BSA HORSESHOE TRAIL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

Chester County Council November 2011

Scouting For Food is Happening Now Was Fun for Both Aliens and On Saturday, November 12, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Cowboys Venturers from Chester County Council will be placing for Food plastic bags on door steps across Chester County. Scouts will return to pick these bags up on Saturday morning, November 19. Food donations should be placed on doorsteps for pick up before 8 AM that morning. Scouting for Food is Chester County Council’s largest service project involving several thousand Scouts and volunteers across the county. Since 2005, Scouts in Chester County Council, their families and volunteer leaders have collected over 200,000 food items for our neighbors living with hunger. The council’s goal this year is 75,000 items.

Unidentified Flying Objects included pumpkins at the October Camporee where Aliens convened at Hibernia Park. Below: Lining up a slingshot at some aliens.

L to R: Doug Cook, Co-chair of the Scouting for Food Drive, Boy Scouts; Alex Jamnicky, Mark Frazier, Payton Shonk, Ben Cook, Dillan Duvall, Venturer Amber Cook, Mona Cook - Co-chair, Scouting for Food, , Cub Scouts Thomas, Wright & Ryan Mehlmann.

Doug and Mona Cook, Co-Chairs of the Scouting for Food Drive shared why they support the event: “As members of the , we have an obligation to “help And taking slingshot aim at some aliens. other people” as seen in the Oath, the Oath and the Promise. The slogan of the Boy Scouts of America is “Do a Good Turn Daily”. To do a good turn is INSIDE THIS ISSUE more than simple good manners. It is a special act of  October Camporee  Winter Challenge kindness. As individuals, it should be our moral obligation  ScoutStrong PALA Challenge to help those in need. A simple act of kindness such as  Eagle Scout Advancement Changes helping to provide a meal to a family that can’t afford one  District News and Calendar, Chairman’s goes a long way in making someone’s day a good one or a Corner, Rechartering, Journey to Excellence, bad one. There is no reason why anyone in Chester County Service Hours  New Eagles (or anywhere else in the US) should go hungry even for a  Training  Units About and Around day. As we tell our children, “put yourself in someone’s (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE) The Horseshoe Trail District Newsletter is produced by the District Committee Editor: Toni Gorkin - Contact [email protected] to provide content to this newsletter Page 1 BSA HORSESHOE TRAIL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

Chester County Council November 2011

Scouting for Food (continued) shoes that can’t afford a meal, and then tell us how you would feel.” According to Larry Welsch, Executive Director of the Chester County Food Bank, “The need in our county continues to grow, and now 1 in 8 people are struggling to have enough food. We are very thankful that the Chester County Council of the Boy Scouts of America is stepping up to help provide food for the hungry in our County. We thank them for their support and this very valuable partnership with the Chester County Food Bank.”

Russ Neubauer, President of the Chester County Council, Boy Scouts of America said “One of the lessons that Boy Scouts teaches is to do a good turn daily and be of service to others in our community. What better way is there for an eight year old Cub Scout, or a Scout, or an adult of any age, to learn this lesson than by helping to collect food for families who otherwise would go to bed hungry? This is the type of caring service we want to instill in all our Scouts not just at the holidays but year round.”

Non-perishable food items most needed by the local food cupboards here in Chester County are: Soups - Canned Fruit - Cereal - Peanut Butter - Rice - Low Sodium Foods - Canned Vegetables - Spaghetti Sauce – Stuffing Mix - Low Sugar Foods - Canned Meats - Jelly – Pasta - Instant Mashed Potatoes - Reduced Fat Foods - Microwaveable one serving meals Please—nothing perishable, frozen or in glass. Monetary donations cannot be accepted.

More on Camporee: Aliens at Hibernia. . . Cowboys at Horseshoe! . . . and Belt Loops for the Cub Scouts!

Over 400 Scouts and Scouters camped at Hibernia on October 14-16, taking part in Camporee events that reflected the Aliens theme; another 500 Scouts and Scouters camped at the Horseshoe site and took part in Camporee activities suited to the Cowboys theme. In addition, 71 Cubs attended the Belt Loop event at Hibernia, and another group earned belt loops at Horseshoe. The weather was windy, presenting challenges to tent setup, but everyone seemed to be enjoying the events, the camping, the cooking . . . especially the cooking. Troops hosted Webelos, who got a taste of Scout activities. Pumpkins were everywhere at both sites, either being carved and displayed or thrown at alien targets. A successful event at both sites!

