The
Scout Uniform is expected at troop meetings and must be worn
while traveling to and from campouts. Basic Supplies
like patches, neckerchiefs and such can be purchased at
troop meetings. The troop also has its own monogrammed
shirts and other apparel also available at troop meetings.
DUES
Dues
are 25 cents per week.
This money is used to pay for annual
re-registration and Boys' Life magazine.
Scouts are responsible for keeping their dues current
and may pay weekly or monthly to the patrol scribe.
If a Scout's dues fall too far behind, he may not go
camping.
CAMPING
EQUIPMENT
The
BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK contains
an excellent checklist for going camping, and we have
included another in this letter.
We recommend a pack with a frame so a boy can carry
it comfortably and a good quality sleeping bag.
The Eagle's Wings organization sells good quality
equipment at a substantial discount.
A plastic ground sheet and personal mess kit are
necessary. Appropriate
footwear for the time of year is a must.
Scouts may bring pocketknives, but may not use them
until they have earned a Totin' Chip Card that involves the
safe handling of woods tools.
TRANSPORTATION
The
only way our troop can get to and from camps is with the
help of parents. Our
transportation chairman contacts different families each
month either to take the boys up Friday, or pick them up
Sunday morning. We try to keep our regular monthly campouts
within two hours of Warren.
CAMPOUTS
Troop
101 goes camping every month.
We feel the outdoor program in Scouting is the most
important part of our troop.
Besides monthly campouts and periodic special
activities, we spend one week at summer camp in July and
try to have another big trip somewhere each summer.
For regular weekenders we usually meet at the Elks on
Friday at 6:00 p.m. and return around noon on Sunday to the
Scoutmaster's house where Scouts can call their parents.
Weekend
fees are usually due at the Monday meeting prior to the
trip. Changes after that deadline pose a tremendous
inconvenience on the adult volunteers who arrange
transportation, food, equipment, facilities and program for
this many boys. The
troop always travels in uniform and we recommend the boys
eat supper before leaving home.
Scouts with questions regarding clothing, equipment
or a particular trip are encouraged to contact their Patrol
Leader.
Parents
are welcome on troop outings - we can use the extra help. Please refer to the "Parent's
Guide to Troop Campouts" then give us a call.
TROOP
COMMITTEE
In
addition to the troop leaders, there is a committee made up
of Scout parents who oversee that finances, transportation,
equipment, and all the support services necessary for a
troop. Our
committee meets every 4-6 weeks and parents are
encouraged to attend or join the committee and help with a
job. For more
information, contact the troop Committee Chairman whose name
appears in the heading of each newsletter.
VOLUNTEERS
A
Boy Scout Troop is run entirely by volunteer adults who care
enough to make the program happen.
No one gets paid in a Scout Troop; rather it usually
costs the leaders money.
We cannot offer such an extensive program without the
assistance and cooperation of every parent.
Rather than have a few parents do everything for the
troop, we want to see every parent do a little something.
You will see many opportunities to help either
through the newsletter, at a Parents' Night, or by word of
mouth. Decide
where you can best help us and step forward.
This program is for your son.
PATROL SYSTEM
The
troop is made up of patrols of 6-8 Scouts that are the
working units within any troop.
Elected patrol leaders guide the troop and conduct
patrol meetings outside the troop meeting structure.
Through these leaders, the boys decide and carry out
the troop program while learning to work together.
Scouts should consult with their patrol leader
regularly and refer questions through him.
The
patrol leader, usually an older boy, is learning also and
probably will make many mistakes.
We try not to step in too often, but rather let the
PL and his members learn from their mistakes.
These can be Scouting's most valuable lessons.
Encourage this system whenever possible because it
will give the boys the best that Scouting has to offer.
COURTS OF HONOR
Scouts
are recognized officially for their advancement at a Court
of Honor held 4 times each year.
This is a formal evening ceremony where family and
friends are invited to witness the recognizing of the
Scouts. These are special moments for the boys, made even
more special by family and friends.
