CharityAK

I'd like the men's input on this... Our Scoutmaster tendered his resignation last night after several years with our troop. Military transfer. He's been a great guy. Given a lot to the troop even though he has no son there and had lots going on in his personal life. For a parting gift, I was thinking about making a quilt in a canoe pattern I found (our troop has done quite a bit of canoeing). Each boy would sign one of the canoe pieces. The colors would be scouting/outdoorsy colors in outdoor motifs (leaves, moose, fish, tents, etc.) Is a quilt too effiminate? I and the other

Laura - You stated that you have a stock of badges on hand. Is that the norm for all you other folks? Our district office is the only place where I can buy badges locally and they will not let me buy anything unless I show a blue card. I'd love to have a little inventory as I have to drive an hour one-way everytime I want a badge, patch, certificate, etc. Charity

Hi Laura I can totally sympathize with your frustration. I am the Advancement Chair for our troop. Our service center/HQ is an hour away, one way. I am a busy person - I homeschool my kids, work as a free-lance writer, am a pianist/vocalist for our church, am also our troop's treasurer, practice karate 4x a week and volunteer for several other agencies besides BSA. And still....I am able to get the boys their advancements and badges in a prompt manner. There is no excuse whatsoever for this volunteer's poor performance. Our district rep. told me something once that really stuck with

NAQ! Very cute. That is so true - though the new set of parents we inherited at crossover seem to be a great bunch. Should help balance out the It-Takes-A-Village types we had before (only by the village, they mean YOU, of course). I'd like to thank everybody for their great insight and solid input. I've finished up the tentative copy and passed it out to the leaders at last night's mtg. Once I get their feedback, I'll revise it, print and turn it loose. Thanks so much! I've been poking around the boards here and this looks like a fun and helpful place! Charity

Thanks for the replies so far. I've cut and pasted them all and am researching policy websites for answers. I need to beef up the section on "How to Help Your Scout Advance" I have 3 principles so far: 1) Make sure he has the necessary supplies, equipment and materials. Unless your child has access to his own banking account and can drive, he is dependent upon his parents for many of the things he will need to be successful in scouting. He will need a uniform, a handbook, access to camping supplies, appropriate clothing for cold-weather camping, etc. He will need to be driven to and

Hello All This is my first post. New to this forum. I am the Advancement Officer for my son's troop. We have had some problems with parents who do not understand that personal initiative is required on the scout's part in order to advance - particularly further than First Class. Some have blamed troop leaders when their sons did not earn the necessary badges for rank advancements. They felt it was the leader's obligation to work with the scouts to earn the badges. To help prevent these misconceptions, I am crafting a brochure to give new parents - An Advancement Guide for Pare