scoutldr

If parents donated ("dues") money to the unit, and the money disappeared, I think they call that "embezzlement". But that's a matter for your CO to pursue, as the unit and money belongs to them. Good luck proving she didn't use it toward the program. Yes, it was a mistake to give her MORE money, under questionable circumstances. Unfortunately, I think there's no recourse now. Have the CO send her a certified letter stating that there is to be no more contact between her and the unit. If she persists, slap her with a restraining order.

"The camp appears to have no overhead." Salaries (Ranger, Camp Dir, Prog Dir, Staff) Food and kitchen supplies Supplies and equipment for program areas Maintenance Gas and maintenance for vehicles Etc... $225 is not out of line...

This is not enthusiasm...this is deliberate and rude. First of all, I agree, he is being discourteous and disloyal. Going to Council behind your back would have done it for me. There is no excuse for that. The ASM's serve at the pleasure of the SM...fire him. (His membership in the unit is up to the COR, however....just notify the COR that he is no longer acceptable to you as an ASM and lay out the reasons.) Is the Eagle candidate applying for Eagle as a Boy Scout or as a Venturer? If it's the former, then his project is NOT approved, since it requires the SM and CC signature before it goes to District approval. If he's applying as a Venturer, then the Crew Advisor and CC sign and you don't get a vote. Like I said...that's discourteous to not let you know what's going on BEFORE he does it. And that's the reason I think that dual membership in Troop/Crew should not be allowed. It allows the scout to make end-runs around the SM for advancement purposes.

If this is a Girl Scout camp, just take your Ice cream out of the cooler, take it into the air conditioned cabin and put it in the freezer...should be right next to the computer and TV. Problem solved.

OK, I'll bite. If it's "chemical-free", how does it work? (nothing is "chemical free"...everything is made of "chemicals").

But we ARE on the Homeland Security watch list as "right wing extremists" now...I'm surprised they let you have a checking account...all that Popcorn money could buy a lot of AK-47s.

The only thing you can sell to Cubbies is "fun". They don't care a whit about Trustworthy, etc. WHat do we do in Cub SCouts??? WE HAVE FUN!!! The fire truck idea is a good one. My BIL drove an 18-wheeler...one of my best den meetings is when I had him bring his truck to my house in the cul-de-sac (he had to back it in)...then we opened the doors and turned 'em loose. Even tilted the cab forward to show them the engine and check the oil, blow the air horn, etc. My neighbors hated me.

Safety

A Scout is courteous.

Of the things you list, Eagle92, my opinion is that those are the Commissioners' jobs. I do agree that "healthy committee" is a shared responsibility of the District Key 3. THe DE needs to ensure the District is staffed with volunteers to deliver the program...then go focus on new units and new money.

"But what if it is the PL or SPL who does not get up?" Time to have a SM Conference and remind them what the "R" in "POR" means. Being a successful leader means that you do what you need to do when you need to do it.

I assume it means "End of Year". It's a great idea, but I would call it something else. We don't want people to think that Scouting is not a year-round program.

I recommend you contact your local Council. They will find a spot for him, hopefully with an experienced unit who can handle the "challenges" of a first year camper (homesickness, etc). Over the years, we have had a number of provisionals camp with us. Never had a bad experience. In fact, one of them is now a HS senior and participated in one of our Eagle projects yesterday. Shortridge and I were typing at the same time...and the same answer! Great minds think alike!(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

WOO HOO! As someone famous once said, "Pity da fool dat shuts down for da summer"

Eamonn stole my comment...you can't hold people responsible for things they don't control For example, my DE has no control over whether I attend RT or not. And adjectives such as "healthy" and "engaging" are not useful, unless there are measurable outcomes. THe DE should be doing the following: 1. Meeting with prospective new COs in the District and "selling" the program to them. 2. Meeting with prospective FOS corporate donors and "selling" the program to them. 3. With the other members of the District Key 3, recruiting and training functioning members of the District Committee. 4. Advising the District Chair on Council goals and assisting him/her in developing a Vision for the District. Then get out of the way and let the Volunteers carry it out.

