October 2020 Newsletter

OCTOBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

OFFICE HOURS The Golden Spread Council Office and Scout Shop are open: Monday thru Friday 8:30—5:30

OFFICE CLOSURES The Golden Spread Council will be closed for the following holidays in 2020: Thanksgiving Day and the day after; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; New Year’s Eve

Additionally, the Scout Shop will be open the following Saturdays in 2020: October 3 & 10; November 14

Be sure to check out our website calendar for ALL of the exciting events happening in the Golden Spread Council or follow this link:

https://goldenspread.org/

SCOUT EXECUTIVE’S BLOG

This September we held two new Council Cub Scout Camping events, Webelos Woods and Cub Family Campout. Both events were a great success, it was exciting to see our Scouts outdoors at Camp M.K. Brown and Camp Don Harrington. Numerous Troops helped support Webelos Woods and Troop 94 did a fantastic job hosting the Cub Family Campout! Upcoming Council events include our two Spook-O-Ree’s that will take place October as well as Environmental Science MB Class, Duty to God Workshop and our rescheduled Camporee in November. We are grateful for the volunteers and parents who are going above and beyond to get our Scouts back to doing fun outdoor activities in a safe and healthy environment.

We hope to see everyone at our upcoming Council events and that our local Packs and Troops are able to plan and implement similar unit level activities. If you would like any COVID-19 support materials for your unit when planning outings for your unit, we have some great resources on our website (www.goldenspread.org) that have been helpful with Council level activities. Additionally, the National Office has put together a Restart Scouting Checklist available for Scouting units that can be found online at https:// filestore.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680-693.pdf.

If your Pack or Troop are having any challenges in planning Scouting activities with regards to CDC guidelines, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at the Service Center. Your District Executive will be able to provide you with resources and guidelines to help you with COVID-19 challenges while preparing for an activity. In a healthy and safe environment, a good Scouting program will provide the mental and physical needs our young people require to stay physically strong and mentally awake.

Look for Brian to share thoughts, experiences and good practices for Scouting in his blog each quarter!

COUNCIL EVENTS

EDITOR’S NOTE

Hello Golden Spread Council volunteers, parents, staff and board members! I hope this finds all of our volunteers and families doing well during this continued coronavirus pandemic!

The good news for this month is: The first inaugural class of female Eagles is here! In this feature there is an amazing article from Scoutingwire.com of a female Eagle prospect from Arizona who is paving the way to her future as part of the inaugural class of female Eagles and she caught the eye of CBS News! Read all about Victoria’s story beginning on page 15. We also have the timelines and prize structure for your popcorn sales as well as information on the OA Fall Fellowship banquet and how to become a Kwahadi dancer! Lots of events still coming in October and November so read all about it!

Be sure to visit the council website at www.goldenspread.org regularly to get information on upcoming events, registration and deadlines and any date changes that may occur. Also, be on the lookout! There is a word in one of the articles that just somehow doesn’t belong. The first person to spot the obviously out-of-context word to call me (only I will know what the word is and which article it is in) will win a prize from the council. Don’t hesitate when you get your newsletter! Be the first to call! The newsletter will be going out every month and will contain the most current information available for council, district, and unit events. Please send unit event information, dates and pictures to Gemma Mitchell at [email protected] or call 806-282-8296 and leave me a voicemail. Don’t forget to forward all of your unit fun and activities to your district executive! If you don’t know who they are or how to contact them, look on the green tabbed district pages here in the newsletter.

We are really excited to get this newsletter out to you and we are even more excited to include you and your youth! The youth of the Golden Spread Council is why we all do what we do in Scouting and when we stay focused on them, we all win!

Yours in Scouting,

Gemma Mitchell

COUNCIL EVENTS

A LETTER FROM ASSISTANT SCOUT EXECUTIVE SCOTT KILIAN :

Fall is the time where our council, like others across the United States, do our annual Cub Scout Recruiting. Visiting schools and registering new scouts into our program has been the “way it’s always been done”. This year, it’s been very different!

With COVID-19 affecting our way of life, it’s been equally challenging for us as a council. You may be asking as a council, what have we done to try and overcome these challenges and recruit new scouts into your Pack?

