LEC 3 Minute Update – September 17, 2021

 Mornin’ all! Thanks for tuning in to the 3-minute update. I’m Jake Brown, and this week: we’ve got a simple lineup for y’all: Cub Haunted, popcorn, Scout shop updates, the Fall Firelands Camporee, the WB/NYLT Fall Fellowship, and this week’s fun fact.

But first, here’s a great joke for you: what’s an owl’s favorite drink? HOOT-beer! Oh, oh I do love a good knee-slapper!

And speaking of owls, you should attend the NYLT/Wood Badge fall fellowship event on October 9th. Registration is open for two and a half more weeks, please send Linda Gray your questions.

Speaking of Beaumont, keep these on your calendar also:

Wilderness Engineers weekend, the first weekend in October, for adults to come out and help beautify camp and/or make it more functional. Bring your friends out and enjoy a steak dinner at the end of a hard day’s work! Questions should go to Chris Fortunato.

Cub Haunted follows up in October for the next 3 weekends! Cub Scouts: what weekend are you going? You’ll get to do all the fun things you’ve heard about at school talks and join nights!

Also, calling all Troops: weekends 1 and 3 are still in need of Scouts BSA youth to help staff the event. Contact Brittany Dunne for questions.

Don’t forget that the Cleveland Scout shop is open until 6p.m. on Thursdays from now until October 31st. And uniform tops are 25% when you buy the bottoms, also until the 31st! Stop in today!

The leaders’ guide for the Back on Target Camporee at Firelands is published on the event registration page: check it out, and we’re stoked to see you out there October 22-24!

And lastly, here’s the fun quiz of the day: At the end of a join night, what should you have? Is it A) a full sign in sheet with parent and child names, grades, emails and phone numbers? Is it B) An empty box of recruitment thocthkis, because they’ve all been given away, or C) a stack of filled out, signed, and paid youth and adult applications? Take a moment to ponder that.

(Jeopardy theme music)

If you’re answer was All of the Above, then you’re prepared for fall recruitment! Remember, everyone: folks who show up to join nights are already interested, they just need confirmation that their plan to join is a good idea. So be welcoming, be organized, and be ready to say “My kid’s experience in Scouts is great. And mine has been, too! I want you to share that same positive experience, and that begins tonight, right now, with a paid fully filled out youth application.”

After all, folks: leads are great, but leads don’t recharter. So get your attendees signed up at your join night! And whatever you need before your join night to be prepared for such things, please let Jim, Michelle, Matt, Julia, or myself know.

And that’s a wrap! Thanks for all you do, and thanks for being you! I’ll see you this weekend at Beaumont’s 75thCamporall!

LEC 3 Minute Update – September 9, 2021

 Mornin’ all! And here’s your 3-minute update!

We begin with a note from the Catholic Committee on Scouting: AD Altarae Dei and Pope Pius the Twelfth awards will be run out of St. Bede the Venerable church in Mentor from October to February. Register to earn these awards by contacting Steve Roos, whose email is below. Roos6@sbcglobal.net.

In the Cleveland Scout Shop, Thursday hours are extended to 6pm for your convenience. Also, uniform bottoms are 25% off when you buy the tops. This sale and extended hours apply through October 31st.

Don’t forget to chalk up the town this weekend during the LEC chalk-a-ton. Check out this link to find sample captions and posts to share your message virtually.

Roundtables are live again! Berea and Firelands were last night, and Beaumont’s is tonight. Virtual options exist and will begin on the 23rd. Email Chip Reed with questions. C3107lope@gmail.com.

The 75th Camporall at Beaumont is still free, and all are welcome, including from the public. Cub Haunted, the NYLT and Wood badge Fall Fellowship, BALOO training, Rangemaster Training, Webelos Woods, the OA Fall Fellowship, and Wilderness Engineers weekend are all approaching at Beaumont in the next couple weeks to months. Please see the Council calendar for handouts and contacts for questions.

At Firelands, we also have SM Specific training, the Back on Target Fall Camporee, and the Stewards of Firelands approaching at the same time. Again, see the council calendar for details.