PHYSICAL EXAMS AND PERMISSION SLIPS
Should
an accident occur on a campout, we must have the parents'
permission even to obtain emergency treatment for a boy.
Be certain that we have a completed form for your
son. A physical
examination is required annually for Summer Camp
and special 'High Adventure' activities.
Through the generosity of some of our Scouting
families we have always been able to have these done free of
charge.
IMPORTANT
- If your son has any sort of a problem -- physical or
otherwise -- inform the Scoutmaster.
Our camping activities are varied and sometimes
strenuous. Lack
of knowledge about a boy's special needs has endangered
Scouts in the past. We
cannot handle what we are not aware of.
This information is always handled with discretion.
UNIFORM BANK
To
help fight the growing cost of uniforms, the troop has
established a uniform bank.
Run by one of the parents, we collect and exchange
outgrown uniform parts.
If you need something, check and see if we have it.
If you outgrow something, please consider donating it
for others.
NEW SCOUT PATROL
Scouts
who first join need a little extra help to get familiar with
the troop. Under
the guidance of an older Scout and an Assistant Scoutmaster,
these boys are helped through the first steps of their
advancement and prepared for their first couple campouts.
This provides a place for boys to feel comfortable
and ask questions as well as allowing parents to gather
information as well.
EAGLE'S WINGS
This
is a support group for parents or any interested adult that
was started by the mothers of the troop.
They meet monthly to help new families with questions
and they coordinate several events for the troop including
the Christmas Party, annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser, and
provide refreshments for Courts of Honor.
They also sell Coleman camping supplies at a
substantial discount. We
highly recommend them when you are purchasing gear for your
son. They have a web page on this site! Click
here!
FAMILY CAMP
Once
a year, during the warmer months, the troop conducts a
Family Campout. This
gives parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and
cousins, whoever - a chance to see first-hand
what happens on a weekend campout. They are a lot of fun and
a good opportunity to get to know other troop members.
Look for details in the newsletter, then sign up to
join us!
HIGH ADVENTURE
For
the benefit of the older Scouts, we attempt to run at least
one 'High Adventure' trip each year.
These special trips of canoeing, backpacking, etc.
have age and ability restrictions designed to challenge the
older Scout. These
trips often become goals set by younger Scouts to advance
until they qualify to participate.
For Scouts who have mastered the basics of outdoor
skills, this program provides a chance to put those skills
to use in fun and adventure.
PERSONAL
FINANCES
Our
troop wants to do everything it can to make Scouting
available to any boy who wants it.
We strive to keep the cost of our trips as low as
possible. If
your family cannot fully participate for financial reasons,
please contact the Scoutmaster.
We are fortunate to have the William E. Brown
Memorial Campership Fund and other programs.
We will work to see that no boy is denied Scouting
because of the cost.
ADVANCEMENT
The
various awards and merit badges all the way up to Eagle
Scout are outlined in the BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK.
We stress the advancement program very strongly and
encourage parental support at home.
We also need qualified merit badge counselors in over
130 different subjects.
Any parent with a hobby or experience in any of these
fields who could help by counseling one or more badges is
asked to contact us for details.
PATCHES AND INSIGNIA
Scouts
should consult their BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK for insignia
requirements and placement on the uniform.
Each new Scout who joins is given a '101' patch and
patrol medallion. The troop has other insignia available for sale
should the stores or Scout Office be out of stock.
We also have Troop 101 neckerchiefs for sale and,
although not required, Scouts may purchase troop
T-shirts or other items at the meetings, if they
desire. Many
times patches are awarded for participating in various
Scouting events or may be purchased.
Acquiring and trading patches and other Scouting
items have always been extremely popular among the boys.
FUND
RAISING
Our
troop currently conducts two annual fund raising projects: a
Nut Sale in the fall and a Spaghetti Dinner in the spring.
The money raised from these goes to purchasing troop
equipment and to offset the other costs of campouts and
activities. Weekend fees paid by the boys cover only the cost of food.
All other expenses are paid from these funds.
As
in many organizations, a small percent of the members were
doing most of the work, about half were helping out
somewhat, and the rest were not doing their share.
