enable the boys to advance together, but if some boys earn a badge earlier than others, they will be awarded them with a ceremony. The others will have a ceremony as they earn their badges. This past year is the first year--at least in a while--that this pack has practiced immediate recognition, and it has been very well received by the families. In fact, it is the one thing that they have identified as the reason they have stayed. Have fun over the summer! It's a great time to earn outdoor activities--at least here

To a lesser degree than you, I have had to deal with this type of situation. Now, we had a leader involved who was irritating everyone, and I could not and would not step in unasked between other adults. However, when I had a difference with this leader, I went to the leader privately, told the leader what the problem was, and tried to find some common ground again so we could try to aim for that as we worked through this and continue to work together. It was not a little issue; it was pretty big; it needed to be dealt with. The result was that the leader stopped talking to me; I continued to say hello, to treat the leader as I always had, for I knew that I was willing to work things out but this other was not. The leader has since left. Another person that I just did not hit it off with at all was someone else I truly valued but did not know well or understand. I called this person, said that I wanted to better understand how we can work together because I did not know this person well at all but would like to, and everything was uphill from there. That was easy, but picking up the phone was not! My advice: go to him, talk to him, see what happens. You don't how he'll react, but if you have to spend time with him, try to work things out for both your sakes. If you try and it doen'st have the desired effect, at least you will have tried. Now, I would not call myself easy-going, but I get along with most people, even those I don't have much in common with, so two clashes/disagreements in just over a year is an awful lot for me. However, it was worth it because it's one less burden to carry around once it's out in the open--even if the outcome isn't what I might have hoped for.

Welcome to the forums, and welcome in advance to this area! I am registered in a pack and troop in the Cradle of Liberty Council, and though I have not yet had the opportunity to go to Treasure Island, the other council camp properties I've been to are well cared for and have excellent programs. Do you have the council website url? If not, here it is: http://www.colbsa.org/default.asp?sm=2 The menu is to the left, and if you choose Camps, you will then see list of the camps in this council. If you choose Council Staff, you will see e-mails listed for the camping department. Hopefully someone here can give you some first-hand experience with the camp though.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. William sounds like a wonderful young man who many will miss, and my prayers are with you, his family, and his friends.

You are right that the CR is an experienced Scouter, but the unit "found" him. Having an experienced Scouter is a benefit indeed, but the relationship between the unit and CO was worked on by the unit for a year before this CR became involved, and the relationship was strengthened before his involvement, which shows that the unit can make it work--at least sometimes. The unit did not have a good relationship with the CO. The CO treated it as a bother to it, and the unit wondered why it should care about a CO anyway since it was just a place to meet. That is the attitude when I became part of leadership and I quickly adopted it too then came here and learned it shouldn't be that way, and training confirmed that. The unit brought about change with the unit-CO relationship, and it was a major hassle most of the time and incredibly hard to win the CO over and basically sell the program to them--when it was their program to begin with! They didn't understand that the unit is theirs though, so that made for some interesting conversations. The unit then had the good fortune to learn that an active CR was involved in the CO for another unit--and he is still fairly new to this unit. However, he is already an asset, and the CO-unit relationship can now be more his headache than ours as he is the CC and CR As for that annual meeting, the DE and CC delegated to me -- in spite of my protests -- but this year the "new" CR will meet with the DE and IH -- at the CR's request. Like I said though, I do understand it may not always work. We had no guarantees. We tried. I just wanted to share that going to the effort and even the hassle of winning over and educating the CO (they had no clue how they and the unit fit together) can be worthwhile.(This message has been edited by Laurie)

A great many items that are sent home via my children's backpacks are simply deposited in the trash can -- no offense taken, no harm done, no time wasted on the stuff. It's a lot like that junk mail that comes to "resident" -- I don't want it, didn't ask for it, and rarely spare more than a glance at it.

