Updates

Hey all

 

Lots of info - really quick.

 

Tracking Merit badge - Rolling out next week. One of the do at home reqs is to take a picture of a birds nest. Email it back to me. If you need help-there is a nest at the scout hut.

 

Adopt a Road Day - August 14th - We decided to cancel it due to the extreme heat conditions. Wearing a rubber vest in 100 degree heat is just not going to be fun.We will just get back on track with the next one. This also allows our OA candidates and OA members a chance to attend the Fall Ordeal.

 

Prime the Hut Day - August 21st from 8 till 12. We plan to prime the outside of the Scout Hut. Please come by, bring paint brushes, pans, rollers, and ladders. We will get all of the exterior work done that morning.

 

Paint the Hut Day - Saturday Sept 4th. We will paint the hut from 8-12 am. Bring your brushes, rollers, pans, ladders. I will be talking to the green bars - maybe we can include Scout Day at the races?? Lets get the hut painted. Please come help.

 

Den Chiefs - Austin Miller and Stephen Holly have volunteered to be Den Chiefs for separate Webelo Dens. Austin will be working with Pack 168, and Stephen with Pack 165. Thank these young men for their dedication to Scouting.

 

Can Food Drive - We have started an in house can food drive between the patrols. Please bring any can foods you can donate to the meetings. Before Thanksgiving we will take, donate, and sort all of the donations at the food pantry.

 

Fundraisers - We have three really great ones rolling out in the next few weeks. Please use them to help differ the cost of Scouting. Cheryl S., and Susan H. are heading them up. Stay tuned for details.

 

August Campout - We were trying to put together a joint campout between Troop 62 and ourselves to share the expense of doing the Cope courses at Thunder. It fell apart due a long story involving some old "friends" of our Troop. Anyway everything looks like it worked out good for Troop 62, but they did not have time to change their plans. So we will still go to Thunder, but will do the Geo caching Merit Badge instead. If you have a handheld GPS, we will need it that weekend.

 

More details soon.

 

Thanks
--
Doug Clemens
Scoutmaster Troop 165
http://www.troop165bsa.org
scoutmaster165@gmail.com
404-520-1160

The school system may have done away with winners and losers; life has not.
Bill Gates

Sunday Ramblings

Hey all

Just a short email to keep everyone informed.

 

Sorry about the lag in keeping everyone informed, we have had a lot going on.

 

Summer camp is rapidly approaching. We will be departing the hut at 6 am Sunday June 20^th. Please try to arrive by 5:30AM to unload gear and say goodbyes. I will email the Scouts schedules, now that they are final, as soon as I can. Scouts will need Merit Badge books and worksheets for each class. Scouts in the Cripple Creek and Rampage programs are exempt. They will receive separate notifications. We ask (beg) that at the end of summer camp that you donate your used merit badge books to our library. (More on that in a minute) Anyway we will be back Saturday the 26^th around 5pm. I will be sending a separate summer camp email this weekend, so look for it with schedules and all the details. Main thing we need now is the final balances paid and Med forms turned in asap. Remember every scout and adult attending will need BSA physical form filled out by a doctor. You can get them done at Walgreens for 35$ or if you have had a physical recently your doctor will probably fill it out for you. We need those no later than 6-15-2010. Here is a link to the forms http://scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34605_Letter.pdf

 We have done our pre camp swim checks thanks to our very own lifeguard Mr. Chris Swindell , so once we send our med forms and swim checks to camp we have express check in. This is a big plus for the Scouts. Nothing is more painful than spending 6 hours getting to camp only to stand in line for three hours to swim check and med check. Please have those forms turned in by June 15^th to help the Scouts.

 

Please keep Bo (Austin's dad) in your thoughts and prayers. He went through some tough times and a rough surgery earlier this week. We hope he will be fine. He is such a great guy, the day before his surgery he was hauling metal for the Troop. When I last talked to him he said" I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach by three mules" Hang in there Bo'

 

Speaking of Bo - Bo's General Scout Store (BO-MART) is now open. Now you can get most of your basic scouting needs at the hut. We have scout books, field books, book covers, shoulder epaulets, neckerchiefs and slides. We even have Eagle camp mugs and compasses. Soon we will add pocket knives.  We know times are tough and spare time is even tougher to get. The Troop store will save you time and money. We are buying in bulk and passing the savings on to you. You no longer have to travel to Fairburn or Griffin to get the basics. No other Troop has an onsite store for its member's convenience.