^ A professionally produced video was sent to all major school districts to play over their smartboards during a specific time frame ^ Drive-in recruitments took place across the council ^ Recruitment flyers, posters, and yard signs were given to each school ^ Press releases were sent out to major newspapers and radio/tv stations ^ Facebook Geofencing was used to create a “fence” around each school who had a recruitment. These are basically Facebook ads that are targeted to parents of school-age children ^ A NextDoor Ad was placed from our Scout account ^ Halloween Business Cards inviting children to join scouts have been produced and offered to any Pack that want them. These would be placed in “goodie sacks” as children trick or treat ^ Peer to Peer Recruitment Postcards were given to each Pack to distribute to existing scouts to recruit a friend ^ An upcoming Social Medi blitz will be taking place ^ A mailing, personalized to each school/Pack, will go out during the first three weeks of October

As you can see, we’ve pulled out all stops this year to overcome the obstacles we’ve been handed and we are NOT done.

We really appreciate the support of council and district leadership and especially the support of unit leadership. You are the ones where the “rubber meets the road” and we can only continue scouting in our community with you onboard. Let’s continue to grow scouting- we need this more than ever!

COUNCIL EVENTS

2020 GOLDEN SPREAD COUNCIL CUB SCOUTS AND

SCOUTS BSA CAMPING AND ACTIVITIES January 25: Merit Badge University February 14-15: OKPIK Winter Adventure Camp March 28: Scouting for Food (Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA event) (CANCELLED) April 4-5: Cub Scout Extravaganza (CANCELLED) April 24-26: Camporee (RESCHEDULED TO NOVEMBER 20-22) June 1-5: National Youth Leadership Training Course (NYLT) (CANCELLED) June 14-20: Scouts BSA Summer Camp Week 1 (CANCELLED) June 21-27: Scouts BSA Summer Camp Week 2 (CANCELLED) July 11: Cub Scout Adventure Day Camp July 14-16: Polaris Camp July 25-26: Webelos Resident Camp (CANCELLED) August 1: Cub Scout Adventure Day Camp August 15: Waterfront Day (Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA event) (CANCELLED) August 14-16: Aquatics Camp August 22: Shooting Sports Day September 18-20: Webelos Woods Camp September 26-27: Cub Scout Family Campout (New families to Scouting) October 17: Spook O Ree October 24: Spook O Ree November 15: Environmental Science Merit Badge Class November 21: Duty to God workshop For details on all of these camps, activities and to register, visit www.goldenspread.org. Click on the “Calendar” tab and scroll to the date to find the camp/activity. Please check with your unit leader for details on how to register for these events as some are unit registrations and others may be individual registrations. If you haven’t liked us already, go to the Golden Spread Council page on Facebook and like us! We also put a lot of information about upcoming events and news on this page.

COUNCIL EVENTS

The annual fall popcorn campaign has officially kicked off!

Popcorn has started for the fall season and now is the time to get out, knock on doors and start earning money for all of the activities that will be coming in the next few months! Popcorn sales will run through October 31, 2020 so don’t delay in getting those sales! You can look on the following pages to view the timelines and for information on the fill-it-up contest!

Also, be sure to download the Trail’s End App if you didn’t use it last year to help make it easier for those you speak with to place their order!

If you have any further questions, are having trouble with the app or haven’t been receiving emails, contact Chase Roach at the Golden Spread Council office at 358-6500.

Look for more to come at www.goldenspread.org

COUNCIL EVENTS

HURRY! REGISTRATION CLOSES SOON!

COUNCIL EVENTS

Calling all youth members! The Order of the Arrow Fall Fellowship & Banquet is coming November 7th! For more information on registration and pricing please visit www.goldenspread.org.

COUNCIL EVENTS

What: Duty to God Workshop

When: Saturday, November 21, 2020

Time: 9:00-12:30 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders (lunch provided) 9:00-2:00 for 4th and 5th graders (lunch provided) Where: St. Paul United Methodist Church (4317 W. I-40) Cost: $15 (includes workbook, certificate, knot and lunch) RSVP: www.goldenspread.org to register under “Duty to God Workshop”

Come join us as we put on a Duty to God workshop for all Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos and Arrow of Light Cub Scouts. This will be a one-day workshop that will help satisfy the Duty to God Adventure for all levels and the workbook will be provided (there will still be some activities to do with family!). The Cub Scout will in turn earn the religious knot to be worn on the uniform and begin work toward earning the religious emblem pin of their chosen faith.

We will have some interfaith praise and worship to open the day, then begin learning about our Duty to God, break for lunch and play games, finish learning and then end the day with a special presentation. Come join us for a fun day filled with lots of activity!

Parents and Cub Scout leaders, we want you to stay and enjoy this workshop with your Cub Scout! If you want to eat lunch, cost will be $5 for food.

Deadline for registration will be November 10, 2020 so don’t wait!

COUNCIL EVENTS

CAMPOREE IS BACK! CAMPOREE IS BACK!

