scoutldr

My church gives its employees a cash gift every Christmas. But it is a dedicated donation from the members, and it's clear that it is not a tax deductible donation to the church. Checks are made out to the person collecting the money. That being said, I agree $600 is outrageous. Dedicate a Pack Meeting to his honor...similar to a Blue and Gold banquet...have each den have a skit ... have lots of fellowship and signed cards from the scouts. If the Pack leadership wants to take he and his wife out for a nice dinner and adult beverages, that would be nice too...on their own nickel.

I do judge grammar and spelling errors. It indicates a lack of attention to detail. I used to have a professional colleague who had business cards printed up listing his name as "John Doe, PhD (candidate)". There was another one who listed himself as "John Doe, MS, ABD" (all but dissertation). We laugh at guys like that...and certainly didn't hire them. Humility is an admirable trait.

Probably. Her g-g-Grandfather was Joseph William Clem, b. 1855, Indiana, d. 1894, Louisville.

Clem, now you're just showing off (my wife's maternal line is Clem, out of Louisville, KY) The ribbon bar above is the Explorer Silver Award.

"I was made redundant"....I love the British language! Here in the Colonies, we get "fired" or "laid off". Question, SKip: when you say the time is "Half eleven"...what time is it? Wife and I watch more British telly on PBS now than we do the American mindless sitcoms. Our current faves are "The Durrells of Corfu", "Call the Midwife", "Midsomer Murders", and "Doc Martin".

When I was District Training Chair about 15 years ago, the Council collected a registration fee for all training courses. Scouters would register directly with the council, who would cash their checks and send me a list of names. As I recall the fee was around 10 bucks. When I asked what the fee was for, I was told, "Insurance(?), admin support (cashing the checks?), materials (I went to Kinkos and paid for copying myself)". I never saw a penny of the fee. Most courses were in the evenings, so we did not provide a meal. I usually used the local elementary school library or cafeteria, since my wife was on the faculty there, and it was free to non-profit groups. So, the answer is obvious...it is a revenue stream for the Council.

Agree with Sentinel. You have an obligation to report it, but keep it low key, and at the same time tell the DE what you have done to correct it. There was no ill intent, and the rules have been reinforced with all troop leadership. Perhaps have a refresher training class at your next Committee meeting. We, too have done the blanket thing to divide the room...this was at a Council camp in cabins that were built in the 40s. It was no big deal to string a rope across the room and hang tarps.

The SM does not sit on the EBOR and has no vote. However, if the EBOR has not convened yet, the SM can decline to sign off on the project and decline to sign the scout's Eagle Application. Hopefully, there was an SM Conference in which the SM clearly explained what he thought were deficiencies and told the Scout how to "fix" it. That being said, the time to discuss expectations was when the Scout's Eagle Project proposal was submitted to the troop SM and DAC for approval to begin. So, the EBOR is not convened until the SM is satisfied that all requirements (including project approvals) have been met. HOPEFULLY, this can all be accomplished before the scout's 18th birthday. This illustrates the risk of procrastinating and waiting until your 18th birthday is approaching...always allow time to make adjustments if necessary. Edit: Upon re-reading your post, i realized you are already aware of all this. I will leave it as info for others.

Besides $300 for a wooden box, did anyone notice the rank badges are out of order?

Well, that's useful ^^^^^^^

A couple of families getting together to camp is their business. No BSA rules, no BSA insurance. But I would insist that each "camper" have a responsible parent or legal guardian present...and do not promote it as a troop function. It's still a free country...mostly.