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Chester County Council November 2011

Looking Ahead: The Winter Challenge! January 20-22, 2012 Friday, 6:30 pm to Sunday 11:30 am Camp Horseshoe and Ware Are you smarter than a Scoutmaster or can you tie it in a minute? On January 20-22, 2012, the Winter Fest will be held at the Horseshoe Reservation. Competitions will be held in both Camp Ware and Camp Horseshoe. Scouts will have the opportunity to compete in a variety of Game show themed events throughout Saturday's challenge and part of the day will require a Klondike style sled to be used. The events this year will be open to all Troops and Crews for camping and will be a day event for Webelos. Registration is open, with lodging based on first come basis. Groups reserve space for camping and must provide a roster with final numbers before the close of registration on January 8, 2012. Additional information will be available at the November roundtable. Cost: Everyone pays a $30.00 fee paid online with registration; this fee will be deducted from your final headcount. Webelos/Parents pay $7.50 for the day at check-in. Scouts/Venturers pay $17.50 for indoor camping and $12.50 for outside camping per person. Scouts / Venturers participating only for the day activities - pay $7.50 per person fee. A 50% refund will be given if registration is cancelled before 12/18/11. If registration is cancelled after 12/18/2011 and before 1/8/2012 a 25% will be given. If registration is cancelled after 1/8/2012 no refund will be given. Register online at cccbsa.org! Click on What’s New . . .

Take the SCOUTStrong PALA Challenge The Boy Scouts of America and the President’s Challenge program have teamed up to help Scouts of all ages and abilities increase their level of physical activity by completing the SCOUTStrong Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). PALA is offered by the President’s Challenge, a program of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (www.fitness.gov). MOVE IT · LOG IT · EARN IT PALA is designed to motivate participants to be physically active on a regular basis by doing the activities they enjoy. Select from activities like walking or biking around the neighborhood, hiking a trail, cleaning the house, playing with the kids, mowing the grass, playing basketball, running, gardening, yoga, and many more. Best of all anyone regardless of their fitness level can achieve PALA! HOW IT WORKS To achieve a SCOUTStrong PALA, your goal is to be active at least 5 days a week for 6 out of 8 weeks. Youth (6-17 years) should get moving for at least 60 minutes per day, and adults (18 years or older) should be active for 30 minutes per day.

See more information and a link to create an account to log your activity on cccbsa.org under What’s New or go to www.scouting.org/SCOUTStrongPALA .

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Chester County Council November 2011

Eagle Scout Advancement – Process Changed

The new process for Eagle Scouts to advance from Life to Eagle Rank was described at the October 11 Horseshoe Trail District Roundtable. Rich Coster, HTD Committee Chair, presented the Life to Eagle Seminar to about 30 people, including 12 youth. The new Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook is now available from the Chester County Council website through a link to http://www.eaglescout.itgo.com/Process.htm. Scouts on the path from Life to Eagle can use the new process and the new Workbook now; they must use it as of January 1, 2012.

Submit the Eagle Project Plan Rich Coster pointed out that much about the Eagle Scout process is the same; the Eagle Scout project still is intended for the Scout to demonstrate leadership. The biggest change is that the approval of the project occurs earlier, with the Scout submitting an initial plan and basic idea, documented by the Scout using the new Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook. This plan is still to be reviewed with the Scoutmaster, beneficiary organization representative, Troop Committee, and then by the District Representative. This initial approved plan becomes part of the Eagle packet.

Carry Out the Project Then, after signatures have been received on this initial plan, the Scout proceeds with detailed planning – again using the new Eagle Project Workbook -- and then completes the project. The process for completing the project has not changed. The Scout is expected to plan, organize, and manage the project, take pictures and record his activities, record who has helped, etc. Then the Scout obtains the final sign-off from the organization for whom he is doing the project. As before, the Scout should build the Project Workbook along the way, accumulating all the documents and records.

It is strongly recommended that units have a coach or Eagle advisor who will assist the Scout with the detailed planning. This role has existed in many units, but will expand as this new process rolls out.