 Austin, Nathaniel and Robby completed NYLT at Camp Jamison at Bert Adams Scout Reservation last week. For 6 days and nights they attended some very intensive training. They started early Sunday morning and graduated Friday night at 9:30. NYLT is intense training – they start at 6 am and don't end until 11 each night for 6 days. NYLT stands for National Youth Leadership Training. J.W. Marriott once wrote that he had had no formal training; he learned everything he ever needed to know at NYLT. It's that good!! Hopefully we can continue to send three Scouts a year; the difference in them is incredible.  It has been a wet week for them, but it will still be one of the best weeks of their life. I was at their graduation, and was impressed. Thanks guys.

We have rental gear! For 5 American dollars you can rent a backpack or a tent for a weekend. The packs and tents must be returned clean and dry at the following Tuesday night Troop meeting. We hope this will help ease the burden of purchasing gear for new Scouts. As our rental program grows look for more packs, tents and eventually stoves. See me or Bo. No other Troop offers this convenience.

Our Metal Militia continues to rock. Tony has tons of metal donated. We need a Metal Militia coordinator to put everything together to pick it up. We hauled two cars yesterday. Please thank Bill with Bills Towing whenever you see him. He has hauled tons of stuff for us. We really need someone to step up and haul some metal. Let us know if you can help.

Congratulations to Eagle Scout Jacob H. for graduating high school, and for turning 18, and most importantly for becoming an Assistant Scoutmaster at Troop 165. He filled out his forms Tuesday night. PS – He needs a summer job – if anyone can help, let me know.

New parents/old parents training – I want to thank everyone that showed up. Thanks to dedicated parents like you our Troop will continue to grow. Look for the next training to happen in the early fall. Remember BSA and Troop 165 rules are going to require everyone to be Trained for their position. It is just common sense. Look for a spreadsheet in the next week or two with training records. Please send me any updates you may have.

The Troop 165 Archery Range - The large dirt mound on the back left of the parking lot will serve as the backstop for the new Troop 165 archery range.  Larry S. is a NRA certified range safety officer, and an NRA range training officer, so he can run the range for us. I am going to try to take the training this fall (money permitting), and once I'm done, we will have two range safety officers and our own range. How many Troops have that?? Mr. Lesley from the Georgia Bow Hunters Association is going to try to help us with the range setup and even come down and organize some shoots for us. He thinks he can even get some targets and other stuff donated!!

Training  -  Every Adult that plans to help or camp with the Troop must have Youth Protection.  Period.

We have a new Unit Commissioner – Ms. Patty Nash.  

Yeah !!!! – Jeremiah is going to Summer Camp to earn his Lifeguard Certification. I know he will make it. That will give us two BSA lifeguards in the Troop!!!!

Day of Service – I was really proud of the Scouts for their hard work that day. We picked up Pates Creek Road in those hot rubber vests. Then we had lunch. After lunch we went to Ms. Woodall's house and cleaned up what we could. She had a lot of storm damage. We really made a difference. We cleaned for 6 hours. We covered her shed and moved her sailboat. She was crying when we left. We hauled off two trailer loads and three truck loads of debris. It meant the world to her. What a sweet old lady. She still takes care of her 93 year old mother in Macon every day. She's a hoot. She's 78.  Anyway when we got back to the hut around 7 we did about an hour of work around the hut then the Scouts got to get their game on. They played video games until 1:30am and watched Avatar till 4 am. Special thanks to our "mystery donor" that bought all of those pizzas for the guys. Also thanks to Scouts Austin M. and Joseph B. for putting the lock in together. As an adult trapped there, I must say it was actually fun. That's why I love Scouting – It brings young men together for a great cause. That was one of our best days of service ever. When most Troops are focused on their own advancement and nothing else, it was neat to see young men help and bond with an adult. We will help Ms. Woodall again. She is cool and our Scouts are way cooler…

Adopt a Road Luncheon – Thank you to our Scout Nathaniel S. for attending the Adopt a Road luncheon held at ELCA. Nathaniel goes to school there and was able to attend the luncheon for us. We have the plaque he received hanging in the hut.

We are going back to Philmont in 2011; the dates are July 6th through the 18th. Currently the Trek is accepting three more scouts. The Adult side is full.  If you are interested in going let me know.

I need some adults to be thinking about that summer (2011). I only get two weeks paid vacation and will use that at Philmont in 2011. I need a couple of adults to commit to Summer Camp that year so I can go to Philmont. I really want to go to Philmont, but I need to make sure the Troop has the required leadership to go to Summer Camp also. So far Mrs. Burton and Chris Swindell have replied that they could go.  Let me know.

New Electronic Stuff you must know about. We are rolling out two new programs: First is an online payment program. When an event comes up this program will send an email asking for payment. You can click to pay online or still pay at the hut.  I need one parent per scout to send me an email with the preferred email address they want to use to pay for stuff. This email address submitted will be the one that receives all of the payment notifications.  We need one parent per Scout to join. Upon joining you will receive notifications and be able to click and pay with a debit card or a credit card.  You will get email notifications that "nag" you to pay. You can click and pay or you can still pay us directly at the meetings. This will give us the option of setting up payments for summer camp and our ski trip. Also for the guys going to Philmont, look for emails real soon to start that payment plan. We are trying to make it easier for you. Second is a new program that a lot of larger Troops on the West Coast are using. It is really cool. Scouts now will set up their Scoutmaster Conferences online, check out Merit Badge Books online, request Board of Reviews online, plan their meetings and menus online and tons of other things. Adults when you sign up it, gives us a feature to send a text to let you know what time we will be back from a trip. I send a text to one number and it forwards it to everyone else. So I need every Scout and Parent to send me the email address they want to use for these programs.

Toner cartridges and cell phones - please continue to bring in those old toner cartridges, and used cell phones. We earn steady money from them, not much, but it is steady. Every little bit helps. We recently rolled $350.00 over to the bus account from the toner account.  We are fixing to roll over $200 more next week. That helps a lot. If you need labels let me know, or if you want to help let me know.

Web stuff – we are on facebook at – boyscouttroop  onesixfive.      We are on youtube  http://www.youtube.com/user/ScoutTroop165

Remember – Our Yahoo group is our #1 source of info. Go to Yahoo groups and search for– Troop165 – then click join. You may have to create a yahoo login if you don't have one.

And as always at http://www.troop165bsa.org/

 

Knotmaster  Program– This is a really cool program – Jacob and Jeremiah are running this- it is incredible. It is a program that will teach scouts to tie knots to new levels.  It can take years to complete. It is sorta based on Karate – as you advance you get to wear different colored  Knots. My thoughts are that each of our Eagles should be "Black Knots". Our scouts can camp better, cook better, and perform better than most. Now they will do knots better.  At the rollout meeting the Scouts decided to give up game time to tie knots. The scouts still continue to give up game time to tie knots and try to advance in the program. Really cool. Keep up the great work Jeremiah and Jacob.

Please send me an email with the preferred emails for our two new programs ASAP.

In closing, let me say thanks to each and every person that reads this email. Every one of you has helped us. Thank you!!
--
Doug Clemens
Scoutmaster Troop 165
http://www.troop165bsa.org
scoutmaster165@gmail.com
404-520-1160

The school system may have done away with winners and losers; life has not.
Bill Gates

Day of Service May22nd 2010

Hey all

 

Just an update:

 

We will be meeting at the hut for our Adopt a Road day starting at 9:00 am Saturday morning. If you are staying the night you can bring your sleeping bag and pad then. Also go ahead and bring whatever video game and tv's then also. We will have someone at the hut all day to keep them safe. For the adopt a road scouts might want to bring a set of gloves.

Make sure to bring a sack lunch and a drink for lunch. We will eat lunch at the hut and around 1 o'clock we will head over to clean up Ms.M's yard. Scouts(and Adults) could use gloves, rakes, shovels. Adults we could use a couple of chain saws as she has alot of downed limbs in her yard. We will work on that till 6 or 7 then head back to the hut. The troop is providing pizza and soft drinks for all. Then it is time for the lockin. Games and whatever till whenever. Any adults that want to stay are welcome. In the morning we will have biscuits for all. Pickup will be Sunday morning at 9:00am.