Our camp is rented out to other groups, and sometimes we're asked to volunteer to help. I don't think the council offers "program", though. We do have a series of "specialty weekends" for scouts, usually resulting in a MB.

IF they agree to hear the case. That's a big IF.

As our DE used to drill into us, "Parents are paying for a year-round program and that's what they should be getting". Doesn't matter if it's a Pack, Troop, Crew or Ship...there is nothing that says units should "shut down" over the summer. It's a proven phenomenon that you'll lose members that way. Keep them engaged and active. Summer camp/Day Camp just counts as the outdoor activity for that month.

This may be an urban legend, but I've always heard that the UW predetermines how much each organization will get. Your designated donation only counts if the total of all the designated donations exceeds the predetermined amount. Based on that, and I don't know if it's true or not, I have always donated to FOS and used UW (or CFC for us feds) to donate to other charities. I would donate directly (and I do), but it gets the people at work off my back...they like to have 100% "participation". Once the council gets the money, it really doesn't matter...it all goes in the same pot.

Here's the test. IF they did away with the beads, necker and woggle, would people still sign up? How about just a pocket training card and a handshake? If WB is really worth the experience, shouldn't make a difference, right? Or are they just in it for the status symbol doodads? I used to be just a Scouter...and still am.

Not sure I trust any site that lists Wikipedia as a reference.

In my way of thinking, an adult can only show up on the charter IF: 1. They are recruited and agree to serve. 2. They sign and submit an adult leader application, with SSN. 3. The COR and CC approve the application by signing it. 4. The appplication is forwarded to Council with appropriate fees. 5. The Council subjects the applicant to a National criminal background check with a positive result. Someone please explain to me how all that can happen without the applicant's knowledge and consent. To do anything else is fraud, plain and simple.

So, if I understand the Beav correctly...if I robbed a bank and did hard time, the BSA should still approve my application since it was not in a "scouting context"? OK, I'll stipulate to the idea that a DUI may not technically be a YP issue if it occured outside of scouting. But I do think it's a reason to reassess the perp's suitability for membership.

"In this country, 36,000 people die each year from whatever influenza strain is prevelent that year, which works out to nearly 100/day" And those stats are for strains that have vaccines and much of the population has immunity. For this strain, there is NO vaccine and NO immunity in the population. I remember the "swine flu" scare of 1975. If this one fizzles out like that one did, it will be all over by July. If not, we're in for a long siege. Things in our favor...most schools will be closed for the summer. More people will be outside and not "in close contact" indoors. A friend of mine works as an ER admitting clerk. She said they were "very busy" with patients last night thinking they had swine flu. Sheesh. My wife is a school nurse, and she sends home kids every day with 101-102 fevers that the narcissistic parents send to school anyway, because their jobs are more important than their kids. It's not the flu that's going to kill us. It's the morons who refuse to play by the rules. Regarding face masks...the CDC has said that masks are ineffective against the virus due to virus particle size. Being an expert in that, I agree..but the mask WILL filter out the spit and snot droplets that people sneeze on you. I think the politicians just don't want everyone walking around with masks on...bad for the public image, ya know. If you do buy a mask, look for "N95" or "N100" efficiency. Dust masks from Walmart, surgical masks and bandanas are not much use, except to keep YOU from spitting on someone. Bottom line is: wash hands at every opportunity. Do not touch your face, nose or eyes. Get away from people who appear sick. If YOU feel sick, STAY HOME and call your doctor...DO NOT clog up the emergency room, unless your Dr tells you to go. If your kid is sick, KEEP THEM HOME. Is a day at work worth someone's life???

So, how do you decide which "other" pack to foist them upon? That's just transferring the problem. We do that all the time in the Gov, because no one has the guts (nor the time to invest) to fire anyone.