2006 Council Budget Approved The Executive Board and Executive Committee has approved the Council’s 2006 budget . It includes $2.3 Million of Support & Revenues and $2.2 Million of expenses. That covers the costs of running all of the various District, Council, Training activities, events, Council camps, support, plus the general overhead of maintaining the Scouting program in our community. Preparation of the 2006 budget started in September with a new emphasis to make the process more open and to try to involve all levels of our Council in its preparation. In addition, there was a two-fold goal this year: Making the budget realistic in light of recent actual historical results – and targeting a $100,000 surplus to start immediate payback of short-term debt. This debt has accumulated over the past 4 to 10 years due to operating losses and capital expenses. Council Vice-President Ron Schagrin indicates that we face a number of difficult challenges. Many of our Scout families, leaders and volunteers do not fully understand that we are 100% self-funded. Donations – Friends of Scouting, and fund raising events such as popcorn and wreath sales – are the only viable sources of revenue the NWSC can rely upon. No part of any Scout/Unit registration fee is kept locally by the NWSC; it is all forwarded to the National Council. The Scoutreach and Learning for Life programs, which are an integral part to our mission of reaching all parts of our communities’ youth, have not become self-funding nor have they generated new sources of donations-grants as had been envisioned when they were introduced 3-4 years ago. However, the programs are too critical to the needs of our communities to abandon them. It is difficult to keep expenses down when we are servicing an ever growing base of registered Scouts, and costs are increasing annually due to inflation. Although we are a “not-for-profit”, we must budget surpluses annually so we have the funds necessary to maintain our camps, buildings, and equipment. The current Capital Campaign will result in many improvements to our facilities, however, our day-to-day operations must generate the funds necessary to maintain them. Just “breaking even” at year-end means we can’t afford to maintain our own properties. Our expenses can be cut only so far before we are less able to deliver quality programs and service. If you are interested in helping with next year’s budget review, please contact Assistant Scout Executive Jason Erpelding. If you would like to learn more about our 2006 budget, please contact one of the members of the NWSC Executive Committee or one of the members of the Council Cabinet (Scout Executive, Assistant Scout Executive, Program Director or Finance Director). A Salute to the Eagles of 2005 Ask any Eagle and he can tell you the value of leadership, commitment and perseverance. 2005 saw over 130 Scouts (133 at press time) in the Northwest Suburban Council climb to the rank of Eagle. Together, they amassed over 18-thousand hours in the preparation and completion of their projects. Many of those projects involved beautification efforts at local churches and schools. Here’s a taste of what the latest crop of Eagles did for their communities. Cleaned up a section of the DuPage River Cleared and widened a forest preserve trail Beautified the exterior of the Wood Dale Metra station with crushed rock Collected items to send to military men and women in Iraq Built and placed nesting boxes for ducks, Bluebirds and bats Removed old and built new retaining wall at Little City Foundation Built platform stairs and peek-a-boo boxes for local pre-school Planted 50 tree saplings for start of tree nursery Designed and built dug-out for high school varsity baseball team Collected and sent over 1,000 hygiene kits for children in Iraq Removed a rusted and long-abandoned truck in a local forest preserve That’s just a sampling of the fine work done by a group of fine young men who now have earned the highest achievement and honor in Boy Scouts. Congratulations to all our Eagles and the new crop of 2005! Come Go Exploring! For years, the Northwest Suburban Council’s Exploring program has helped shape lives and has – on occasion – launched exciting careers. Exploring is a worksite-based program that unites young men and women – ages 14 to 20 – with specific professions or community organizations. There are currently 14 Exploring Posts in the NWSC involving 180 young people. Most of the posts focus on law enforcement and firefighting. (Lake Zurich, Niles, Barrington-Inverness, Des Plaines, Skokie, Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates, Park Ridge) There is also a Post focused on aviation – based at Palwaukee Airport, and an Engineering Post in Des Plaines. New posts will be added in the future. Exploring provides career education while producing well-rounded individuals. Nicholas Koletsos, a recent Exploring graduate, is a testament to that. Nick was a member of the Park Ridge Fire Department Post, and has since been hired by Park Ridge as a firefighter and paramedic. He also traveled to Louisiana with an emergency response team to provide assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. “Fire Exploring is an investment in your future”, says Nick. “A person does not have to be interested in the fire or emergency medical services to benefit from the fire explorer program. This is a place to meet new people, learn about a unique career, and work on life skills. I have enjoyed seven years full of learning and excitement, and now have the opportunity to give back to my community as a firefighter/paramedic. Everyone will gain something from participation in this program.” Thanks Nicholas – and congratulations! For more information on the Exploring program in the NWSC, please contact Erin Bass at erbass@lflmail.org. "Leadership Gathering" Enters 2nd Year In Jan. '05, Council and District volunteers and the professional staff met at one place, at the same time and left with the same message. It was the first of two semi-annual meetings designed to improve intra-communications and planning by reviewing ‘04’s results, outlining the goals and charting the course for ’05; and then, reviewing individual strategic goals