Any scout and parent that can help, please do. Even if you can't make it the whole day, every little bit helps. Hopefully everyone can attend the lock in.

 

Thanks

 

--
Doug Clemens
Scoutmaster Troop 165
http://www.troop165bsa.org
scoutmaster165@gmail.com
404-520-1160

The school system may have done away with winners and losers; life has not.
Bill Gates

May 22nd Lock in

Hey all

 

Saturday May 22nd Troop 165 will be giving a "Day of Service". Starting at 9am that Saturday am we will be meeting at the Scout Hut for our Adopt A Road Clean up day. That should last from 9-12. From 12 to 1 we will eat a sack lunch. From 1 till 6 we will be working around the corner. We had an 88 year old widow deliver a sweet letter to us asking for help. She has alot of storm damage in her yard and to her house and needs some help. She explained that she is a widow with no family nearby, and living on a fixed income and asked for our help. Landon read the letter to the Scouts and they decided to help her on that day also.

I am going to go by there after the campout this Sunday and look at her place and see what we need. We can use all the help we can get that day.

After all of the hard work is done we will be having a lock in that night at the hut. The guys will have soft drinks, and pizza to eat all night. They can bring their video games and TVs to play. Pick up will be by 9:30 Sunday morning.

Scouts will need to bring a pair of work gloves, rakes, clippers, shovels, and any other yard working items they think they may need. LABEL THEM with your last name so we get them back. Scouts will need a sack lunch for Saturday. Scouts will need a sleeping bag and pad for Saturday night.

 

Thanks to a special donation the cost for this whole day of service and fun will be 0 - that's right zero.

 

Scouts Austin M and Joseph B are in charge of the lock in so see them with your questions.

 

Thanks

 
--
Doug Clemens
Scoutmaster Troop 165
http://www.troop165bsa.org
scoutmaster165@gmail.com
404-520-1160

The school system may have done away with winners and losers; life has not.
Bill Gates

4-11

Hey all

Just a short email to keep everyone informed.

Bo's General Scout Store is now open. Now you can get most of your basic scouting needs at the hut. We have scout books, field books, book covers, shoulder epaulets, neckerchiefs and slides. We even have Eagle camp mugs. In the next few weeks we will be adding compasses and pocket knives.  We know times are tough and spare time is even tougher to get. The Troop store will save you time and money. We are buying in bulk and passing the savings on to you. You no longer have to travel to Fairburn or Griffin to get the basics. No other Troop has an onsite store for its member's convenience.

We also have rental gear! For 5 American dollars you can rent a backpack or a tent for a weekend. The packs and tents must be returned clean and dry at the following Tuesday night Troop meeting. We hope this will help ease the burden of purchasing gear for new Scouts. As our rental program grows look for more packs, tents and eventually stoves. No other Troop offers this convenience.

Parents meeting – Rescheduled for this Monday night. I think at 7 pm.  Look for info on the yahoo group from Chris Smith.

Campout  permission slips are due Tuesday Night. I will attach a copy to this email. Should be a fun campout.

New parents/old parents training – This will be a one time mandatory meeting for parents to get "trained" in how we do things. Also while there we will be signing you up to teach any Merit Badges you might be interested in. We will be gathering driver information, as well as covering Training requirements. Should be early May. Stay tuned for details

Camp Cards – Sorry guys – I really underestimated our sales on these. I should have gotten 1000 or more. Next year we will be prepared. Everyone is sold out or nearly sold out. Super great fundraiser. Kudos to Publix and Chic Fil A for this one.

 The Troop 165 Archery Range - The large dirt mound on the back left of the parking lot will serve as the backstop for the new Troop 165 archery range.  Larry S. is a NRA certified range safety officer, and an NRA range training officer, so he can run the range for us. I am going to try to take the training this fall (money permitting), and once I'm done, we will have two range safety officers and our own range. How many Troops have that?? Mr. Lesley from the Georgia Bow Hunters Association is going to try to help us with the range setup and even come down and organize some shoots for us. He thinks he can even get some targets and other stuff donated!!

