Council Annual Recognition Dinner Set
Silver Beavers, Distinguished Unit Awards, and much more will be presented at the Council Annual Recognition Dinner on Friday, May 18. A reception starts at 6:00 pm with dinner starting at 6:30 PM at The Cotillion in Palatine. The evening should be a special event for all in attendance.
The evening will focus on the achievements of individuals within the Council and the Council as a whole. This evening is a special night for all friends of Scouting in the Northwest Suburban Council.
The dinner will also feature a presentation by Dr. Robert Payne who is a native of Georgia. He attended Duke University for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees and Georgetown University for his Ph.D. Dr. Payne is currently serving as special advisor and consultant to the President's Council on Domestic Security in Washington, DC. Dr. Payne will share with us some of his latest findings pertaining to the President's domestic security programs that should prove of interest to all of us as we explore creative ways in dealing with the changes that are about to take place.
Make your reservation now to attend this special evening.
Building a Legacy Reaches $1.75 Million
The Council Capital Development Campaign, Building a Legacy, has achieved commitments of cash, goods and services totaling over $1.75 million. These donations come from a number of individuals, businesses, Scouting units, civic groups and more.
Capital Development Vice President Jim Tierney commenting on the $1.75 million milestone stated that This represents a great start on improving the camping facilities for the Scouts in our Council. The contributions received thus far by the campaign will begin to be seen soon at Camp Lakota. We will continue to work on completing the Building a Legacy Campaign to fulfill our dreams for both Camp Napowan and Camp Lakota.
The Building a Legacy Campaign is a $4.3 million capital development program that is dedicated to modernizing the camping facilities at our two premiere camping facilities. This campaign is the first campaign in over twenty years dedicated to improving and expanding the Scouting facilities in the Northwest Suburban Council.
Please help Scouting by making a pledge to the campaign. Call Peggy Thompson at 847-824-6887 for more information on the campaign.
John Frieburg Honored
Northwest Suburban Council Past President John Frieburg, III was honored recently by the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce. John recently received the 2006 Business Man of the Year Award from the Chamber for his service as President of Harris Bank branches in the Arlington Heights and Rolling Meadows area. John served as the NWSC President in 2004 2006. Harris Bank has recently promoted John to manage the Harris Bank operations in the Indianapolis marketplace.
We congratulate John on his award by the Chamber of Commerce and wish him well in his new position with Harris Bank. We know that John will continue to support the Chicago Bears from his new office in Indiana.
The Iditarod Klondike Derby
The Blackhawk,North Woods,Pathfinder and Signal Hill Districts from Northwest Suburban Council held their Inaugural Combined Klondike Derby at Camp Lakota, in Woodstock, over the weekend of January 19-21, 2007. This event pooled resources to include scouts and leaders from the entire Council.
With only 4 months of planning, Chairperson Alan Amati did a great job of pulling together an eager staff to conduct 8 different skills challenges during the day on Saturday. The "Iditarod" was selected as this year's theme.
The Combined Klondike staff and twelve hearty Troops with over 100 campers came up Friday evening to stay overnight in near zero degree temperatures, including many "OKPIK" trained leaders and scouts, to prepare for a day on the "Iditarod" trial.
Over 300 Scouts and 150 Adults were welcomed with sunny blue skies and a ground cover 3 inches of fresh snow delivered just in time for this outing. Pushing a variety of hand crafted wooden Klondike sleds, each Scout and Leader was inspected to assure that everyone was properly dressed for the winter conditions. Bill Kaisling, former OKPIK Course Director, said "the purpose of the inspections were to assure that everyone was wearing the appropriate winter gear for a safe and fun event".
47 different patrols participated in the activities on Saturday following a rotation to five different skill challenges in the morning, including fire building, search and rescue, "Big Foot" (snowshoeing), shelter building plus, a pioneering and knots event.
Participants broke for lunch as Rob Payne and Venture Crew 72 prepared massive quantities of hearty chili mac and bread for over 450 scouts and scouters. At lunch all participating patrols were given a serum (in the form of an raw egg), to safely carry on the "Iditarod" trail and deliver intact to the Klondike Headquarters to earn bonus points. The afternoon events stayed right on schedule with patrols competing in a rope rescue event, "Snow Blind" (a stretcher race), and "Snow Snakes", a Native American winter sport, which required patrols to make their own "snakes" before coming out for the weekend. In addition, all patrols raced around camp in the Klondike winter sled run to determine the fastest sled and patrol.
Scouts were scored on skills, knowledge and their ability to work together
as a team. Volunteer Judges were also looking for Scouts Spirit among the
participants. Patrol calls, yells and songs were heard on the trials around camp throughout the day as many patrols also sported colorful winter themed patrol flags.
With the scores totaled and participants gathered around Gilwell Field, patrols were recognized for individual events and overall placement. The overall Klondike Champion was the "Penguins on Parade" patrol from Troop 16 (Blackhawk District).