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Camporee has been rescheduled to November 2020 from April. It’s finally time for the annual Golden Spread Council Scouts BSA Camporee at Camp Don Harrington from November 20-22!! The leader guide and registration link have been updated on the council website so be sure to check it out at www.goldenspread.org to get your unit signed up and not miss this amazing and fun weekend of friendly “competition” in the Scouting spirit! Registration ends on November 4 so be sure to get your unit signed up today! You’ve had 7 extra months to prepare for this so come show us your skills!! Click on the following link OR you may also get more information by contacting Scott Kilian at [email protected].

https://goldenspread.org/

COUNCIL EVENTS

WEBELOS WOODS PICTURES!

COUNCIL EVENTS

Thank you to everyone for making Webelos Woods a fun- filled weekend! We look forward to seeing you next year!

COUNCIL EVENTS

SCOUT SHOP SALE!

Keep your Ghouls and Goblins warm this season!

It’s cold outside! We’ve got you covered. 15% Off all Coats, jackets and pull overs. Don’t forget to stop by! This will be the one time our red wool jackets are included in the sale (Nice and warm on a cold camping night!).

October 1 – 31, 2020

Time is of the essence and supplies are limited so don’t delay! Hurry and come by the Golden Spread Council Scout Shop at 401 Tascosa Rd. today!

16 NEWS YOU CAN USE FROM SCOUTINGWIRE.COM

‘CBS Evening News’ profiles Scout’s quest to join Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts Get daily updates! Download the new Scouting magazine app today.

Victoria sits on the bench she and her volunteers built for her Eagle Scout service project.

Life Scout Victoria Rader didn’t set out to make national headlines.

But some news is just too good not to share.

In a piece calling her a “Trailblazing Scout,” Victoria was featured on the Sept. 9 episode of the CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell.

The story focused on Victoria’s quest to join the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts in 2021. And in doing so, it also shined a big spotlight on all the young women striving to join that first wave of female Eagle Scouts.

With an average nightly viewership north of 5 million people, that’s a pretty bright spotlight indeed.

Victoria, like countless sisters of Boy Scouts over the past century, watched with envy as her brother enjoyed the adventures of Scouting and became an Eagle Scout. And she heard inspiring tales of her Eagle Scout dad’s Scouting journey, too.

When the BSA opened all programs to girls in February 2019, Victoria helped found Troop 3030 of the BSA’s Grand Canyon Council in Arizona. “I was really excited about it,” she told CBS News journalist Jamie Yuccas. “Girls being able to do the same activities, the same merit badges, the same amount of work.”

Victoria has completed all of the requirements to become an Eagle Scout except one: the Eagle board of review. Like all young women seeking to join the Inaugural Class, she just needs to complete that board of review any time between Oct. 1, 2020, and Feb. 8, 2021.

When that happens, Victoria will officially earn the Eagle Scout Award on Feb. 8, 2021, the BSA’s 111th birthday. She’ll join a history-making group of trailblazing young women who will forever be part of the Inaugural Class.

Bryan on Scouting caught up with Victoria to learn how she got on CBS’ radar, what she has enjoyed most about her Scouting journey and her thoughts on making history.

It started with a tweet

For her Eagle Scout service project, Victoria led a group of Scouts and adult volunteers as they built a bench at Pinnacle Peak Park in Scottsdale, Ariz.

As the project beneficiary, the city of Scottsdale posted about Victoria’s project on its official Twitter account, sharing the news with its nearly 50,000 followers. It simply stated “History was made at Pinnacle Peak Park on Aug. 8. 17-year-old Victoria Rader became one of the first female Eagle Scouts in the country. She earned this prestigious title after completing her Eagle Scout project of fabricating a gabion bench at the end of the Pinnacle Peak trail.”

Victoria’s mom, Vero, quickly clarified one error in the tweet — that completing an Eagle project doesn’t make you an Eagle. But good news travels fast.

That tweet caught the eye of a Phoenix-area reporter who works for the region’s CBS affiliate, and that station published this story in mid-August. A few days later, Victoria got the big call: the CBS Evening News wanted to interview her for its national broadcast.

“The whole thing just got much bigger coverage than I thought,” Victoria says. “Many of my friends who did not understand Scouting before now can understand the program more clearly since the news segments. It’s great to see Scouts BSA introduced to people in a positive light by the media.”

‘Absolutely nerve-wracking’

Victoria says the day of the CBS interview was “absolutely nerve-wracking.”