Training  -  This continues to be a sore subject. After researching the details myself-  I have to be 100% trained before the end of the year(maybe). I already am. ASM and Committee member will have to be trained before the end of 2011. We will cover that at the parents training meeting.

Encourage Jeremiah to go to Summer Camp and get his Lifeguard Certification!!

We are going back to Philmont in 2011, the dates are July 6th through the 18th. Currently the Trek is full.  If you are interested in going let me know and we will put you in a standby position

I need some adults to be thinking about that summer (2011). I only get two weeks paid vacation and will use that at Philmont in 2011. I need a couple of adults to commit to Summer Camp that year so I can go to Philmont. I really want to go to Philmont, but I need to make sure the Troop has the required leadership to go to Summer Camp also. So far Mrs. Burton has replied that she could go.  Let me know.

Someone mentioned to me the other day that our travel plans to Philmont were a pipe dream. I looked back at that person and said "a year ago this (the scout hut) was a pipe dream". I dream big for our Scouts. They are the best bunch of young men that I know. They deserve the best. The decisions I have made have cost me ALOT of grief, but I did not make them for me, I made them for the Scouts. The hut is almost done, the bus is near, after that we only need our Canoe trailers and canoes and then I can relax. I am a firm believer in surrounding yourself with GREAT people and even GREATER things will happen. Our little Hut is one of the nicer in the state and everyone contributed in their own little ways. Each of you deserve more thank you's than I can ever give. We ROCK!

Summer Camp 2010- Remember the next $100.00 is due now. As a Scoutmaster, I naturally want 100% attendance for summer camp. It is the best environment for a scout to learn Merit Badges and grow as a Scout. The Wednesday night OA ceremony alone is life changing. Please make sure to attend. The final 100 is due May 1^st.

Medical forms for summer camp should be turned in by May 1^st.

My daughter is still mad at me from the last message.

Toner cartridges and cell phones - please continue to bring in those old toner cartridges, and used cell phones. We earn steady money from them, not much, but it is steady. Every little bit helps. We currently are rolling 350.00 over to the bus account from the toner account. That helps a lot.

Scout Bus – We are actually closer than ever. I rolled 350 out of the toner fund and we have actually found a good bus. We hope to have it by summer camp. Metal is at $12 dollars a hundred, and we have plenty of metal. Let Bo know if you are free one day to help load a trailer, haul a trailer, or gather more metal.

Web stuff – we are on facebook at – boyscouttroop  onesixfive.      We are on youtube  http://www.youtube.com/user/ScoutTroop165

Remember – Our Yahoo group is our #1 source of info. Go to Yahoo groups and  search for– Troop165 – then click join. You may have to create a yahoo login if you don't have one.

And as always at http://www.troop165bsa.org/

 

Knotmaster – This is a really cool program – Jacob and Jeremiah are running this- it is incredible. It is a program that will teach scouts to tie knots to new levels.  It can take years to complete. It is sorta based on Karate – as you advance you get to wear better Knots. My thoughts are that each of our Eagles should be "Black Knots". Our scouts can camp better, cook better, and perform better than most. Now they will do knots better.  At the rollout meeting the Scouts decided to give up game time to tie knots. Whould a thunk it…. I am amazed.

Adopt A Road  -  Stay tuned.

Recruiting Drive - Since recruiting is now a requirement for Rank, we are going to encourage the boys to recruit. For every boy that joins the Troop, the Scout that recruits him will get a ticket for a drawing. The winner will get an IPod Shuffle or a Kershaw Assisted opening knife. Both valued at $50.00. Encourage your son to invite his friends to visit the Troop or attend our March camping trip. The contest ends May 1st with the drawing at the May 4th meeting.  I can assure you we will receive no help from our District with recruiting new scouts, Period!  They will not help us. That is a proven fact.  That is a totally separate issue that we are going to be dealing with later when the time is right. So, for now, recruiting will need to be a group effort.  Recruit for our Troop every chance you get. We are blessed to have a very large Pack right now, and I am trying to work with David Holly (the Cubmaster) to make sure we can recruit those new scouts.

Thanks.

Doug Clemens
Scoutmaster Troop 165
http://www.troop165bsa.org
scoutmaster165@gmail.com
404-520-1160

The school system may have done away with winners and losers; life has not.
Bill Gates

3-21-2010

Hey all

Just a short email to keep everyone informed.