The troop committee has tried to develop a policy
that is equally fair to all members:
POLICY (Effective 3/1/90) (Revised 12/1/05)
Troop
101 Financial Policy
Troop
101 has every intention of maintaining its highly successful
Scouting Program. Our Scouting families need to assume the
financial responsibilities for supporting our Program. A
budget is established prior to each fiscal year and our
scouting families are made aware of their role in supporting
the troop.
Effective in January 2006, the start of the new fiscal year,
the required cost will be $150 per scout. For families with
2 or more boys in the troop, the cost will be an additional
$100 per boy.
Two
fundraisers are available to help offset these costs.
Depending on how actively the scout participates in the
fundraisers, he can cover the entire financial obligation.
Any scout not contributing his appropriate share for the
fundraisers is required to make up the difference. This
difference is determined each year after the Annual Nut Sale
and communicated to the scouting families. If the Scout has
not netted $150 in profits, the difference is due by January
31st of the following year. If a scout has not
met his financial obligations by January 31st, he
is placed on an inactive status and runs the risk of not
being re-registered on March 1st (the new charter
year).
Any
scout that joins after the date, which falls two weeks prior
to Palm Sunday, will not be required to meet the $150
obligation for that fiscal year. It is expected that the
new scout will still support any remaining fundraisers
during the year, so we can continue to keep our other fees
(camping and dues) as low as possible.
All
registered scouts must be in compliance with the Troop 101
Financial Policy before they will be allowed to participate
in Scout functions or advancements.
A
PARENT'S
GUIDE TO TROOP CAMPOUTS
Parents sometimes wish to
camp with us from time to time. This can be a good
thing for everybody. To
help you better go about this, we offer the following:
No
Experience Necessary For most camping
trips you need not have any special knowledge,
qualifications or experience; just a willingness to help and
the initiative to ask questions and pitch in if you see a
job that needs doing. Exceptions
to this are High Adventure trips. Requirements are a little
more demanding, so stop in for details we still would want
you to go.
Equipment
needed - Clothing and footwear are mostly common
sense items. When in doubt, come over-prepared. Consult your son's handbook or the list in this newsletter.
Pay particular attention to eating utensils &
sleeping bag. If
you don't have a sleeping bag or some other item, check with
us. We have loaners.
What
can I do?
- Several things.
Transportation is our most obvious need.
Not only to and from the camp, but little side trips
and our ability to do some hiking and canoeing requires
people willing to move vehicles from point A to point B.
Supervision of various activities and overseeing some
of the outdoor skills if you have that knowledge or
are would like to learn.
Equipment needs are present on every trip for someone
with a few handyman skills and some initiative.
If you counsel a Merit Badge, this is a good place to
get some time with a Scout or tell others about the badges
you do. There
is always the potential of an emergency where a Scout would
have to go to the hospital.
We hope this never happens, but being short on adult
help could endanger our boys' safety.
Discipline
- Please remember that your son is like every other
Scout on a weekend campout.
He has obligations to a patrol and duties to perform.
Special treatment or favors are likely to bring
resentment from the other Scouts. If there is a discipline problem, one of the Scout leaders in
charge should handle it, not the boy's parent.
Food,
Fees and Notification - On most
weekends boys cook as patrols. Adults typically cook
as a separate group. Occasionally adults may be invited
guests for a patrol meal. At Summer Camp meals are served in
the dining hall. Fees
for adults are generally the same as for the boys.
On long trips, such as Canada, gasoline expenses are
reimbursed at the request of the driver. Notification is
important. Weekend deadlines are usually the preceding meeting.
The sooner we know the better, because so much
planning goes into even a two-day trip.
With transportation, equipment and food requirements,
last minute changes are tremendous inconvenience for the
volunteers trying to coordinate these things.
Don't
- be afraid to ask questions.
We just love to know that you're interested and hope
to see you soon!
SUGGESTED
CAMPOUT CHECKLIST
SCOUT UNIFORM (We wear these to and from all camps) including:
