PACK 226 Orientation Guide 2009-2010

Welcome! Our number 226 was derived from Proverbs Chapter 22, Verse 6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

Pack Committee Contact Information:

Stephen Lane, Cubmaster, [email protected] Jon Hale, Asst. Cubmaster, [email protected] Marj Trumble, Secretary, [email protected] John & Shelly Akers, Treasurer, [email protected] Holly Cox, Advancement Coordinator, [email protected] Becky Penrod & Charlotte Hale, Popcorn Chair, [email protected] Elizabeth Farris, Character Awards Coordinator, [email protected] Cindi Jackson, Blue and Gold Banquet Coordinator, [email protected] CUB SCOUT GLOSSARY of TERMS

DEN A group of 6-10 boys of the same age and grade level who meet at least once a month. Each den has a specific den number. Dens are organized by rank. Ranks are organized by grade and age.

PACK The whole group of Cub Scouts encompassing boys from 1st grade to 5th grade. All of our dens and their families together are called the PACK. We are PACK 226 there are several other packs in Branson and Hollister.

PACK MEETINGS Pack 226 meets once a month, usually on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:00. Pack meetings are where scouts are recognized for the achievements earned during their den meetings and other pack activities. During pack meetings they have the opportunity to receive character awards, patches, belt-loops, pins and beads depending on what they have accomplished in their den meetings the previous month. There is a pack meeting every month with the exception of January, February, June, July and August. In January the Pinewood Derby takes the place of the January pack meeting. The Blue and Gold banquet takes the place of the monthly pack meeting in February.

TIGER Cub Scout in the 1st grade. Typically (but not always) a Cub Scout’s first year of scouting. Tiger Cubs wear the blue uniform shirt and orange neckerchief with the tiger slide.

WOLF Cub Scout in the 2nd grade. Wolf Cubs wear the blue uniform shirt and yellow neckerchief with the wolf slide

BEAR Cub Scout in the 3rd grade. Bear Cubs wear the blue uniform shirt and light blue neckerchief with the bear slide.

WEBELOS Cub Scouts in the 4th and 5th grades. First year Webelos are in the 4th grade and second year Webelos are in the 5th grade. Webelo stands for “We will be loyal scouts” Webelos wear the brown uniform shirt and the plaid neckerchief for first and second year.

CLASS A UNIFORM The “Class A” consists of the blue or brown uniform shirt worn with a neckerchief and slide. Class A uniforms are worn to Pack meetings, Pinewood Derby, Blue and Gold Banquet and any additional events where the scout will be representing Cub Scouts in public. REQUIRED PATCHES for the CLASS A COUNCIL STRIP patch denotes the council that we belong to The Blazing Trails Council PACK NUMBERS 226 DEN NUMBER STRIP WORLD CREST patch emblazoned with the Fleur de Lis. The Fleur de Lis is the international Boy Scout emblem.

*As boys advance in ranks they will add rank badges to the left pocket of their uniform shirt. Patch placement guidelines are in each Cub Scout handbook.

CLASS B UNIFORM The Pack 226 navy blue collared polo shirt and matching hat. The Tiger, Wolf, Bear Webelos hat or Pack 226 hat can be worn with the “Class B” shirt. Reserved for den meetings and casual events. Class B uniforms are $20.00 for the matching hat and shirt. They are available for purchase at the Pack 226 scout store before and after monthly pack meetings.

PATCHES Scouts earn a patch for all of the pack activities that they participate in. Pack 226 organizes and participates in several special events and activities such as community service, lake-shore clean up, Branson school assemblies, the Adoration parade, popcorn sales, pinewood derby, and our annual Pack 226 talent show during the Blue and Gold banquet. Scouts earn a special patch for each of these events. Special patches can also be earned through the “leader of the pack” character awards announced at each pack meeting.

PATCH VEST The red patch vest is where all of the special event patches are placed.

TIGER CUB PARTNER Adult partner who joins with a Tiger Cub to help him with all of his Tiger Cub activities. Parental involvement is a requirement at the Tiger Den level. A parent, grandparent, or adult partner MUST be present at all Tiger Cub events. This is required by the Boy Scouts of America and supported by Pack 226 policies.