Our virtual wealth planning seminars, beginning on Sept. 13th. See this link to register, and email Todd Gaydosh with questions.

Lastly, there will be an in-person Youth Protection Training hosted at the Unit Service Center Saturday, September 25th, from 9:00-1:00 p.m. Questions should go to Steve Ott, his email is below. There will be other in-person YPT opportunities in October and November across the council, stay tuned for details. And that’s a wrap! See you next week!

LEC 3 Minute Update – September 2, 2021

Mornin’, all! Welcome to the 3-ish minute update from the hardware store. But before we do anything, we have BREAKING NEWS! The Swingin’ Deal and Hot Steal of the Century, folks: The 75th Camporall is now FREE! That’s right, zero dollars and zero cents. Overnight camping, coming out for the day, DOESN’T MATTER! You’re attendance is FREE! We especially thank the Thomas Gray Foundation for their generous support and making this event the most accessible we’ve ever made it! If you’ve already paid, you can either receive a refund, or elect to leave your payment as a donation to the Council. You decide, but let Noah Boksansky know your decision via email!

Additionally, use this event to help you recruit new Scouts! Spread the word, share the news, and invite your friends/interested families/ any potential new Scouts to join us at Beaumont! People, it’s a FREE day event where you can experience all the cool stuff Beaumont has to offer. So if you don’t have a recruitment plan yet, you’ve been saved by the FREE bell! Here’s your chance to make this the recruitment event of a lifetime!

Share it on social media, include the message in with your schools, shout it from your rooftop! A better opportunity to get new families to have a taste of Scouting like this is more rare than a blue moon, so seize the chance!

Ok, getting past the breaking news, let’s jump into the news that some of you are most concerned with: the state of my hardwood floors. Why you’re interested I’m not sure, but I’ve gotten a lot of messages about them: so here’s the before, once we pulled back the carpet and linoleum. And this is the after; that’s 9 total passes of a sander, plus a coat of stain and two coats of polyurethane.

Now folks, I love simile. If you don’t know what that is, ask your high school English teacher. But these floors are like Cub Scout Packs. How, you ask?

Well, just like being a brand new leader in a Cub Scout Pack, I had no idea how to see through my vision of these floors when I started the project. But once I saw the finished product in my head, I rented the tools and searched for the information necessary to help me get it done. I had to alter plans a few times, and it took a full team to see it through: shoutout to my parents for driving up from Akron every day after work to help with this. And at the end of it all, my floors are not perfect: but they look good, and they’re something I can be proud of.

Maybe your Cub Pack, in its post-2020 state, looks and feels like my floors did in the before picture. I promise you, it’s very possible to build up your Cub program again. Find a vision of what you want your Cubs to experience, achieve, and learn, and then reach out to friends and mentors to help you build a plan to make that vision a reality. If you don’t have friend or mentors, you can also call us here at Council, and we’ll be both for you!

And of course, now, it’s also important to spread the word and invite new families to join you in seeing through that vision. And there is a lot of promise for success out there right now: Pack 3333 in Sheffield Lake and Pack 150 in Chagrin Falls have both had join nights with 20+ families registering that night. So make full use of the flyer, video, yard sign, and tchotchke request form, and share how great an impact Scouting has had on your family with as many other parents as you can!

In other news, let’s cover: Roundtable, BALOO, SM specific, the NYLT/WB Fall Fellowship, Cub Haunted, the Firelands Fall Camporee, and a wealth planning session.

First: Roundtable’s BACK! Are you excited? Well settle down there, Jethro, its just Roundtable. In-person sessions will be at Firelands and Berea at 7pm on the 8th, at Beaumont in the Augustus on the 9th, and virtually on the 22nd and 23rd. Roundtable is a supplemental training opportunity, and a great way to network with other Scouters in the area. Topics covered at all will be the same, so if you can’t make one, stop on by to another! Questions? Email Chip Reid. C3107lope@gmail.com.