and begin implementing tactical approaches to achieve those goals. On Monday, Jan. 30, NWSC's volunteers and professionals are invited to attend the first "Leadership Gathering" of 2006. It starts at the Service Center with a general opening session at 7 P. M. Group-specific program breakout sessions and a general “reporting-back” period will follow. Are you invited? YES! This event is for ALL unit, district and council volunteers. Specifically, this means Unit CORs, CCs, SMs and CMs; District Chairmen, Vice Chairs (Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Venturing, Advancement, Training, Camping, Finance and Activities); District, Ass't Dist. and Unit Commissioners; members of Council operational groups, i.e., Program (Camping, Advancement, Activities and Training); Membership; Marketing; Finance (Operating, Capital and Endowment); Risk Management; ScoutReach; Learning For Life; Strategic Planning and Relationships; and, of course, Council Vice Presidents., Executive and Advisory Board Members. So, plan to “Get On Board” on Jan. 30 to make our Scouting program better by learning about the Council's goals and taking an active part in the Leadership Gathering on Jan. 30. A second "Gathering" will be held in June.   Scout Executive's Minute Scouter of the Month Scout Shop Scoop All Jambo merchandise is now 75% off so stop in while supplies last.The new year is here and that means new and updated items at your Northwest Suburban Scout Shop.Checkout in your 2006 catalog, to be delivered soon 3 Month Memo for Council Events JANUARY: New Year's Holidays (Srv Ctr, closed) …Jan. 1-2 M. King Day (S. C. closed, S. S. Open)... Jan. 16 NWSC Council Annual Meeting……….. Jan. 18 NWSC Council Leadership Dinner ……. Jan. 30 FEBRUARY: Scout Sunday……………………………… Feb. 5 B.S.A.'s 95th Anniversary ………………. Feb. 8 Executive Committee Mtg. ………………. Feb. 8 Scout Week ………………………….. Feb. 5 – 11 Scout Sabbath …………………………… Feb. 11 Signal Hill District Recharter Clinic …….. Feb. 11 North Woods District Dinner………….. Feb. 17 Presidents' Day (Scout Shop only open). Feb. 20 MARCH Ash Wednesday …………..…..………... Mar. 1 Blackhawk District Dinner ……………….. Mar. 3 Executive Committee Mtg. …….……...…. Mar. 8 Swap Meet ……………………....…...….. Mar. 11 Executive Board Mtg. ………………..…. Mar. 15 Lord Baden Powell U. of Scouting .Mar. 17 – 19 Wood Badge Dinner …………………… Mar. 25 Scout Sunday A reminder that February 5th is Scout Sunday and February 11th is Scout Sabbath. In between, on the 8th, Scouting celebrates its 95th birthday. Show your commitment to Scouting and the 12th point of the Scout law by wearing your uniform to your house of faith. On Sunday February 12th, the Catholic Committee on Scouting will present its Scout Sunday religious emblems program at Holy Name Cathedral at State and Superior in Chicago. 250 youth from throughout the area will be presented with Scouting religious emblems. Philmont 2007 Sign up is coming soon for spots in the NWSC’s 2007 Philmont contingent. Units are limited to six people when sign-up begins on February 2nd. The council will once again be taking a total of 60 Scouts and leaders to this mecca of backpacking in July 2007. Call the council office at 847-824-6880 for more information. NWSC Annual Meeting January 18th Put this date on your calendar if you haven’t already done so. Wednesday January 18th is the date for our annual meeting. The Volunteer Service Center in Mount Prospect is our meeting location this year. All Board Members, Advisory Members and Charter Organization Representatives are requested to attend. Several important issues are on the agenda for Board review, discussion and voting, including the election of 2006 officers and the 2006 budget. A reception will start at 6:30 P.M. followed by the Annual Meeting. Local Scouters Recognized for Successful Business Congratulations to Tom Nelson and Roberta Hamman of Byte Me Computers who were recently presented with the “Small Business of the Year” award by the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce. Tom and Byte Me Computers hosts and maintains the Council’s website and helps with many other Council and Blackhawk District level events. Tom and Roberta have both been involved in Scouting for many years and their commitment to Scouting is one of many reasons they were honored with the “Small Business of the Year” award. We thank them for their commitment to the Scouting program and congratulate them for their recent honor. Cool Outings! Unit leaders are always looking for new and exciting outing ideas, and we’d like to share your best experiences in Northwest News. If your Pack, Troop, or Crew has had an outing or service project that was fun and meaningful, we’d like the opportunity to tell your story so that others may enjoy and have their own “Cool Outing”. Tell us of your experiences by contacting Paul Meincke at prm777@comcast.net PHOTO CONTEST Enter the Northwest Suburban Council Photo Contest by submitting your scouting based photographs to the Council’s Volunteer Service Center by Wednesday, March 1, 2006. The winner of the Photo Contest will receive a $50 gift certificate to the National Scout Shop. This award is sponsor by Byte Me Computers and Internet Services of Mount Prospect. The Council Marketing Committee is hosting this contest and will serve as the contest judges. Submit your entry to: NWSC Photo Contest, Northwest Suburban Council 600 Wheeling Road, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 by March 1, 2005. Winners will be announced in April Rules: Submit your photos of Scouting based events; these can include unit meetings, outings, action shots, patriotic events, scouting skill activities and more by March 1. Photo (suggested print size is 5x7) must be accompanied by both the negative or electronic media and need to have captions with the names and unit number of those pictured or the place/activity noted. Please ensure that your photographs are marked with your name, address, telephone number and unit affiliation. All photo graphs will become property of the NWSC and may be used in future publications and promotional tools developed by the Council. Contest is open to all NWSC Scout and Scouters of all ages. The decision of the Judges is final.