PATHFINDER AUGUST
NORTHWEST NEWS
September Calendar
2 6:30 PM District Commissioners Meeting (NOTE:
TUESDAY!)
7:30 PM District Committee Meeting
3 Popcorn
Kickoff
5-7 Pathfinder
District Boy Scout Fall Camporee (Rainbow Scout
Reservation)
OA Section Conclave (Camp Lakota)
8 7:30 PM Roundtable/Fall Membership Kickoff
8:00 PM OA Chapter Meeting
13 Race
to Win Popcorn Saturday
Cub
Scout Leader Specific Training
October Calendar
6 6:30 PM District Commissioners Meeting
7:30 PM District Committee Meeting
13 7:30 PM Roundtable
8:00 PM OA Chapter Meeting
10-12 Pathfinder District
Webelos Fall Camporee (The Hollows)
15 Cub
Scout Leader Specific Training
29 2004
Family Friends of Scouting Kickoff
Meeting Locations:
District Committee and District Commissioners Meetings
will be held at the Dunbar Lakes Clubhouse located at 720 Dunbar Lane in
Schaumburg (just off of Lakeland Drive west of Plum Grove Road).
Roundtable and OA Chapter Meetings will be held at
the LDS Church located at 1320 West Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg (East of
Springinsguth).
Attributes of a
Successful, Quality Pack, Troop, or Crew
I'm sure most, if not all of you keep to-do lists of things
you need to get done. Successful Cub
Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing Crew leaders also use to-do lists to make sure
that they provide a quality program for their youth and set the foundation for
their unit's future growth. The
beginning of a new Scouting season is the logical time to prepare your checklist,
and the time to review your progress on getting things checked off is at your
monthly committee meetings.
Recruit new
youth. Schedule appearances at
local school information days and evenings, schedule boy talks for Cub Scouts
with our District Executive, and encourage your current Scouts to recruit their
friends into your unit. Youth are the
lifeblood of the Scouting program.
Without new youth coming in every year, the Scouting program will
disappear. With new youth come new
parent volunteers to help your unit's leaders; new ideas; and of course, new
membership dues, and new recruiters.
Once you have recruited new youth members, be sure to submit their
applications and registration fees to the council office so that the youth will
be eligible for advancement and you and the youth will be protected under the
council's insurance plan.
Plan your annual
program. A month-by-month plan that
is put together with the other leaders and scouts in your unit will take a lot
of the stress out of having to come up with ideas for what to do for meetings,
outings, and advancement. Participation
in district and council events like camporees, resident camp, etc. will provide
activities for many of the months.
Fundraise. Units and the Northwest Suburban Council
need money to function. Some units plan
elaborate fundraisers, however an easier solution is to participate in the
council popcorn and wreath sales. The
program is already prepared so you don't have to go looking for vendors, and
both your unit and the council will come out ahead.
Train. The council and district provide ample
training opportunities for every position in your unit. If you and all of the leaders in your Pack,
Troop, or Crew are trained, you will find that less time is figuring out how to
get something done and then having to explain it to other adults, and the
parent in your unit will have more confidence in a trained leader than in an
untrained leader.
Recruit new
adult leaders. As Cubmaster,
Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor, or Committee Chair, you will end up doing most or all
of the work yourself unless you recruit new leaders to help. Because your job is bigger without helpers,
it is harder to find someone to eventually replace you because your job is
bigger than it should be. Even if you
have all of the positions in your unit filled, you should recruit adults as
assistants to eventually replace you leaders who move on.
Go camping. Scouting is about the outdoors, and most of
the scouting program is centered on the outdoors. Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts can participate in day camp,
resident camp, and family camping.
Webelos Scouts can also participate in Webelos Camporees, Webelos
Weekends, and outings with Boy Scout Troops.
Active Boy Scout troops and Venturing Crews should camp every month
during the spring, summer, and fall.
Spread the word
about what your unit is doing.
