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If there's a picture of you receiving the knot, send it with a thank you note to the donor. It sounds like it was an anonymous gift, so it would be a "Dear Sir/Madame" sort of thing to give to your SM/CC to send up the chain and hopefully make it to the donor. But, it would be worth a try.

Survive: build a shelter that will house your patrol through the impending night. Ravine Climb: rig a pulley system that will safely haul your sledge out of a steep ravine.

Generally Eagle project size. But, keep in mind that some Eagle projects are extremely large. If all you've seen are massive ones that take thousands of man-hours, then you don't need to do 5 of those! You can earn it as both. If I were you, I'd knock off the three merit badges. That way you can earn a palm. And I like palms!

Welcome to the Great White North! I'm sure there's something a volunteer with your experience could provide. Call your council office and let them know you'd like to keep your registration current. Meanwhile, enjoy the Cuyahoga valley. The park is definitely worth a visit.

MT, sounds like you were at "High Church". It took the vicar I was staying with after college a while to explain this to me, but basically lots of folks in the Church of England loved the whole minimalism (i.e., "Low Church") that that reformation offered, but just as many (including the royals) resented being dragged from their Roman Catholic upbringing. So services were allowed to be as "imperial" as possible for those communities who wanted the country to keep up with their Roman Catholic neighbors, or as "reformed" as possible without becoming violent to their Roman Catholic citizens. Except for the occasional Bloody Mary, Guy Fawkes, and Northern Ireland, it kept an empire peacefully united. So, in any given Episcopal church, on any given day, you could find yourself walking into "High" or "Low" services or something in between. Anyway, that's the "inside/outsider's cliff note's version" that I took home from the UK. As far as architecture goes, seems like Catholics and Protestants in 19th century Pittsburgh were in a race for "most Gothic" look. This also impacted the style of Jewish houses of worship. Church tours around here are a big thing. And since denominations have exchanged buildings over the years, you never know what you'll get on the inside from just standing on the curb!

If you can afford the hop over to Marsh Harbor, Bahamas consider talking to these folks: http://www.sailingadventures.org/ I've talked to a couple of troops who booked the Ciganka -- one who does regularly. They seem to be quite satisfied. For other leads, search: live aboard high adventure sailing florida

And you would be correct. I withdrew myself from contention, mainly because I was concerned that they were telling me one thing about the time commitments, while everyone outside of there seemed dead-set on the idea that you would be working 80 hours a week (and if so, I can't reasonably do that and still give my own kids the attention they need). It stinks a bit. This is something I keep looking back at and wondering if I should have gone forward with it. As it were, they have finally gotten around to advertising for the job again. It's been open since last July and he was pretty clear that they were taking their time looking for the right person to fill the job. I gathered that they haven't had to turn the position over too terribly often, though the last guy in it apparently got caught in the midst of job searching (and I assume let go). Here's the ad text with specific identifiers redacted: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________XXXXX XXXXX Council, Boy Scouts of America, is accepting resumes for an Executive Staff position. Candidates must have at least a Bachelor's degree along with an outgoing personality and strong communications skills. They must be willing to live and work in either XXXXX, XXXXX, XXXXX or XXXXX. This is an entry-level, professional position that requires day travel and occasional evening commitments. Salary is $36,000 per year plus benefits. Experience in sales, marketing, fundraising, and public speaking is desirable. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ So there you have it. Are they straight-up lying about the time, because I don't take "occasional" evening commitments to translate into 60-80 hours a week. What am I missing? Unfortunately your are not reading "Executive" for the full weight that it carries. I think you would like it to be something like "Manager" and the salary makes you think that. But when it comes to non-profits, what's expected of an executive would cost roughly 3 times that in industry.

Or, if you take the job, "Don't even blink!"

Every pack manages these things differently. Ask your cubmaster or committee chair if this is in the budget. I'm assuming that you are only getting one set of chords for the den that gets passed from boy to boy as they rotate the position. That's a good case for either den or the pack (not the boy) saddling that cost. If your den had the most popcorn sales, that would be even a better case for the pack picking up the tab!

Fun fact about Hymns: some protestants of reformed theology insist that the only ones that should be used in worship are the those that directly quote a Psalm in its entirety. They have some narrow interpretations of scripture to support their view, but I think it was simply a few protestants who were trying to shed the trappings of imperial Christianity really admired how their Jewish buddies were doing things.

But, if the problem persists, bring it up at a committee meeting. One person's need to get shopping done shouldn't derail a troop. You had N-2 MCs who weren't available for 20 minutes. If it adds up week after week then the team needs to rethink it's strategy.

I wouldn't say anything to the MC. Do commend the ASPL for being persistent in assembling a board for his fellow scouts.

A friend of mine pastored a church with a "contemporary" and "traditional" service. He said the older folks who attended the latter were very flexible and accomodating. The younger folks were incredibly resistant to change, even though their service was decreasing in numbers. Maybe one of these days I'll be that old scouter that all the boys love.