BALOO training for Cub Leaders is next upcoming on the weekend of Sept. 25 and 26 at Beaumont. It’s a chance to practice living like they do in the Jungle Book! Oh, no wait, no that’s not right. It’s actually a training for how to be prepared as a Cub Leader at a Pack overnight outing. Questions should go to Rebecca Setty. Rebecca.setty@gmail.com

Similarly, SM Basic training is next upcoming from October 8-10 at Firelands. Contact Pat O’Leary with questions here. phobsa@att.net

Friendly reminder the NYLT/WB Fall Fellowship is still upcoming at Beaumont in Camp Gray on October 9th: Early Bird Registration ends tomorrow at midnight, so sign up now! Email Linda Gray with questions. Linda.gray@scouting.org.

Cub Haunted registration is open and live: check out the Council calendar for dates and details. Email Brittany with questions. Brittany.Dunne@scouting.org

There’s a fall Camporee at Firelands also Oct. 22-24 for Troops; email Lisa Shrock for questions. lmshrock@gmail.com

Lastly, this goes out to anyone involved in estate planning: we are hosting a continuing education seminar for you virtually! Check out this link for more details on sessions and dates/times. And email Todd Gaydosh your questions. 16th Annual Estate Planning Seminar (etapestry.com) Todd.Gaydosh@gmail.com.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap for this 3-ish minute update! I hope you enjoy your Labor Day weekend: I know I will doing manual labor on the floors in the other rooms of my house. And until next time, Scout on!

LEC 3 Minute Update – August 26, 2021

Mornin’, all! This is Jake Brown, sweating like a dog out here at Beaumont Scout Reservation. I hope y’all are able to stay cool and dry this week.

Say, here’s some unsolicited life advice for you. If your friend or family member looks at you one day and says, “Golly, you see these nice hardwood floors in my house? I think I’d like to cover them with linoleum and carpeting,” I highly recommend you cease being their friend or family member. Because in 20 years, when its time to bring back the hardwood floors and they call you to pull up all 8 billion staples out of the floor where the carpeting was, and then scrape off the floor adhesive under the linoleum, I PROMISE you that you won’t want to be there. It is the FURTHEST thing from a swingin’ deal there is.

Now, you may be wondering why I mention this. And that’s because, lately, that’s been my life, getting prepared to move. And now that you’ve looked far deeper into my life than you cared to, let’s dive into what we have this week: the LEC Chalk-a-ton, the Wood Badge & NYLT Social, the 75th Camporall, Wilderness Engineers Weekend, and some ideas for recruiting leaders at your next join night. Let’s dive right in:

The first annual Wood Badge/NYLT fall fellowship is arriving on October 9th! Early Bird Pricing is in effect until Sept. 3rd, so don’t miss out! Contact Linda Gray with questions.

It’s still not too late to register for the 75th camporall at Beaumont: if you have any questions, please send them over to Noah Boksansky!

Wilderness Engineers Weekend is approaching in October as well: October 1st-3rd. This is an opportunity for volunteers 21 and over to come out to camp and play with the big tools and work on the big headaches, er, projects that need done! Don’t want to get stuck working with a grumpy old fart like me? Bring your buddies along! Contact Chris Fortunato with questions about projects.

The LEC Chalk-a-ton is coming up the weekend of Sept. 11th. We’re asking all Scouts and Scouters across the council to go to public places near you, and leave some friendly reminders on the sidewalk about how Scouting leaves a lasting legacy of humble patriotism and respect toward our nation. If you need chalk, pick some up from the Cleveland office today!

And if you’ve ever thought about using the inflatable BB or archery range at your join night or pack campout, then you’ll want to attend Rangemaster training! One zoom and one in-person session are both required to complete this training. Contact Julia Hearne with questions.

And that’s a wrap! I’m going to go back to staining floors, you go back to Scouting, and we’ll reconvene next week, during the 3-minute update.

BSA Chapter 11 Update

Dear Scouter,

As you are likely aware, the BSA has been working its way through a complex bankruptcy while remaining focused on the following key tenants:

• Fair and equitable compensation to victims of abuse. To those that have endured pain, we are deeply sorry.