You ever felt sorry for a Scout? – Bo and I did Saturday at Merit Badge day. At Troop 165 we let the boys run the show, sometimes it is a great thing, sometimes it resembles a small scale train wreck; but regardless; we try to let the boys run the show. A lot of Troops don't, they are adult run. Example – Saturday at merit badge day we witnessed a young scout spew out a cuss word. We watched his patrol leader; probably around 13 or 14 react to the incident. The Patrol leader was starting to address the young cussing Scout when he was cut off by an Adult. (This particular troop is 100% adult run and proudly admits it) After a discussion the young Patrol Leader stated – "I am his Patrol Leader, I should handle this" The reply from the Adult Assistant Scoutmaster assigned to that patrol was and I quote" I am the Adult in charge of this Patrol-I will handle it!!!" How do you think that young Patrol Leader felt? I had to bite my tongue and walk away, I felt so sorry for that Patrol Leader. That young man was trying to become a leader – only to be shot down by an adult. Unfortunately scouting in our District is becoming more and more about getting "that Eagle", and being part of "The Clique" rather than teaching young men to become leaders.  I promise you that Troop 165 won't ever cave to that pressure. We may not be the most popular Troop within our District because of that, and I promise you I won't be Scoutmaster of the Year. I don't care about that. We joke about being the Black Sheep Troop. It's funny.  What matters to us, is that we take young men with no focus or goals or skills and teach them to be focused leaders. Look at our Eagles and you can see a difference – Jacob, Ryan, and Jeremiah are all a cut above the norm.

The caving trip was a blast. Sorry about all of those dirty clothes. The Scouts had a blast. They did the six hour "back of the cave" tour. Not many people do this trip. It is one of the tougher trips they offer.  The only trip that is harder requires you to be over 18 and sign a lot of waivers.  Every time we do this campout, the guys come out of the cave tired, muddy, exhausted, and ready to come back next year. Hopefully we can do this again soon

Hut Update –Bo was able to get 4 tandem truck loads of crush and run donated. Hopefully that will finish our parking lot. Mr. Klakis has our paint donated; it is Aircraft paint and should last a very long time... Most excellent! Look out for a Troop workday soon.

Camp Cards – By now you should be out of cards..:-) If not, bring what you think you cannot sell Tueday night and we can re distribute them. More details later.

 The Troop 165 Archery Range - The large dirt mound on the back left of the parking lot will serve as the backstop for the new Troop 165 archery range.  Larry S. is a NRA certified range safety officer, and an NRA range training officer, so he can run the range for us. I am going to try to take the training this fall (money permitting), and once I'm done, we will have two range safety officers and our own range. How many Troops have that?? Mr. Lesley from the Georgia Bow Hunters Association is going to try to help us with the range setup and even come down and organize some shoots for us. He thinks he can even get some targets and other stuff donated!!

Training - Since (maybe) all adult leaders must be trained and registered before the end of the year, we will be rolling out a training/registration program in the next few weeks. This program will fulfill our obligations to Council, help me to get all of the adults on the same plane, help fill our Merit Badge Counselor list, and get our Merit Badge Counselors registered. I know March is busy, but look for the first date soon.

We are going back to Philmont in 2011, the dates are July 6th through the 18th. Currently the Trek is full.  If you are interested in going let me know and we will put you in a standby position

Did I mention that the "Undercover Boss" show is really a neat show.

I need some adults to be thinking about that summer (2011). I only get two weeks paid vacation and will use that at Philmont in 2011. I need a couple of adults to commit to Summer Camp that year so I can go to Philmont. I really want to go to Philmont, but I need to make sure the Troop has the required leadership to go to Summer Camp also. So far Mrs. Burton has replied that she could go.  Let me know.

Summer Camp 2010- The Raven Knob guide is out. Most Scouts are registered. Remember the next $100.00 is due now. As a Scoutmaster, I naturally want 100% attendance for summer camp. It is the best environment for a scout to learn Merit Badges and grow as a Scout. The Wednesday night OA ceremony alone is life changing. Please make sure to attend.

Medical forms – start thinking about them.

