need some help with this one

[bear dad 13]

Hi everyone, here is the deal as you might have read in another post we are starting pack. Okay been slow going with issues getting help and such, to make matters worst the DE might be loosing his job due to cutbacks. Been trying to reach him to see how everything is coming along and have been having trouble reaching him.

Finally got a hold of him and he told me the bad news, he said everything is a the office and he can't get to it, as the officals are keeping him on hold.

We have boys and adults apps and money at this office, my wife had to take a couple more apps to office and asked what was going on, Lady at desk did not know, got her in touch with a guy said he look into it.

This is making the scouts look bad right now in some parents eyes. They want us to sell pop corn ,which orders are due in about 3wks, yet done of the dens are having meetings yet?

Top that off the CO, which is going to be changing next month so the pac meeting place is on hold least to november.

Think this whole thing is going to blow up in our faces, for me I would probably just move my son to different pack and help out if we dismantled, if parents wanted to pull out. Just fell sorry the boys if that happened, any suggestions?

[Eagle92 110]

Ok here are a few ideas/options

 

#1 contact you district commissioner and talk to thim. Usually you can find his info on the council website. teh DC is the volunteer responsible for chartering and helping units succeed.

 

#2 If that don't work, contact the Director of Field Service or Scout Executive, depending upon the size of your council. The are the upper management professionals who are responsible for operations.

#2A Mention that you have a bunch of folks wanting ot knwo their status, andyou will probably lose membership numbers becasue of this. Stress MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS as that will get their attention.

#2B Mention that becasue you are so concerend abotu what's going on with the status of the new pack, you feel uncomfortable selling any product as part of a council fundraising project. that should also get their attention.

 

#3 look for established packs and join them. IF the paperwork doesn't go through, contact the office state that the pack is merging with paxk 123 and that all applications need to be applie to that unit. I would have a letter co signe dby the new unit leadrship, yourself, and the parents.

 

[John-in-KC 311]

In addition to everything Eagle92 just said, I'd have your IH/COR call the SE and ask "Where is the unit service that is your end of the charter agreement? Do you want me to drop this charter and disband this unit immediately?"

 

 

[scoutldr 739]

Ask the council registrar TODAY for a printout of your Pack's charter roster. That will tell you who is registered officially. If that list doesn't match what you have, ask why. If you have submitted all paperwork and registration money, there's no reason they shouldn't be registered. I was going to suggest to quit waiting and start having den meetings, but if the folks aren't officially registered yet, I would wait because of the liability.

[shortridge 184]

"Finally got a hold of him and he told me the bad news, he said everything is a the office and he can't get to it, as the officals are keeping him on hold."

 

Sounds to me like your DE may be feeding you a line of horse puckey.

 

The forms have been submitted to the council office, but he can't follow through by placing a phone call? He didn't even offer you the name of the responsible person to talk to? Not cool.

 

Unless he's been laid off or furloughed, he's still working. This is part of how he earns his paycheck, by helping to start and support units in the district.

[eghiglie 10]

Very sad situation, good luck

 

Keep after them.

[bear dad 13]

Thanks for the help. Wife had a phone call from a field service rep, said he was going to let into it. Will call him later today to find out what going on. As far as the DE is concerned, talked to him some more he is meeting with us and the leadership team to hopefully shed some light on the problem.

He has stated to me that he his willing to help us to get this pack going even if he his no longer a employee. He sounds like he is concerned enough to help, but I still have a problem how all this being handled.

I will call the Field rep and ask should we go ahead with meetings. Thannks

[ScoutNut 147]

The Field Director (FD) is your DE's direct supervisor, and the one to cover your District as Acting DE if your DE is let go.

 

If the DE is no longer employed by the Council there is little he can do to help (not that he was ever such a big help). I would stick with working with the FD.

 

Don't worry about selling popcorn at this point. Until you have a valid Pack Charter, a Pack number and a Pack checking account you can not do any money earning.

 

Tell the families that there are some organizational delays and they will have to be patient.

 

HOWEVER - If the Scouts all have their Handbooks, they can be working in them NOW, at home, with their families. Even the Webelos can be working on Bobcat and reading thru their Handbook to get an idea of what there is to do.

[bear dad 13]

Update, wife spoke to FD, he said he has only found maybe half of apps, don't where the others are, grant it that we ourselves don't know how many was turned into the DE, because we did not see everyone that came to sign up when we had the sign up night.

The FD has told us a different story on the DE situation, which really don't if that is his answer do to privacy matters or ?

All we want is to be told to go ahead or not too and the pack is go to go.The popcorn selling deal is people has taken orders, which still has not been turned in yet, not sure how parents are going to feel as this was a way to pay for scouting and maybe the only was some are be able to afford it.That is not fair to the boys that have went out and sold it, and the buyers.

 

We have a ideal on how to charge dues till we charter and by that time we would which boys have sold and how much they earn and would be applied to following year which could be paid for all together.

 

Can say people are not happy in how this been handled or came to this without anybody knowing anything.

[ScoutNut 147]

Your wife (CC) needs to sit down NOW with the FD and the head of the church that is supposed to be paying for the Charter for the Pack. This needs to be straightened out THIS WEEK if possible.

 

Your wife also needs to find out exactly who has turned in applications, and who has not. She needs to find out who has signed the applications since there is currently no charter.

 

Or, is there a charter? You mentioned a school? Perhaps the school PTO was/is the original Charter Organization?

 

What a mess. No wonder the DE was let go.

[bear dad 13]

Okay here is what has happened since, wife and I both has talked to the FD at this point. He is sending a UC to meet with us the leaders as we was going to have a meeting anyway to get stuff scheduled for meetings and etc...

The FD told us it was okay to start den meetings and that some help would be given to us to help us start out. One of the hold ups about the CO is how it was written up which involved a PTA thing, but we have a problem as they want to limit the day and time for meetings and probably could not have a pac meeting due time frame at night to have one.

Church has been contacted, but guess it is up to their board if they want to charter us, which we would have to wait till October to find out. Fd said he going to speak to church as see what can be done at this point.

We do have 1 other person said there church might be willing to be the CO, so we are also looking into that as well.

 

Least feel a little better, but till we have everything in place and going, be kinda weary.

 

1 other thing FD said we had a enough DLs to run pac but we don't have a Wolves leader only have couple of asst possible, how would that work if you had to combine the wolves and bears? how do you try to help 1 over the other and far as advacements or just in general?

[ScoutNut 147]

How many Wolf Scouts?

 

How many Bear Scouts?

 

 

[FScouter 24]

You cannot combine dens without doing a disservice to both.

[John-in-KC 311]

Actually, while conceptually I agree with Frank, the reality is it's time to find ways to "make it work."

 

That means more than a little bit of planning on the DL/ADLs/Den Chiefs part. There are common achievements in both years program. With planning, the Den can do things to support both Advancement sets.

 

More important is the "Family involvement" method. Parents cannot rely on this being "babysitters of America." Parents have to understand they are part of the equation, both for the boy and for the group. Otherwise... let's just say it won't look pretty.

 

Keep us informed, please

[bear dad 13]

As to the count think thers is 5-6 Bears and 3-4 Wolves

We don't enough room at meeting place to have both..

Have a meeting friday night, hopefully we can get a solid commitment out of 1 of the asst, dl's?

 

Heard more news on this ordeal but don't have time to go into now.Keep you updated.