Poor fellas ... 29 degrees. I'd fault ya if nobody stepped out every 10 minutes or so. Kudos to your boys for not using flashlight. All the better to see the moon's waxing crescent.

Or (for those who hate math): Every driver tops the tank before leaving. Tops it upon return and gets a reciept for that last fill-up (and any in-between if it's a long trip). Receipts are turned in to troop treasurer for reimbursement. If you have a sharp QM, you could have him direct drivers to do this while he and the boys stow the gear. We STRONGLY encourage whoever pulls the trailer to do this because the rate varies depending how full the thing's packed and the terrain we cover. If you don't accept reimbursement, you could consider it a donation at whatever the IRS says the going rate for fuel per mile is (I think it was 18 cents last year).

Because it makes no sense to have a council named for one Pennsylvania county when it now serves two NJ counties. It's insulting to their scouts and scouters: "you guys are hangers on and second class citizens compared to those of us actually living in Bucks County". Pardon me for recycling comments across threads ... that's just "girl talk." Any scouter who talks like that oughta have his mamma wash his mouth out with soap until he can say "friendly, courteous, kind" through the bubbles. Bucks is a fine name for a council, and if your CO's are fine with adopting it, there's no point in wasting letterhead.

I figure someone in the troop has a connection. or, their fundraising already underwrites part of the cost.

DK, l'll try to put this as politely as I can: That's just "girl thinking". Any SM worth the title will make it work for your boy. If a fella ever talked to you like that, I'd tell his mamma to wash his mouth out with soap until he can say 'friendly, courteous, kind' while gargling bubbles. Explain to your son what you are thinking of doing, ask him if it'd be okay to talk to the another troop and plan to summer with them. (This may mean going to a few meetings to meet the boys he'd be camping with).

Here are more details on my Council's latest acquisition ... http://lhc-bsa.org/Potomac%20Merger "The Laurel Highlands Council, headquartered in Pittsburgh, once combined with the Potomac Council will encompass 16 counties in three states and serve nearly 30,000 youth. With over 30 professionals and 15 support staff working in the organization, it is certainly our goal to improve programming throughout this region, and to revitalize Scouting in our area." On the bright side: our jaunts to Dolly Sods will now be in-council trips -- if that means anything.

COR has a lot of latitude, but cannot be registered as more than that and CC. That doesn't mean he can't act as other positions. Do you have other preferences for SM? Regarding your boys, are they proud of their troop? If so, stick around and play nice with whatever adults are placed on the committee. Let the boys know that even if you have disagreements with the adults, that should not keep them from having fun scouting. If not, then offer to take the boys visiting other troops to see how things are run. If they take you up on the deal, make some calls. Visit a few meetings, attend camp-outs.

Yep, Catalina Island ain't no Brownsea. I can understand both approaches. If they offer both activities in the same summer, that may mean patrols get split. Hopefully your troop has spring fundraisers that offset costs.

That is much higher than ours and much closer to the cost of some High Adventure bases. (See the Bechtel Summit Reserve's program.) But that may also include transportation costs.

Definitely remind friends to collect any photos they have of the family. I had a friend who shortly after relocating his family to a new city had a total home loss. His pastor (and his wife and kids) put them up for a couple months until things got sorted out. This wasn't an out-of-the blue kind of of donation. The two families had become friends for several months, so they had a good idea of the personality issues that might arise going in. So just make sure someone is keeping an ear to the ground to know what the real needs are.

One one level, I agree. If your son has no behavioral disorders, a little distance from mom is a very good thing. On another, we encourage moms to come camping with us, and we coach them on how to "give him his space." The few of them who do join us find it enjoyable. Sounds like we're kind of in the position the troop you favor is in. But, there is nothing besides your own time stopping you from registering with another troop or venturing crew. Take the outdoor skills courses. Volunteer in a way that will make you a happy servant.

For your reference, here's how our crew handled finances. It made for a bumpy road because various adults who were great at solving problems were forced out of the equation, but it poured could water on any "drama sparks" before there were flames to fan ... Registration/transfer fees were paid up front by the interested members (a couple of boys and girls and their families who wanted to go on a high adventure). Other expenses were paid by the venturers. While we were waiting for the paperwork to go through, the troop treasurer accounted for funds being collected for the HA. He also helped our crew treasurer handle accounts. As guests of another crew, some boys went on a different HA that came in under budget and donated the surplus to the crew. I asked any other potential donors to wait for the crew president (the lead YOUTH in venturing) to present a plan for how the money would be spent. Other troop leaders have offered equipment and time, I made it clear that they were not to lift a finger for the crew until approached by a youth requesting them to do so. So my advice to you is that your committee only hear from venturers regarding requests for financial support. Tell your CC flat out that you will oppose any adult-initiated requests for support for what is supposed to be an organization lead by youth and young adults. I'm sure if a crew officer presented even a half-baked plan of how they would use their start-up funds, you all would give them assistance. But aside from knowing the crew schedule so you all can plan your calendars accordingly, if there is no youth at the table your committee should not dwell much at all on how the crew's doing.