Fund-Raising Contacts for District Approval and It was noted at the meeting that the project Questions beneficiary organization has to approve fund-raising Your first contact for questions should be your Troop’s because the Scout is fund-raising “in the name of” Eagle Advisor or your Scoutmaster. If you have questions them, not the Troop. A form approved by Council is that he cannot answer, or if you are ready for the approval of required. This is all spelled out in the new the District Advancement Committee (the last signature after Workbook. you have signatures from the organization, your

Finish the Paperwork Scoutmaster, and your unit committee chair), contact the The Eagle Board of Review will finally approve the following: project as carried out. In most cases, all they will Horseshoe Trail District know about the project is what the Scout will show in This district covers the area served by the Downingtown, the final report in the Project Workbook. The report Coatesville, Owen J Roberts, and Twin Valley School should represent the Scout’s best effort. “Treat it like Districts. an important term paper,” Rich Coster advised the Chair: Linda Bowling, 610-648-0541, [email protected] Scouts in the meeting, “one that represents a yearlong Troops north of Route 401 contact: Michael “Bud” Burdy, project and one you want to get an A+ on!” 610-286-6134 (home), 484-624-9393 (cell), [email protected] The paperwork and process is outlined on the website Troops south of Route 401 contact: Erik Brecht, 610-857- cited above. The Scout should prepare for the Eagle 5361 (home), 610-637-6655 (cell), [email protected] Scoutmaster conference: confirm that the Scoutmaster has received six reference letters; complete the project write-up; fill out the Eagle Project Summary form at the end of the Workbook; write the “statement of ambitions and life purpose.” (CONTINUED on NEXT PAGE)

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Chester County Council November 2011

Eagle Scout Advancement Process (continued) Download and fill out the Request for an Eagle Scout Application, attaching items as instructed. After the Scoutmaster conference, the Scoutmaster will sign the “Request for Eagle Scout Rank Application.” The Scout or Scoutmaster then delivers or mails the Request and attachments to the Council Office. Council will enter information from that form into the ScoutNet computer system and verify all the data, then print out the official “Verified Eagle Rank Application” form and mail it to the Scout. At this point, the Scout fills in information about the people who wrote the references on the Application, signs it, obtains Scoutmaster and Committee Chair’s signatures. The Scoutmaster delivers all the paperwork, including the Service Project Workbook and the references, to the chair of the Eagle Scout Board of Review. The Board of Review is then scheduled.

NOTE: If the Scout is turning 18, all the requirements through the Scoutmaster conference, including all the paperwork, must be completed BEFORE his 18th birthday. The paperwork must then be submitted promptly to the Council office. The board of review can be scheduled up to 3 months after the Scout’s 18th birthday, or 6 months in special cases. Re-Chartering is Under Way!

Re-chartering is under way. Re-charter packets were in your unit mailbox ready for pick-up starting at the October Roundtable on October 11. Using instructions in the packet, you will be able to log on to the Internet Re-Chartering System beginning on November 1. To help with the re-chartering process, Council was doing its semi-annual membership inventory in the last two weeks of October. The goal is to help ensure that your roster is as accurate as possible before you start the re-charter process.

Untrained leaders could prevent your unit from re-chartering! The Council Training Policy, dated November 12, 2010 reads, in part: "Beginning with unit re-chartering for 2012, all Chester County Council unit must have all direct contact adult leaders fully trained in accordance with the BSA training guidelines in effect at the time of re-chartering. Volunteers not meeting the training requirement may be re-chartered as committee members. This policy provides a one- year window for unit adult leaders to become trained for their position. Going forward, unit adult leaders have one year from the date of their initial registration to become fully trained for their position. Direct contact leaders are: Tiger Cub Den Leaders and assistants, Den Leaders and assistants, Webelos Den Leaders and assistants, Cubmasters and assistants, Scoutmasters and assistants, Crew Advisors and assistants, and Unit Committee Chairs. Requests for waivers or extensions must be approved by the Council Commissioner prior to the unit re-chartering. Waivers will not be granted for Youth Protection Training." District Re-Chartering Day December 3, 2011 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lionville For those who are prepared to turn in their signed re-charter applications.

We’ll also be prepared to accept them at the December 13 Roundtable. Getting your re-charter done by one of these two dates is worth extra points toward the Top Unit in District Award.

IMPORTANT: Since your current charter expires on December 31, 2011, re-charter applications for 2012 must be completed and submitted no later than December 31.

Don’t Forget Journey to Excellence – Unit Tools Provided Earl Eckbold, Senior District Executive, has sent out Journey to Excellence worksheets to Troop, Crew, and Pack leaders to help units tally their Journey to Excellence scores. “The Microsoft Excel® tools are easy to use,” says Earl, “eliminating guesswork and math work.” Just use the “Data Entry” tab to enter your raw data. When you’re done, click on the “JTE Data Page” tab, and you’ll see your completed 2011 Journey to Excellence form. Print, sign, and turn it in with your Charter Renewal packet. Be sure to Enable Macros for full functionality of the form.