About a year ago, noone knew the CR for the unit -- it turned out there was a CR on paper only as the person had left the CO but noone ever made the change. Noone knew anyone in the CO -- the meetings were scheduled, cleared by the CO and put on its calendar, but were often cancelled because the CO had an event and would call a leader to say the unit couldn't use the building. There was no service by the unit to the CO for at least 2 years too. Many changes were taking place in the unit, all backwards because they were beginning with the den leaders who were then getting training and recruiting committee members. It was so backwards that a leader was simply accepted as CC though noone knew him. Then the CR was "found" (there was an active one for another unit in the same CO), and things were put into place and some changes began. The unit began providing service about every couple of months either representing the CO and therefore building up the unit's and the CO's reputation in the community or for the CO directly. The CR has been unable to attend many meetings but was upfront about that in the beginning and made himself very accessible. In return, the unit took the iniative to give him regular updates to keep him in the loop. A situation came up recently that got a little ugly (grownups don't play nice!), and I began receiving phone calls from council asking what is going on. Fair question -- but I had no idea what was up or that there was a problem, though the CC had been unavailable for awhile which was beginning to become a problem (committee meetings weren't scheduled--that sort of thing). It seems the CC was unhappy for reasons still unknown to us, called the council, and then called the CR. The CR met with the unit during an event (not the first time he's done this, but the first time since the council began calling). The CR has been keeping up with what is taking place in the unit, and he was able to identify and correct the problem. What did the CR do? He offered to meet with the DE and anyone else who was concerned about the unit to assure them all that things were fine. He has become the CC as well, which is super because his Scouting resume is quite impressive. He knew the program was strong, saw it in action and liked what he saw, knew who was doing what, was able to identify that the problem was one unhappy person and not the program or other leaders, and he took action. He is doing his job in such a way that the unit leaders quickly relaxed and moved on with program, knowing that time didn't need to be spent on this thing (we're still not sure what the problem even is). And during this same event, while the CR was present, someone from the CO called a leader complaining of damage done by the unit on a night the unit did not meet there. The leader was upset. The CR was there, listened, and then said he'd take care of it. Again, a leader was able to relax and just focus again on program. In a nutshell, the CR is acting as the go between, when necessary, between the unit and the council. He is acting as the go between, when necessary, between the unit and the CO. He is encouraging and advising and supportive -- and that goes a long way to building up the program. A year ago I could not have known how important this relationship would be; a year ago it didn't seem necessary. Today, I am very thankful that training and some experienced leaders here have brought to my attention the need for the proper positions to be filled and to be put to use (not in name only but real people doing real things). CRs and COs are often given a hard time on boards, and I know they aren't always easy to work with, but this unit tried hard to follow the book and sought out help over and over and then once on the right path, to keep everyone, especially the CR and those in the CO, informed of its program and as the focus of its service. It works. Thank you to the many here who encouraged me personally not to give up on this. To those who think it might never work out for the unit you serve, well--maybe it won't, but maybe with persistence (and boy it was rough, to be honest!), it will work out. What I did, as advised here, was to continually remind myself that is the CO's unit. That was catchy, and all leaders but one began do the same. It truly did make me look at how we did things, and it was clear that the unit could operate ok without the CO's help, but it is so much better now that the CO knows we view them as the ones who have provided us with a unit. Oh, and guess what? This past year not one meeting planned by the unit was cancelled due to conflicts -- the CO was very considerate of the meeting dates and this year worked around the unit. So thanks again--and I hope someone can be encouraged by this.(This message has been edited by Laurie)

I just received my CM postcard from BSA Supply Division today: "It's official! Beginning August 1, 2004, the official uniform for all Tiger Cub Scouts will be the complete blue Cub Scout uniform with identifiable and appropriate Tiger Cub insignia. ... This change will be key in your summer and fall recruiting and round-up plans. ... The Tiger Cub adult partner will continue to wear the orange Tiger Cub t-shirt. And the orange Tiger Cub t-shirt is still available for Tigers Cubs. It now becomes the perfect activity shirt for casual wear and for certain Tiger Track Adventures." www.scoutstuff.org will have monthly updates on this new change through August -- check out the News Briefs section.

I've heard a number of SMs say, "We tell the parents that if they aren't willing to be involved that they had better find a new troop." And then there are us moms who want to get involved when asked to but end up labeled pushy moms. And all we need to do to earn that title at times is simply be a mom who completes and turns in an app! As for good role models, isn't that what the approval process is about--trying to screen applicants and avoid problems. That said, we are learning the hard way that when the applicants aren't met with and interviewed and checked out that the unit suffers for that. I agree with you about the need for good role models and that Scouting may be the best place for that for many.

I'll second the welcome and the request for you to elaborate.

Bob, that's funny--thanks for the laugh! The question about negative ads: I don't care for negative ads. They tend to make me consider voting against the person who is negative rather than for him/her. I don't mind comparisons or one saying how they will do better than another, but the personal insults, the put downs, the "dirt"--that turns me off from the person saying it.

I should be clearer; I apologize. Many of the boys may have done the items in Scout and Tenderfoot, but they do not count until they do them as registered Boy Scouts. This makes it far easier to do those items again to earn the ranks fairly quickly. In Cubs, what they do does not count for Boy Scouts--sorry about my sloppy wording.

Scout is considered a rank in the troop and at council (here, that is). The badge is a restricted item that requires an advancement form. Those boys who bridge using the new Webelos book will have met many of the Tenderfoot requirements. Many using the now old book will too. I think it's an easy mistake to make and wouldn't worry about it.(This message has been edited by Laurie)

1) Do you maintain your council website by yourself or as part of a web team? I designed and maintain the website on my own. 2) If part of a web team, how is the team organize and how does it meet? N/A 3) What have you found to be the favorite sections of your Council web site from the average users point of view? Unit web site: Our fact sheet has guided 3 families in the area to Cubs, not necessarily to our pack though. The scrapbook is popular, and the calendar is useful to leaders and those families that use the computer. 4) Are there are any thing you wish you had at hand, to make things easier on you or to make a better council website site? Unit web site: My only wish would be to be able to ensure that links were child friendly; checking up on them is time consuming and therefore things may be overlooked. 5) does your council have guidelines for Districts our Units, besides what National provides? Does it provide hosting to Districts? Unit webmaster: To my knowledge, no guidelines are available. I asked and did not get an answer; however, during roundtable, I learned from the DE that many units have sites. Districts are hosted by council; however, the news on each district is the same as that found in council news. It is a site under construction, so hopefully this will change. Hope this helps.