BOBCAT BADGE The FIRST thing that all scouts earn upon entering Cub Scouts. To earn the Bobcat badge (or patch) boys learn the seven basic tenants of Cub Scouting, the Promise, and the Law of the Pack sign, the handshake, the motto, the salute and what Webelos means. COMMUNITY SERVICE Pack 226 has adopted CAM (Christian Action Ministries) as our community service project. We participate in several food drives throughout the year to benefit CAM. In order to receive the Community Service patch a scout must participate in 10 hours of community service each year.

Community Service Guidelines 2009-2010 Christian Action Ministries is a non-denominational local organization dedicated to providing caring assistance with food, clothing, prescriptions, rent and utilities. In 2006, a total of 4350 families were given assistance by CAM. Each year Christian Action Ministries food pantry distributes hundreds of pounds of food and grocery products to hungry and needy people in our community. CAM receives no government funds for operating expenses and is supported solely by donations from individuals, churches, businesses, clubs and civic organizations.

Our Program this year started with the annual Scouting for Food project in March. During the first and second weekends in March scouts collected 5, 318 food items, $913 dollars in cash and $109 dollars in community cash. Our upcoming community service projects are listed below.

Friday June 27th, Christmas for CAM Food Drive, 9:00-3:00, Country Mart 248 Saturday June 28th, Christmas for CAM Food Drive, 9:00-7:00, Country Mart 248 Selected Wednesdays & Fridays during the summer, Pantry Volunteering, 9:00-12:00 Selected Wednesdays during the fall, Loaves & Fishes Volunteering, 6:00pm November, Pajama Party, (pajama donation drive) December, Toys for Tots, (toy drive) December & January, Coats for CAM Community Service Patch Requirements 10 community service hours is the required minimum to earn the community service patch. The requirements vary by age and rank. Scouts must work in the CAM pantry for 2 of their total required hours.

Tiger Cubs complete all 10 hours participating in pack sanctioned projects.

Wolf Cubs and Bear Cubs are required to participate in 8 hours of pack-sanctioned projects. In addition, Wolves and Bears are required to participate in a den service project of their choice to benefit CAM fulfilling the remaining 2 hours.

Webelos are required to participate in 6 hours of pack-sanctioned projects. In addition, Webelos are required to participate in a den service project of their choice to benefit CAM fulfilling the remaining 4 hours. Community Service Contest The scouts with the highest number of hours in the pack will receive prizes. Prizes will be awarded to the top 5 earners in the pack. Any scout who earns above and beyond the 10- hour minimum will receive an additional award. The den that earns the most total hours will win a “lock in” at the YMCA and pizza party.

SCOUTING for FOOD Scouting for food is a Boy Scouts of America national food drive held every year during the first and second weekends in March. The first weekend in March fliers are placed on doorknobs in residential areas that state the mission of Scouting for Food. People are asked to leave food donations for our local food pantry (in this case CAM) The second weekend in March Cub Scouts return to the neighborhoods and homes where they have placed fliers to collect donations. Pack 226 participates in additional food drives at our local participating grocery stores during both weekends. All of the food collected is donated to CAM. This is a national scouting project and also counts towards our pack’s 10 hour community service requirement required to earn the community service patch. Scouts wear their Class A uniforms while participating in this event.

BELT-LOOPS and PINS Also known as the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program or sometimes referred to as “the red book” This is a supplemental program that is in ADDITION to your regular handbook. Most of these activities scouts can be accomplished with a parent. Parents then inform their den leaders of what they have accomplished and the boys can receive their belt-loop and/or pin at one of the monthly pack meetings. This is an ongoing program spanning 1st through 5th grades. There is no need to try to earn everything during the first year. The “red book” can be purchased at our “Scout store” during monthly pack meetings. Each activity has two levels of involvement: first the belt loop and second the pin. There are three specific requirements for the belt loop. Once the scout has earned the belt loop he may complete additional requirements to earn a pin. Pins are worn on the Cub Scout Academics and Sports letter. The letter is displayed on the “patch vest” not on the Class A uniform. Attending three pack meetings and participating in either the pinewood derby or the blue and gold banquet earn the letter.

BLUE AND GOLD BANQUET Held in February to celebrate the anniversary of Cub Scouting. The Pack 226 Blue and Gold banquet tradition is to have a talent show evening where the boys can perform skits, songs, tell jokes, and get a chance to showcase their talents. The dens compete in a table-decorating contest where the winning den wins a pizza party. The boys also present their parents with “thank you” gifts that they have made at a previous den meeting.