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Chester County Council November 2011

And Don’t Forget to Log Your Unit’s Service Hours Good Turn For America So far, in 2011 29,500 hours have been reported. Many of us are doing service projects all year long. Don't forget to log in your hours for Scouting for Food, Chartered Partner service projects, Eagle projects, and more. Update your Good Turn for America hours today. Click here to do so today! (https://scoutnet.scouting.org/gtfa/ui/security/login.aspx)

HORSESHOE TRAIL DISTRICT NEWS

DISTRICT CALENDAR (Check CCCBSA Calendar for times, registration, and additional Council events)  Nov 7: Horseshoe Trail District Committee Meeting – St Peters RC Church, Coatesville  Nov 10: CCC Council-Wide Roundtable – NOTE: THURSDAY not Tuesday  Nov 12: Distribute Food for Scouting bags  Nov 19: Collect Food for Scouting bags  Nov 19: Commissioners Training – Council Center  Dec 3: District Re-charter Day – 9:00 am-2:00 pm – St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 104 S Village Ave Exton  Dec 3: Scoutmaster Specific Training – Malvern, PA  Dec 5: Horseshoe Trail District Committee Meeting – St Peters RC Church, Coatesville  Dec 10: Scoutmaster Specific Training  Dec 13: Horseshoe Trail District Roundtable 7:30 pm -St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 104 S Village Ave Exton  Dec 31: Deadline for Re-chartering

Horseshoe Trail District Chairman’s Corner November 2011 OK. We are all in the final stretch of 2011. As units, there is a lot on your plate. Many of you are in the final stages of Popcorn Sales. From everything we have heard and seen, we are tracking to hit a new record level of sales. Congratulations to all the units that have participated this year.

Scouting for Food will be kicking off in a couple of weeks. As a council we have established a very aggressive goal. And with your help, we can do it. If you did not know, the efforts of the Scouts will be supporting the Chester County Food Bank. In Chester County, in spite of the overall high level of affluence in our county, one in every ten families needs some kind of food assistance every year. By supporting the efforts of our youth, we can have a very significant positive impact in our community. I hope you will do all you can to assist in this tremendous effort.

The last two things I would like to mention are Re-charter and Journey to Excellence. Many units have already started preparing for Re-Charter with membership inventories. Remember that the re-charter process can be done on line. We have also set up a Re-charter day on December 3rd. Make your appointment now and knock this out. That just leaves tallying up your points and submitting your results for the first year of Journey to Excellence. It has been an interesting year with measuring these different criteria.

Yours in Scouting, Rich Coster Chairman, Horseshoe Trail District [email protected], h: 610-383-9130 w: 610-293-7995

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Chester County Council November 2011

NEW EAGLE SCOUTS 2 Reilly Michael Haney 6//14/11 37 Brett Snowden Cloetingh 6/14/11 117 James Charles Tipton 6/14/11 8 James John Acee 8/16/11 8 James Steven Moser, Jr 8/16/11 79 Connor Stephen Scheidel 9/20/11 52 Thomas George Apostolacus 9/21/11 23 Zachary Michael Fell 10/6/11 2 Kevin Robert Carney 10/11/11 95 Brian A Velez Rodriguez 10/11/11 95 Andrew John Heacock 10/11/11 51 Thomas C Stelzer 10/18/11 216 Timothy James Harnish 10/18/11 216 Michael Joseph Brova 10/18/11 216 David Jay Scheuerman 10/18/11

Note: 2012 is the 100th anniversary of the first Eagle Scout. The Eagle patch will have additional content during 2012 to recognize the anniversary.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES To register online go to www.cccbsa.org - click “training” Powder Horn August 3-5, 2012 Camp Ware What’s Powder Horn? A training opportunity designed to introduce participants to activities and resources necessary to operate a successful Venturing Award or Troop High Adventure program. Topic and activities include: Backpacking, Land Navigation, Cave Exploring, Cooking, Life Saver, Outdoor Living History, Shotgun, Rappelling, Cope, Physical Fitness, Plants & Wildlife, Leave No Trace, Emergency Preparedness, Scuba, Pistol, Equestrian, Kayak, Expedition Planning, Fishing, First Aid, Fly Fishing, and Working with Teens. Powder Horn is not just for adults; youth over 13 can attend. . . . a great program for Venturers. Class size will be limited. Register online at http://bit.ly/powderhorn2012

Scoutmaster Specific Training December 10, 2011 - 8:30 am-5:00pm – Council Service Center December 3, 2011 - 8:00 am-4:00 pm – Malvern, PA Cost $5 Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Specific Training is designed to help the new Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster get up to speed quickly with their new leadership position! Part I: The Role of the Scoutmaster in a Boy-Led Troop Part II: The Outdoor Program and the Advancement Program Part III: Program Planning and Troop Administration All 3 parts offered. Participants will need to bring a bag lunch.