It was my first time emceeing the pack meeting as CM, which we now call pack performances, and it was truly fun! I gave a big build up to all the awards the Cubs had earned, and they could see the table with all sorts of stuff on it. Then I called out each name after getting a cheer of Cubs Rock going and handed each boy a rock. Lots of fanfare, you know, telling boy "you rock!" They tried so hard to look happy, but some were confused. Then a rock bottom fell off and awards fell into one boy's lap. He was still confused because he didn't know what the Quality Unit patch was. But this got others to look more closely at their rocks--shaking them, tipping them over, and awards were spilling out everywhere. The looks on their faces were priceless! They refer to me as the awards lady, so this was kind of an odd award to them...until they realized what they had. Skits were hilarious; our den leaders are amazing! We discovered we have quite a few hams, and even the shyer boys weren't shy last night. They sang a song (some spoke it, some chanted it, each has his way of doing things ) called "If I Were Not a Cub Scout" -- funny song that they loved performing. We zipped through everything, laughed throughout, and I am happy to be settling in my new position as CM. What a kick to see the boys get so excited over being acknowledged. I think I'm off to an ok start, which feels good, and I was impressed that we had 8 boys come out since our pack has always ended meetings by late February. We have 14 on the roster, only 10 of them active, so 8 is great for us.(This message has been edited by Laurie)

Bob wrote: I do feel that if he really has questions he should be offered the BSA side in a positive setting. (Like sending him to the Principal's oops I mean, Council Exec's Office.)

We have officially begun our GTFA projects for 2004. We are currently working on promoting an American Red Cross blood drive. The boys and I, all in uniform, headed out to local business armed with posters announcing the drive. It is being planned by a woman in the business association of the town our CO is in. She planned; we offered leg work and promotions and any other "busy work" she could use. As we were driving home from one shopping area, one of the boys asked, "do we get something for this?" I have told them about GTFA, and they will serve without a patch, but actually doing the event makes it more real. And yeah, they get something Today we're heading out to a conservation day planned by a local branch of an environmental group. Ages 2 - 45 in our group, which numbers 7! Everyone is excited as this is more than just trash pick up; it's also helping to clear a trail that has become overrun with weeds and brush. And we were told that it used to be a Boy Scout camp--small but something we are hoping to explore. So far I'm told that little else is happening with GTFA locally. How about all of you? Isn't this program getting a lot of people excited, or is it too soon and planning is still taking place?

Interestingly enough, I find that many of the people that I know locally in Scouting seem to be unaware of the issues even though our council was in the news awhile back. They either don't care or don't pay much attention to news. Those that are aware of the issues like to put them aside (especially those fielding calls about them) to just enjoy some program or non-political chats. As for the grandfather, I can understand the disappointment. I'd have thought he'd welcome an opportunity to brag about his grandson--what a perfect opportunity to do so

Thanks guys! Adrianvs, I am learning a lot about spiders; it is amazing how many are considered rare or just remain unidentified as they haven't been seen before. Pack, it's too late for this one to be sent anywhere, but you can bet I'm going to keep a jar handy in case I run across one again (my curiosity is piqued now). And Uncleguinea, a little fun is always welcomed, especially as the week is wrapping up By the way, I have to confess, I think of guinea pigs when I see your name--any special meaning to it? To all, this mystery remains unsolved, but I sure did learn a lot and appreciate all the help! Now to prepare for one of the busiest Cubbing weekends ever...I'm tired thinking about it A wonderful weekend to all!!!

Thanks for the links Venture Eamonn, usually I get along with spiders just fine, but this gave me the creeps. Ok, we identified one: husband saw the banded garden spider. This is not anything like what I described to him. What I saw most closely resembles a tarantula or one of the jumping spiders I looked at on-line. And now I am itching like crazy after searching photo upon photo for this thing! How I wish I'd taken a photo--darn, didn't think to do that.

I found one about an inch in diameter total, dark brown, hairy, with light tan stripes around its legs. This was in the house. Today my husband found one in the yard--it's wooded--and it was easily 2 to 2 1/2" diameter, same coloring/marking/hairy. Any idea what this might be? I've looked at enature.com and in our field guide, but without success. We live in the Mid-atlantic, PA to be exact. I figured Scouts/Scouters might be able to help with this one