PINEWOOD DERBY A pack racing competition held in January where Cub Scouts and their parents work together to make model pinewood derby cars and compete for prizes. Derby car kits are distributed at the December pack meeting. Top five racers in the pack go on to compete at the District Pinewood Derby.

POPCORN SALES All Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts sell popcorn during the month of October. Popcorn sales help pay for pack expenses. Popcorn sales are crucial to maintain the financial capabilities of our pack. Pack 226 policies ensure that scouts who sell popcorn will have a portion of their profits deposited in their own “Scout Account” Popcorn sales information is distributed at the September pack meeting.

SCOUT ACCOUNTS All scouts who sell popcorn receive a percentage of the profits from their sales in their individual scout account. If a scout earns $30 or more for his scout account by selling enough popcorn then he is not required to pay the yearly pack dues of $30. Money in scout accounts can be used to buy items at our “scout store”, or pay for special events like the blue and gold banquet or summer activity fees. All patches, pins and belt loops are billed accordingly to individual scout accounts.

PACK DUES Pack dues are $30 collected in January. Dues help pay for patches, pins, belt- loops, awards and to offset the costs of pack events and infrastructure. Dues are collected in January after popcorn sales determine whether payment of dues is necessary. If a scout does not earn enough through popcorn sales to cover dues the balance is collected.

BOY’S LIFE MAGAZINE A Scouting magazine for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Boy’s Life magazine is published by the Boy Scouts of America (circulation is 1.3 million) The boy’s life web site is great place for scouts to play on-line games and learn the joke of the day, www.boyslife.org

DISTRICT Our district is the Blazing Trails District. The district provides support to Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops by training adult leaders, planning district activities and obtaining financial support for programming. Blazing Trails District encompasses the towns of Branson, Holister, Forsyth, Reeds Spring, Blue Eye and Ava. The district web site is www.blazingtrailsdistrict.org Our District Executive is Jeff Barry, [email protected].

COUNCIL Our Council is the Ozark Trails Council. The council serves more than 16,000 youth and volunteers throughout 31 counties in South Central and Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas. The council charters over 400 local organizations to conduct the scouting program. Our council office is located at 1616 South Eastgate Avenue in Springfield (across from Sam’s) The council web-site is www.ozarktrailsbsa.org

SCOUT SHOP in SPRINGFIELD The council office houses a “scout shop” open to the public. The scout shop sells uniforms, reference books, pinewood derby supplies, camping supplies and Cub Scout and Boy Scout paraphernalia.

PACK 226 “SCOUT STORE” At every pack meeting pack 226 operates a “mini” version of the Springfield Scout Shop. We do this as a service to our members by bringing the essentials to our pack meetings in order to save you the drive to Springfield. You can buy handbooks, Class A and Class B uniforms and belts. For adults we have available matching Pack 226 t-shirts, hats, visors and Class B uniforms.

CROSSOVER Crossover ceremonies take place at the May pack meeting. This is when scouts who have completed all of the requirements in their scout handbook can crossover to the next rank in scouting. Leaders and parents work together to ensure that all boys in a den will crossover simultaneously in May. Crossover consists of a formal ceremony for each den conducted by den leaders. Parents come forward to remove the neckerchief and slide from the previous rank and present the neckerchief and slide of the next rank. Scouts are then re-introduced to the audience by name and new rank. This is the culmination of the year in scouting.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES By participating in one activity per month during June, July and August scouts can earn the Summertime Pin. Pack 226 leadership will set the summer activity schedule. Activities change yearly. The summer schedule always includes Cub Scout Resident Camp and Day Camp. THE SCOUTING PROGRAM

The Boy Scouts of America, founded in 1910, was based on the principles of duty to God, country, family and self. Scouting strives to instill values in our young people, values that are essential to the future of our communities, nation and world.

The 10 purposes of Cub Scouting are:

1. Character Development 2. Spiritual Growth 3. Good Citizenship 4. Sportsmanship and Fitness 5. Family Understanding 6. Respectful Relationships 7. Personal Achievement 8. Friendly Service 9. Fun and Adventure 10. Preparation for Boy Scouts

Cub Scout Motto Do Your Best.

Cub Scout Promise I, ______Promise to do my best To do my duty to God and my Country, To help other people, and Obey the Law of the Pack

The Cub Scout Colors The Cub Scout colors are blue and gold. They have special meaning. The blue stands for truth and spirituality, steadfast loyalty, and the sky above. The gold stands for warm sunlight, good cheer, and happiness.