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Chester County Council November 2011

Chester County Council Commissioner’s Training Day November 19, 2011 Council Service Center, West Chester 8:00am registration - Courses 8:30 till 4:00pm Lunch will be served Cost: $5.00 payable at the door

All commissioners please come and join us and be trained. There will be Basic Training for the Commissioners who have not yet completed basic training. And there will be training for the experienced Commissioner who wants to further his learning on a particular aspect of being a Commissioner. For further questions, ask your District Commissioner or Harry Gladfelter, the Assistant Council Commissioner for Commissioner Training. 610-933-3542

Wood Badge Adult Leader Training April 13-15 AND May 5-7, 2012 Course Cost is $260 is for all Scout leaders. It has been developed for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, and Venturing leaders, as well as council and district leaders. Its focus is on further developing already present leadership skills. As a result of attending Wood Badge, you will be able to:  View Scouting globally, as a family of interrelated, values-based programs that provide age-appropriate activities for youth.  Recognize the contemporary leadership concepts utilized in corporate America and leading government organizations that are relevant to our values-based movement.  Apply the skills you learn from your participation as a member of a successful working team.  Revitalize your commitment by sharing in an overall inspirational experience that helps provide Scouting with the leadership it needs to accomplish its mission on an ongoing basis. In addition, you'll make some great Scouting friends and build a network of people that can help your pack, troop, or crew. For more information, go to: http://bit.ly/n6-539-12-1

Looking Ahead: University of Scouting It’s being planned for January 2012 A great chance to get all kinds of useful training, meet with fellow Scouters, and share information. Watch for details coming soon!

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Chester County Council November 2011

Units About and Around

On Oct. 27th, members of Dog Scout Troop 202 - "Berk's Barkers" from Boyertown, PA visited Lionville Cub Scout Pack 216's monthly Pack meeting to talk with the boys about Dog Scouts and Dog safety. Troop Leader Rachaell Kehler, along with her Pit Bull Terrier – Cinder - demonstrated some training techniques and tricks. They also showed the boys how to "read" a dog's body language, to know when it is safe to approach a dog or not - but the biggest point to remember - ALWAYS ask the dog owner FIRST!

If you'd like more info about Dog Scouts T202, here is their website: http://dogscoutsboyetown.web.officelive.com/def ault.aspx

The Pack also collected 30 towels and seven blankets for donation to the Chester County SPCA.

Local Youth Serving in Venturing Leadership -- by Melanie Kirkpatrick Georgina Curtis, right, from Chester County Council's Crew 23 is serving as Vice-President on the National Venturing Youth Cabinet. This is the first year for this position. Previously, Gina served in many officer positions in Crew 23 and has been on staff for VLSC, NYLT, Webelos Woods and Wood Badge courses. She represented Venturing on her Council's Executive Board for 3 years, served as the Vice President of Administration for her Council's Venturing Officers Association and then she served two years on the Area 6 VOA as Treasurer and then President. Most recently she served as the Venturing President for the Northeast Region in the 2010-2011 term. She has earned the Outdoor Bronze Award, Gold Award and has received the Council, Regional and National Venturing Leadership Awards. Gina was on staff for the 2010 National Scout at the Technology Quest Exhibit.

Christine Luczka (left) from Chester County Council's Crew 23 is currently serving as the 2011-2012 Venturing President for the Northeast Region. In the past Christine has held numerous Venturing leadership positions in her Crew, has served as Secretary for her Council's Venturing Officers Association, and most recently as Area 6 VOA President. Christine has staffed many BSA leadership courses (including VLSC, NYLT and NYLT Leadership Academy). She has earned the Outdoor Bronze Award and been the recipient of Chester County Council's Venturing Leadership Award. Congratulations to Christine in being chosen to serve as the Northeast Region Venturing President this year!

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