Hey everyone! I’m Tyler Matthews, coming to you from Progressive Field where our Cleveland Guardians are still playing October baseball! Beat those darn Yankees! We have plenty of great news this week, so let’s jump in!
Unit renewal, formerly known as recharter, will be available to units starting November 1st. As a reminder, youth and adult members are individually renewing their memberships online, so this unit renewal is strictly about your unit’s charter. For troops participating in the combined troop pilot, you will still need to renew BOTH troop’s charters. More information is coming to you soon about the steps required to submit, but for now start making sure your rosters are accurate and that members who are due to renew their memberships do so. The deadline is December 13th and there are 3 things we need on or before that date for a renewal to be considered complete: 1) the online submission through my.scouting, 2) payment of the $100 charter fee, and 3) the fully signed annual charter agreement. Units that do not have these 3 items completed by or before the December 13th deadline will be subject to a $100 late fee. Please visit the website or contact your unit service executive with any questions and for assistance in completing your renewal.
Are you interested in presenting the colors at an upcoming Cavs game? The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for packs and troops to present the colors at the start of a Cavs home game for the 24/25 season. Stay on the court afterward for the National Anthem and earn a patch from the cavs! For more information, or to get your scouts on the priority list, email Tricia.
East side units, you are invited to an evening where Arrow of Light Scouts can visit with participating Scouts BSA Troops and learn more about their programs and where and when they meet. The event will be held Monday, October 28, 2024, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Mentor Public Schools Paradigm Center located at Mentor High School. Come anytime that's convenient during that time frame to visit with the Troops. Troops from Eastlake, Kirtland, Mentor, Painesville, Wickliffe, Willoughby, and Willoughby Hills have been invited to come to share information about themselves, plan visits and help you begin to know what options are out there for Scouts when it comes time to crossover and continues in the Scouts BSA program. Boy, Girl and the new pilot program combined Troops will all be there to tell you how they operate and explain the options available for Scouts once they make the transition from Arrow of Light to Scouts BSA. Please reach out to Paul Parrish (paslparrish@gmail.com) with any questions.
Let’s look at some of the upcoming trainings we have here in Lake Erie Council:
EDGE training sessions are coming up on November 2nd and December 8th at the council service center. Register now!
Wilderness First Aid training is happening from November 1st-3rd at Beaumont Scout Reservation. This course is open to youth ages 15 and up, and to registered adult leaders. Register for your spot today!
Intro to Leadership Skills for Troops- Train the Leader, is happening Saturday, November 16th at Beaumont Scout Reservation. This three-hour session is designed train the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmasters, and Senior Youth leaders how to facilitate ILST in their own units by familiarizing them with the syllabus. Register now!
Switching gears, let’s look at some upcoming Merit Badge Universities! October 26th at Firelands Scout Reservation. November 9th at the Unit Service Center. November 15th-16th at Firelands Scout Reservation. December 6th-7th at Beaumont Scout Reservation. The last one for year is December 15th“Honor the Past, Focus on our future” day at the council service center. Find all these MBU’s on the council calendar to register.
Cub Fun Day is Saturday, November 9th at Firelands Scout Reservation. Bring your pack out for a fun filled day of range and target activities, plus other games and activities. Register now!
Calling all 4th graders! Did you know that we are celebrating the semi-quincentennial of America in 2026? To kick off celebrations, the America 250-Ohio chapter has partnered with several museums to allow 4th graders to visit museums for free with 1 paying adult! This is free to sign up, and only takes a few moments to do so! More museums are being added regularly. This is a great opportunity to save some money and experience some cool Ohio history! If you have any questions, check out the America 250-Ohio site or contact Chelsea.
Registrations for Holidays at camp are open! Two festive weekends, December 7th and 14th at Firelands Scout reservation. Don’t miss out on wreath making, wagon rides and caroling, hot cocoa, Christmas cookies, and more Holiday cheer. Register now! If you’re interested in volunteering for the event, sign up here, and reach out to Jess if you’re interested!
And lastly, a personal request from your host- I am working on my Wood badge tickets, and I could use your help! Does your pack or troop have a Dutch oven recipe that you love? Something you think you think you do better than anyone else? Well, I am creating the Lake Erie Council guide to Dutch Oven cooking, and I want to fill it with the recipes that our scouts love to make. The plan is to compile all these recipes into a cookbook, and all the proceeds from those books will go into the council campership fund so that we can help send as many scouts to camp as possible. If you could send me an email with your unit number, where you’re from, the recipe, and maybe even a picture of your scouts making it, that would be a huge help! Email me!
That’s it for this week folks, so until next time, stay prepared, stay adventurous, and keep the spirit of Scouting alive!