She didn’t get the questions in advance, so she spent time thinking about her BSA journey so far, her family’s Scouting tradition and the significance of being among the first female Eagle Scouts.“

18 I wanted to make sure that my answers were a reflection of who I am and what I believe in,” she says. “I wanted to represent my troop and, in a way, every female Scout who has started this journey with me, all over the nation.”

The interview lasted 30 minutes — all for a final piece that was less than 100 seconds long.

Living in the Mountain time zone, Victoria wasn’t the first to see the segment when it aired. She started getting calls and texts from friends and family in the Eastern and Central time zones congratulating her for representing us all so well.

”They were happy that it shed a positive light on a program that deserves it,” Victoria says. “Everybody has been very supportive of it and are happy to see where it goes.”

Looking back on her Scouting journey

Like so many young people, Victoria was drawn to the outdoor adventures that are a signature element of the Scouting experience.

She loved canoeing the Colorado River’s Black Canyon Water Trail, tagging sharks at the Florida Sea Base, working on staff at Camp Raymond and rock climbing at Heard Scout Pueblo.

And while it might not have been obvious while paddling, sailing or climbing, she knows that each adventure helped her grow as a person. She learned that the journey to Eagle Scout takes a lot of work but is within reach for anyone willing to put in that extra effort.

”Any person can become an Eagle Scout if they take the program to heart, are willing to work hard and are in control of their own Scouting journey,” she says. “Going through the program will help you become a better person and learn about giving back to your community and leading others. The advancement comes along the way.”

On being a trailblazer

All Eagle Scouts share a common, often unspoken bond. They know what it took to get there and what that badge and medal signify.

But the young women who will form the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts in 2021 will share an additional bond, Victoria says.

“There will be a strong connection between the members of the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts, as it is a group of young women who are breaking barriers in Scouting,” she says. “I am looking forward to it as a female and as a Scout.”

The award and recognition are nice, Victoria says, but experiencing the adventure of Scouting has been its own reward.

“Scouting allowed me to become a more rounded individual, acquire life skills and mold my character in a way that cannot be taught in a classroom,” she says.

After graduating high school, Victoria plans to attend college and major in environmental engineering or environmental health. She wants to “bring a positive environmental impact to the community.”

“Scouting has brought me to appreciate the natural environment so much more since I started,” she says. “It’s a goal of mine to help protect the environment for people to enjoy in the years to come.”

About the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts

Female Life Scouts wanting to join the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts in 2021 must have their Eagle boards of review between Oct. 1, 2020, and Feb. 8, 2021.

Any Life Scout who passes her board of review during that span will have her official Eagle date listed as Feb. 8, 2021. That date was not chosen at random. It will be the Boy Scouts of America’s 111th birthday.

It’s worth noting that this Inaugural Class is not just for girls who have requested and been granted an Eagle Scout extension. It’s open to any girl who passes her board of review between Oct. 1, 2020, and Feb. 8, 2021, and has submitted her Eagle application to the National Service Center ([email protected]) no later than Feb. 8, 2021.

If, for example, a 15-year-old girl completes the requirements and passes her board of review by Feb. 8, 2021, she would be included in the Inaugural Class even though she didn’t require the extension.

And fellow Eagle Scouts (or Eagle Scouts to be, like Victoria), it’s not too late to take the #EagleScoutChallenge.

Scenes from Victoria’s Eagle project

DISTRICT EVENTS

ADOBE WALLS District Executive: Gaylyne Manns—[email protected] Ph. # 806-207-0037 District Chair: Jason Eugea Ph # 806-335-6805 District Commissioner: Mike Savage Ph # 806-595-0315 Roundtable: 1st Thursday of the month from August thru May – 6:30 pm at First United Methodist, 201 E Foster, Pampa, TX

Adobe Walls October 2020

Pack 425 Mclean have fun with their slime kits. Pack 565 Borger, take a hike at MKB during Webelo’s Woods.

DISTRICT EVENTS

Pack 501 Panhandle, learn about compost and picked cherry tomatoes from the leaders garden!

Emmett Flood from Pack 423 Pampa had the most camp card sales in the Council!

Have you found the Golden Kernel house in your community yet??

DISTRICT EVENTS

GOLDEN EAGLE District Executive: Michael Lopez—[email protected] Ph. # 505-699-6552 District Chair: Jeff Sulik Ph # 806-651-3000 District Commissioner: Jon Hill Ph # 806-471-8648 Roundtable: 1st Thursday of every month from August thru June —7:00 pm at the Scout Office

T-Minus 3, 2, 1….Blast off! We’ve all heard about it. Some of us have been to one. Now, the Golden Eagle District Program Committee will be hosting the 1st Annual Golden Eagle District Space Derby on October 10, 2020 at Camp Don Harrington.