• Do everything in our power to keep youth safe and continue to create a culture of vigilance and shared responsibility as well as accountability.

• Preserve the mission of Scouting. Young people and families need our values, teachings, curriculum, and our adventures more now than ever.

I am writing today to provide a critical update. The National Council of the BSA and the 253 local councils have reached a possible agreement with most of the claimant groups allowing us to equitably compensate abuse victims and ensure Scouting’s future by resolving past abuse claims. As you might have seen in the media, the proposed settlement before insurance is $850 million. The National Council will contribute $250 million in assets, and local councils will contribute $600 million.

There are several layers to the ongoing settlement, but we want to dissect some of the more relevant aspects for our Scouting families. The Lake Erie Council will be contributing $6.5 million to the National Trust for Survivors. The Lake Erie Council’s Executive Board examined several avenues to fund the settlement contribution. For now, the council has decided to use a low-interest line of credit.

Nationally, Philmont, Sea Base, Northern Tier, and the Summit high adventure bases have been retained in the process. Locally, enough assets have been preserved to continue to deliver the Scouting program uninterrupted. No donations will be used to pay our contribution to the Trust for Survivors.

The progress made over the last year is significant, but we are not done yet. The BSA is still working on a resolution for our Charter Partners as part of the global settlement.

In the meantime, if you have inquiries or questions, you can reach me at marc.ryan@scouting.org.

Thank you for your service to and support of our organization, particularly in these challenging times. I want to reiterate that the Lake Erie Council – which provides programming, financial, facility, and administrative support to local units and individual Scouts in our area – remains as committed as ever to delivering Scouting’s unparalleled experiences to young people throughout our communities.

Yours in Scouting,

Marc J. Ryan

Scout Executive and CEO

Lake Erie Council, Boy Scouts of America

LEC 3 Minute Update – August 19, 2021

Mornin’, all! Greetings from the recently resurrected WLEC studios! Since we’re here, Anthony, cue that rockin’ intro!

Shoutout to my brother, Greg Brown, for that original one-hit wonder! And to Julia Hearne for this stylish fashion statement of a tie!

This week, we’ve got some updates for you about: the Wood Badge social hour, Cub Haunted, banners, recruitment, and a reminder to share your story. But first: the joke of the week.

Hey Anthony! What time is it when a buffalo sits in your canoe?

Time for a new canoe!

Oh my gosh, I love that one! And speaking of buffalo, have you ever participated in Wood Badge or NYLT? Are you looking for more opportunities to sit around and reminisce about old camp stories with your friends? Do you like food? Well, bring a chair on over to Beaumont on October 9th. There’ll be food, there’ll be fellowship, there’ll be a place to build a fire and enjoy everyone’s company! Questions go to Linda Gray.

Just in case anyone has forgotten, the 75th Anniversary Camporall is coming up quick! Register now! Call Noah with questions.

Also upcoming is the fall STEAM Cub Overnighter at Firelands on Sept. 11th, the Ultimate Webelos Scout Showdown on September 25th at Beaumont, and Cub Haunted, also at Beaumont! Folks, make it a plan to bring the entire Pack, PLUS any new recruits you’ve picked up this fall! Remember, we want newly recruited Scouts to get the chance to quickly do the activities we promise them as they’re being recruited: like archery, BB guns, crafts, and more! That’ll all be at these events, so check it out today!

Do you need banners to beef up your join night? Contact Member Care to reserve one now!

Lastly, diving further into recruitment, do you want to be a star? I reckon you should try to be 12! “Um, sir, what does that even mean?” It means you should be a part of a 12-star Pack, silly! Go to lecbsa.org slash membership dash resources to find the “Your Pack, Your Plan” fall recruitment guide. Within, you’ll find lists of ideas to get new families to your join night worth 1, 3, and 5 stars each. Do enough of those things to earn 12 stars, share the plan with Member Care, and earn the right to use these “top-rated” facebook frames for yourself, members of your Pack, and even the Pack itself.