Later, following dinner, 13 Troops of cold weather campers participated in a "Scouts Own" worship service, conducted by John Fraser, another former OKPIK Course Director with the help of Venture Crew 72. The fun continued as Council VP, Frank Moriarty assisted by Michael Stanbury, Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 290, staged a campfire program with songs, skits and jokes galore. Each overnight camper received a special rocker segment for enduring the overnight camping experience.
The first aid team of volunteers reported a boring day with only a few minor issues with cold toes and a few slivers. Warming centers were established and available for any frozen participants but they sat empty all day as scouts enjoyed the perfect Klondike weather.
With over 450 participants and the support of so many volunteers, Chairman Alan Amati is hoping that a new winter tradition has begun in the Council. We're hoping to identify the 2008 Four-District Event Chairperson and District Coordinators soon so that planning can begin.
Remember, if you missed this year's event because your Troop was not prepared to camp safely in the winter, then we suggest you sign up for the next OKPIK - Cold weather training course. OKPIK training begins in October. Make your Troop a four-season camping unit by bringing the cold weather camping skills back to your unit and we hope to see you at next year's Klondike.
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3 Months of Council-related events
March
Hometown Scouting
(8:00 AM)
. Mar. 1
Pro Staff Mtg
.
... Mar. 2
CPR/1st Aid Trng
.. Mar. 3
Pro Staff Cluster Training
..Mar. 9
Roman Catholic Counselor Trng
.. Mar. 10
LFL/Exp Night w Chicago Wolves
Mar. 10
Council Key 3
. Mar. 12
Hometown Scouting
(4:00 PM)
. Feb 15
Lord Baden-Powell University
.. Mar. 16 18
FOS Report Mtg
.
...
...Mar. 20
Council Fund Management Mtg
Mar. 21
Council Executive Committee Mtg. .... Mar. 21
Great STARTS Trng.
....
Mar. 24
Council Exec Board Mtg. (7:30 AM) . Mar. 28
April
Daylight Savings Time Begins .
.. April 1
Hometown Scouting
(8:00 AM)
. April 5
Pro Staff Mtg
..
..
.. April 6
Good Friday (Office Closed)
.April 6
Council Key 3
...
.. April 9
Napowan Leader Orientation
April 14
Wilderness 1st Aid
.. April 14 15
FOS Report Mtg.
...
April 17
Council Exec Comm/Charter Review . April 18
I.O.L.S. Patrol Mtg.
..
...
. April 18
Hometown Scouting
(4:00 PM)
April 19
Wood Badge Staff Develop #1
.. April 23
I.O.L.S. - Camp Lakota
...
... April 28 - 29
May
Hometown Scouting
(8:00 AM).
... May 3
Pro Staff Mtg
..
..
.. May 4
Council Key 3
..
.. May 7
CPR/1st Aid Trng
.. May 12
Mother's Day
. May 13
Council Executive Committee
.
... May 16
Hometown Scouting
(4:00 PM)
May 17
Council Banquet
May 18
OA Spring Fellowship
May 18 - 20
Baloo
.. May 19
Armed Forces Day
. May 19
Chicago Rush Game
May 19
Council Executive Board
May 23
Memorial Day (Office Closed)
. May 28
BSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta May 30 Jun 1
Make Wood Badge plans now
Now is the time to sign up for the 07 Wood Badge Course, the advanced leadership training for Scouters. This is a fun/learning experience that teaches leadership and organizational skills, participatory activities and team building skills for use not only in scout units but also in everyday life.
Who should attend? Scoutmasters, Cubmasters, Venture Advisors, all Scout, Cub and Venture Assistants, Unit Chairmen and Committee Members, District and Council leaders and all Scouters providing program.
To be eligible, you must: be a registered Scouter, have completed basic training in your Scouting position, and have a Class 3 physical valid through Sept. '07. Two 3-day weekends at Camp Lakota and an intermittent patrol meeting are involved: Friday, Aug. 24 through Sunday, Aug. 26; and Friday, Sept. 14 through Sunday, Sept. 16.
The course fee, if paid by May 1, is $195.00 and includes all course materials and all meals. After May 1, the fee is $225.00.
Registration is limited to the first 42 participants. So, reserve your roster spot by making a $60, non-refundable deposit with an application at the Service Center. For more details, contact Randy Toland (847-824-6859) or go on-line to the Council website, www.nwsc.org , follow the Wood Badge link, and download the registration form. Start now to get your Wood Badge beads.
FOS Leadership Breakfast
The FOS Leadership Breakfast took place on February 2 and turned out to be an exceptional event. Overall, approximately $30,000 was pledged to advance the Scouting movement. The keynote speaker, Commander Michael Tooker, Naval ROTC Command, Chicago, gave a fantastic speech that incorporated some inspiring Scouting elements that really appealed to the hearts of the audience. This event was particularly successful because of the youth attendees: Learning for Life students, Explorers and Scouters who volunteered their time to serve as hosts and greeters. There was one Scout who especially stood out: Don Hough, the recently elected Regional Order of the Arrow Chief, who passionately articulated to the group how Scouting has impacted his life and how it continues to encompass his dreams and goals for the future.
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