Contact local newspapers, update your unit's web page, and send articles
to Horatio's Happenings about what your unit is doing. The youth and parents in your unit will
appreciate the recognition and the good news helps with recruiting and
fundraising.
Use this list as a starting point for your unit's checklist
and get started in providing a quality program for your youth.
Keep attending training classes, come to Roundtable to share
ideas, and plan early so you can sit back and brag at the next roundtable about
how well your unit has planned things!
Yours in Scouting,
Ray Okigawa
Commissioner's
Corner
What!? This can't be right, September already?? Time hasn't
stood still and summer is quickly slipping through our fingers. Time to fine
tune the program plans for the 2003-2004 Scouting year that were put in place
earlier this summer. Make sure all the meeting place reservations are made, oh
and don't forget to include a Rally Night too! At the August Roundtable there
will be plenty of information concerning recruitment, Rally Night planning and
Fall Camporees on top of all the other useful information and quality training
sessions you've come to expect.
The recruiting and Rally Night info includes a new feature
where new recruits will be eligible to receive a special Brian Urlacher patch
*if* their completed registration form and fees are in the hands of the Council
registrar by October 15. This patch will be an incentive for new boys to join
Scouting this fall and I have a feeling it will something they will be looking
forward to receiving. This places great importance on getting these
registrations turned in promptly... and we to help! The Commissioner Staff had
committed to make every effort to have your Unit Commissioner present at your
Rally night. Their job will be to make sure that any registration-related
issues are handled properly and to personally see to it that all registrations
are completed and ready to be turned in that night. It will then be their job
to see to it that they are promptly turned in to the Council Service Center. Of
course, as Unit Commissioners, they stand ready to serve your unit in any way
they can, don't hesitate to put them to work!
Scouting has a lot to offer boys and their families, a
program that, in the context of their lifetime, is far more valuable than any
other youth program. We owe it to all boys to try our best to bring this
program to them and to let them enjoy and reap the benefits of Scouting.
Here's to another great year in Scouting!
Bill McGovern
District Commissioner
Membership Monthly
It's that time again!
Yes, Fall Recruitment is in full swing.
I'm submitting this article prior to Roundtable, so I hope that all
Packs were represented at the Fall Recruitment Kick-off which was held at
Roundtable on Monday, August 11th.
If your unit was not represented, please give me a call to discuss the
Fall Recruitment information packet, which was distributed with all of your
roundtable information.
The Membership team needs to receive your Fall Recruitment
night info as soon as possible. Please
make sure to forward your units information to Laura Sikat @ lsikat@kemperinsurance.com. Please include the following information:
Date, Time and Location of the Recruitment event, if you will require
assistance with Boy Talks at your local schools, how many event flyers you will
need. The Membership team will be scheduling a District resource that will be attending
your Fall Recruitment event, so we will need your schedule as soon as possible
to effectively schedule this resource.
Recruiting new youth into Scouting is a year-round
activity. Make sure that you promote
your unit via school newsletters, church brochures, boy to boy recruitment
techniques, as well as posting membership information on your unit's
website.
We welcome Chicago Bear, Brian Urlacher, to the Northwest
Suburban Council Team! We are excited
that Brian will be helping to promote the Northwest Suburban Council with their
Recruitment efforts! This current
recruitment promotion will be running through October 15th. Please see the related article for the
program details.
Last but not least – We are looking for assistance on the
Membership team! We are looking for a
Round-Up Chairman (assistant) to help with tracking Pathfinder Units Fall
Recruitment plans. The job would entail
following up with unit Round-Up Coordinators (unit membership chairs) and
making sure that they are on track with their Fall Membership event, as well as
following up after their event tracking applications, etc. If you have the time to spare this fall,
please contact me at the number below!
Please give me a call or drop me an email with any
questions, concerns and/or comments you have regarding Pathfinder Membership.
Laura Sikat,
Vice-Chair Membership Pathfinder District