Remember, the goal is to get folks to your join night so you can share your story with them, about all the good Scouting does for you, your kids, and your community. It’s on us to change the narrative around Scouting, and that requires all of us to be willing to share our stories with heart, concisely, and often.

And that’s a wrap! Thanks for all you do, and thanks for being you! See you next time, Lake Erie Council!

LEC 3 Minute Update – August 11, 2021

Mornin’ all! Here’s the three minute update, brought to you from Disney Land.

Today, we’ve got a couple things to update you on: there’s a state of Scouting address, and new membership resources.

Hopefully you received an email directly from Marc Ryan, our scout executive, regarding the state of scouting address being held on August 17th,  from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium.

This informative gathering is meant for all adults who care about Scouting, especially parents and leaders at the unit level.

Council leadership will be sharing information surrounding the national reorganization, the “global” settlement and Lake Erie Council’s portion, the status of membership nationally and locally, as well as some needed adjustments and additions we have made to the council staff and operations to address these trends. Make no mistake, this meeting is not about the demise of Scouting. On the contrary, the goal is to empower each participant and lay out how each of us will play a critical role in the creating the new future of Scouting.

Registration is required, please do so here. Also, due to the state of COVID, we will be requiring masks and hand sanitization upon arrival. Field uniforms are welcome, not mandatory.

Lastly, this event will not be live-streamed or recorded due to the nature of some of the topics. That said, there will be follow-up communications and resources thereafter, so watch out for those.

Switching gears, here’s a new link for flyer and yard sign requests. The link is here: shorturl.at/stuA3.

And that’s all for this week’s three-minute update. Thanks for all you do and thanks for being you! We’ll see ya next week!

State of Scouting

Dear Lake Erie Council Scouters,

“Our future is not something we enter; our future is something we create.”

Since we became a new council, nearly five years ago, this mantra has been front and center. Today, it is more important than ever as we work through some incredibly tough times in the history of our movement. As we begin to wind down our very successful summer camping season and gear up for a busy fall, amidst the ongoing backdrop of the national reorganization and the unpredictable Covid virus, I believe it to be prudent that we gather together to share some information on how these and other forces are affecting Scouting (both challenges and successes) here in our Lake Erie Council.

Specifically, (if not disclosed before due to timing with the case) we will share information surrounding the national reorganization, the “global” settlement and Lake Erie Council’s portion. We will also discuss the status of membership nationally and locally, as well as some needed adjustments and additions we have made to the council staff to address these trends. These are just some of the topics that I want to update you on. While this meeting is being called on short notice, I urge you to make every effort to attend and be well informed on a variety of items.

Make no mistake, this meeting is not about the demise of Scouting. On the contrary, the goal is to empower each participant and lay out how each of us will play a critical role in creating the new future of Scouting.

Who should attend? All adults who care about Scouting, especially parents and leaders at the unit level.

August 17, 2021

6:30- 8:30 pm

Lakewood Civic Auditorium

14100 Franklin Blvd, Lakewood, OH 44107

Registration in advance is important for proper preparation. Please register by clicking HERE. Uniform is optional.

Due to the recent rises in Covid and our strong desire to protect our Scouting community, we will be requiring masks for this indoor event. In addition, due to the nature of some of the topics, we unfortunately will not be broadcasting, streaming or recording and disseminating the entire event. However, we will be sending follow-up communication with many of the topics and resources we discuss.

Again, I hope you will make the time to attend. Please share this information with Scouters in your network. I look forward to seeing you on the 17th.

Yours in Scouting,

Marc J. Ryan

Scout Executive

LEC 3 Minute Update – August 3, 2021

Good afternoon Lake Erie Council! And greetings from Ol’ Faithful at Yellowstone National Park. I wish I was on vacation here, but instead I get to update you on some new changes here at the Lake Erie Council! 

This is pretty easy to follow. 

The Service and Growth Team has been split in two divisions: Unit Growth and Unit Service.