I always have conflicting emotions when it comes to this. My own son struggled in middle school...I think most do. It is a time of transition with the onset of puberty and raging hormones, testing the limits with independence, and moving from a more structured classroom to one in where kids are expected to take more responsibility and initiative for their own stuff. The first reaction is always, "no more scouts". To me, Scouting was an integral part of the overall developmental agenda of a boy...taking him out of scouts was the same as saying, "ok, no more church" or "you need to work harder in math, so I'm taking you out of English class"...or PE, or you name it. The boy will view it as punishment, and he will resent it, when grasping the concepts of math is not necessarily his fault. The middle school counselor told us not to worry...most boys struggle with 8th grade and you just need to write it off. Seeking a tutor is a great idea...someone near his own age who has been taught the new methods...I could not tutor my own kids because the terminology was all different ... one example was there was no more "borrowing and carrying", it was called "regrouping". With the new Common Core math, I'm sure I would be speaking a foreign language to them. Some schools have tutoring programs with student volunteers...check with his Guidance Counselor.

Lived in Norfolk, VA as a young tyke. All the neighbors were building bomb shelters in their back yards. My Dad, a Navy Chief submariner, said it wasn't necessary...we were so close to the base, we would all be vaporized, shelter or not. Thank God the Russians blinked first.

Perhaps the national press releases should have been delayed until they have an idea of how it was to be implemented. I just read this thread and learned a whole lot more than what has been communicated to the Scouters by my Council. I have had extensive training in the field of "Risk Communication"...BSA National and local Council Executives need a crash course. In a nutshell...1) identify your stakeholders, 2) communicate early and often, 3) tell the truth, 4) if you don't know, say you don't know., 5) get out ahead of the rumors and quash them.

I'll just wait for it to run on free TV...when I have nothing better to do. And save about $10.50 on a bag of popcorn and a coke.

Boys' Clubs became "Boys' and Girls' Clubs" Campfire Girls became simply "Campfire" YMCA? YWCA?

Well, I disagree with the youngsters. Part of being Eagle is leading and mentoring younger Scouts along the way, serving as a good example (Scout Spirit and all that)...you can't do that without "serving time". If we eliminated time requirements, some over-achievers could "make" (not "earn") Eagle within months. Talk about "demeaning the rank"...how many times in this forum have we had to remind people that "it's about the journey, not the piece of cloth."

Unless things have changed since I was on the District Committee, all CORs are ex officio members of the District Committee and are the only Unit level Scouters who have a vote. They should be encouraged to attend and participate.

I second. Close this thread and take the moderator squabble off-line. We're not interested.

After all, 18 is the new 12, right?

Agree with Fred, BL is a shadow of its former self which I enjoyed as a Scout in the 60s. I wonder how much longer the title itself ("Boys' Life - For All Boys") will survive. Will it be "Boys' and Girls' Life"...or just "Life"? No, wait, that one's been done. Maybe "Scouts' Life"...or "Family Life"...or "Gender-neutral Life"?? ":

Have the Pack treasurer sit down with the Troop treasurer over a cup of coffee and say, "so explain this to me. What do we owe, to whom do we owe it and what is it for?" One fly in the ointment that I haven't seen mentioned is that the Chartered Organization (CO) owns both units, including their equipment and funds and they can pretty much do what they want with it. You may not agree, and it may not be "fair", but it is what it is.

Cub camping is supposed to be "family camping", so I would take "families" in order of them having signed and PAID. First come, first served. But that's just me.

The ignorance being exhibited in this thread is incredible.

Ok, I'll be the killjoy with all this talk about "parents". Baden-Powell's original concept was that "each scout should earn his own way." Also, any unit fundraisers, per BSA policy, need to approved by the Council Scout Executive...there are rules that govern what you can and can't do as a fundraiser. Also, I am a fan of the "Unit Budget Plan" which is planned by the Troop Committee (with PLC input) each year...you will need to account for projected expenses such as awards (not cheap anymore), Court of Honor expenses, outings, camp, equipment, etc. Then figure out what income sources will support the budget. Since the unit is owned by the CO, you should get their approval on the plan, also. They need to see what it costs to operate a scout unit. Finally, the BSA officially discourages Scout Accounts. This has been discussed ad nauseam on this forum.