My daughter just came down and said "doesn't my hair feel good?". I felt it and said "that's kind hair – the kind you find on a donkeys butt" hahaha.)  She didn't think it was funny either….

I am continuing to look for opportunities to help defray the cost of Scouting. As you know, I want every Scout to be able to participate. In these tough times, I know it is not easy, heck I work at a GM car dealership (I know how bad it is), so I will continue to look for fundraisers, and other opportunities. If you have an idea for a fundraiser, please let me know. I know that I have personally paid for my son's summer camp so far from fundraisers alone. If I can do it – you can too.  Please send your son to camp – or let me know if we can help.  I really want every scout to go. We will help somehow/someway. I will sell extra cards if need be, whatever it takes.

Toner cartridges and cell phones - please continue to bring in those old toner cartridges, and used cell phones. We earn steady money from them, not much, but it is steady. Every little bit helps. We currently are rolling 400.00 over to the bus account from the toner account. That helps a lot.

Scout Bus – We are actually closer than ever. I rolled 400 out of the toner fund today and we have actually found a good bus. Stay tuned…

Web stuff – we are on facebook at – boyscouttroop  onesixfive.      We are on youtube  http://www.youtube.com/user/ScoutTroop165

And as always at http://www.troop165bsa.org/

 

Knotmaster – This is a really cool program – Jacob and Jeremiah will be running this- it is incredible. It is a program that will teach scouts to tie knots to a new level. It can take years to complete. My thoughts are that each of our Eagles should be "Black Knots". Our scouts can camp better, cook better, and perform better than most. Now they will do knots better.. Watch for details very soon.

Troop store - In the next week or two look for our new Troop store. We will try to stock everything you may need for a Scout (except the uniform), look for neckerchiefs, slides, books, Eagle Camp Mugs, and a host of other items to be on display in the lobby of the hut. These items will be sold for as close to our cost as possible. We are doing this to help make it a little easier for the parents. It is a pain to drive to Griffin, or Fairburn to get stuff. Hopefully we can help with that.

Rental Gear Program – Troop 165 has started a rental gear program aimed at hoping to help make Scouting more affordable to newcomers. Scouts (and parents) will now be able to rent tents and backpacks from us.  Look for info on that inside the hut. Scouts and parents will be able to rent a tent or a backpack when needed. That will hopefully help defray the high initial cost of joining scouts.  We don't have a lot of stuff now, but bear with us and we will grow this program.

Adopt A Road  -  Stay tuned.

March 27th - 4PM: Court of Honor - new location. We will be holding this one at the Brown's farm in Zebulon. It will be a cookout, Court of Honor, Webelos Crossover Ceremony, and an OA Tapout ceremony. The guys just informed me that they want to do a Flag Retirement also......  Look for a flyer to go home soon with more details. Please plan to attend. Kids can fish and play on the beach. Should be a great time. I know the Scouts are very excited about their OA ceremony they have planned. Stay tuned on this one as it is weather dependent. Check your email often for updates. Chris S or I will try to keep you updated.

Recruiting Drive - Since recruiting is now a requirement for Rank, we are going to encourage the boys to recruit. For every boy that joins the Troop, the Scout that recruits him will get a ticket for a drawing. The winner will get an IPod Shuffle or a Kershaw Assisted opening knife. Both valued at $50.00. Encourage your son to invite his friends to visit the Troop or attend our March camping trip. The contest ends May 1st with the drawing at the May 4th meeting.

 

I can assure you we will receive no help from our District with recruiting new scouts, Period!  They will not help us. That is a proven fact.  That is a totally separate issue that we are going to be dealing with later when the time is right. So, for now, recruiting will need to be a group effort.  Recruit for our Troop every chance you get. We are blessed to have a very large Pack right now, and I am trying to work with David Holly (the Cubmaster) to make sure we can recruit those new scouts.

Thanks.

Doug

 

Worth watching

Wanna know why I am in Scouting.

 

http://www.scoutingnews.org/2009/04/13/middle-tennessee-council-boy-scouts-luncheon-2009/

Thanks

--
Doug Clemens
Scoutmaster Troop 165
http://www.troop165bsa.org
scoutmaster165@gmail.com
404-520-1160

The school system may have done away with winners and losers; life has not.
Bill Gates