Jim Vanderpool is heading up the Unit Growth Team with Matt Feehley and Julia Hearne also work. Their primary goal will to be focusing on membership growth. Make sure to reach out to them this fall for your recruitment needs.

Michelle Cali is now in charge of unit service, where I am moving also! Our primary goal is to provide service to units for projects like recharter, and other commissioner-related functions. We also work to support the Growth and Outreach teams.

Jason Setser is in charge of the Unit Outreach Team with Darnell Davis, and their primary goal is creating new units. These guys are in the same position, nothing new here and they will be working closely with Jim and team on growth.

Member Care remains the same: if you have any technical or unit questions (about registration fees, or scoutbook/my.scouting concerns), contact member care team.

The Outdoor Experiences team, still headed by Phil Williams, now includes Anthony Dworning who is moving off of the communications team. He is the new Beaumont Scout Reservation Camp Director, and in charge of all Scouting programs at Beaumont including Scouts BSA resident camp and Klondikes.

Phil Williams will still lead the Experiences team but will be focusing his role on Great Lakes Adventure, Capital projects, building outside partnerships with schools and groups. He also will take over as the lead for Wood Badge.

Also new as a professional to that team is Grace Prorok. She has served on camp staff for several summers including as program director the last two years. She will be joining the professional staff as a support to the Great Lakes Adventure program, Cub Haunted, and summer camp. She will still serve as the program director and will lead several events independently such as Sap camp through out the year. 

Noah Boksansky remains in charge of event registrations, and is picking up the torch to work on Merit Badge Programming. Noah will also be the primary contact for all things mobile rock wall related.

Brittany Dunne remains a stalwart in the department: a force of pleasant charm, she continues to deliver cub Scout programming to the masses.

The Development team and the Member care team remain unchanged. The communications team, headed by Anastasia Duller and supported by Gina Zuccolotto, will be adding the popcorn for the 2021 season. Heather McMillan continues to support the efforts of the popcorn.

So, in re-cap: if you haven’t signed up for popcorn, do so right now. If you have questions about the new structure, contact member care. If you no longer know who to ask for, contact member care.

Lastly, here’s a reminder that we have five mobile rock wall trainings scheduled for folks during the evening in August. Odds are very, very high that if you want your Pack to have the rock wall present at it’s join night, someone from the Pack will have to facilitate its use. Check out the calendar for dates and to register!

Thanks for your time! We’ll see you next week, on the 3-minute update.

LEC 3 Minute Update – July 28, 2021

Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas in July, Lake Erie Council! Yes, its that time again: when the good people of the world hang up their lights, set up a tree, and participate in a gift exchange to celebrate the fact we are halfway to real Christmas. Its such a great time, full of cheer and a generous spirit!

And in honor of the best pseudo-holiday of the year, Jim has some big news to share: the Cybersecurity boot camp in August is now $2.50! Thats right, $2.50!! What a Swingin Deal to get in the Christmas Spirit! Register now at this link: https://scoutingevent.com/440-48050-128605

There's another gift to share with the Council: the 2021 New Family Engagement Playbook is here. Go to the Council website to find this recruitment planner. Its a fantastic and quick read with a simple goal: to make sure your Pack (or other scouting unit) has access to every good idea about recruitment we've ever heard of, and lay it out in a way that makes planning your recruitment this year extra easy! So check it out and start planning your 12-star plan today! The link is in the script: https://lecbsa.org/membership-resources

The Firelands store still has Christmas in July sales while supplies last: stop by and say hi to learn more!

At the cleveland scout shop: you can save 25% off uniform bottoms by buying them with their matching tops in the same transaction. That deal begins August 2nd!

Lastly, the bricks available for purchase for the 75th camporall can now be paid for online. Heres that link: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/BoyScoutsofAmerica-Cleveland/Beaumont75.html. 4x8 bricks can accommodate up to 3 lines of text, 14 characters maximum, including spaces. 8x8 bricks can have up to 6 lines. No logos or images are able to be engraved on them.

And that is it! Thanks for all you do, keeping the scouting flame burning bright, and we'll see you next week!