Thanks to Merrick Pet Care, 150 Cub Scout aged youth, in the Golden Eagle District and the Golden Spread Council, will be provided with one complementary traditional wood rocket kit and one complementary paper rocket kit. Registration is $5 or 5 cans of food per entry and only one entry per person is allowed. In order to get the rocket kits to participants, registration will take place at the Scout Service Center (401 Tascosa Road). Other arrangements can be made by calling Golden Eagle District Executive Michael Lopez. All canned food proceeds will be donated to the High Plains Food Bank, the Southwest Church of Christ and Washington Avenue Christian Church. Other partner donors include West Texas Lining who donated four launch pads. The launch pads are a custom design by Golden Eagle District Program Co-Chair Cody Prather. Cody has also custom built trophies for the paper rocket derby. The Don Harrington Discovery Center has provided one free family pass as a door prize. Bullet Body Shop has provided all the patches and sponsored all the trophies. The day of the event, check in starts at 7:30 am and closes at 8:45 am. Launch time is 9:00 am. A repair hangar will be available with Scouts available to assist Cubs with repairs. Brewed Awakenings will be on hand to sell coffee. Other concessions include breakfast burritos for $3. More concession and door prize information will be available, as they arrive, on the Golden Eagle District -Golden Spread Council Facebook page. This years event will have a Winner Take All Open Division for any Troop aged youth and adults. Rocket kits are $10 and entry is $5 or 5 cans of food. Open division registration opens October 1, 2020. Check out the Golden Eagle District-Golden Spread Council Facebook page to see instructional videos and test flight videos. Registration is filling up quickly so fly like a rocket at light speed!

DISTRICT EVENTS

LONE WOLF District Executive: Erica Maddox—[email protected] Ph. # 580-651-0581 District Chair: Steve Walthour Ph # 806-922-7402 and Jim Lear Ph # 806-202-4507 District Commissioner: James Bentley Ph # 806-260-1596 Roundtable: 4th Thursday of each month from July thru April —7:30 pm at 1738 N Oklahoma, Guymon , OK

September brought Cub Scout Recruitment across the district, Back to Pack and Back to Troop meetings, the beginning of Popcorn Sales, and much more! We are excited and looking forward to all of the fun that October will bring! We would like to take the opportunity each newsletter to introduce the people who help make the Lone Wolf District great! This month, we would like to introduce you to Audrey House, Lone Wolf District Program Chair!

Audrey House has been involved in scouting since the early 1970s as a Girl Scout. She earned the Girl Scout Gold Award in 1985 and assisted local troops in Seward County, Nebraska while attending Concordia Teachers College. After graduation, Audrey started a Girl Scout troop for inner-city girls in Miami, Florida. Audrey is married to Thomas House and they have two boys, both eagle scouts. Audrey’s BSA scouting career is a direct result of the pleading of her sons who begged her to be their leader. This is how Troop 264 of Hooker, Oklahoma was started. At the encouragement of scouting friends, Audrey attended every training available to offer the best program possible to the youth of the community. Audrey completed Wood Badge and assisted in several courses and has filled the role of the NYLT course leader. She believes that every unit deserves trained leaders. As the House family grew in scouting, it wasn’t long before they were involved with Scouting’s honor society, the Order of Arrow. All four members of the House family are Vigil honor members. For a short time, the House family moved to Enid, Oklahoma where they remained active in scouting and the OA. Audrey filled the roles of Troop 2 advancement chair and OA associate adviser. As an associate adviser, she led the 2015 Ema ‘O Mape NOAC contingent. Upon returning to the panhandle, Audrey started Pack 259 in Optima, Oklahoma, serves as the program chair for the Lone Wolf District, Troop 4163 Scoutmaster, and assistant Scoutmaster to Troop 163, as well as an active member of the Nischa Achowalogen OA Lodge. When Audrey is not volunteering as a scout she can be found in her classroom at all hours of the day or night or hanging out with family around a campfire enjoying life to its fullest!

DISTRICT EVENTS

LONE WOLF

We are looking forward to upcoming events in October:

October 3-Cub Scout Leader Training

October 8-District Committee Meeting @ 7:30 in Guymon

October 17-Spook-O-Ree MKB

October 22-Roundtable @ 7:30 in Guymon

October 24-Spook-O-Ree CDH

Please follow our Quidditch on Facebook!

DISTRICT EVENTS

LONE WOLF

Explorer Post 5599 directing traffic

Pack 163 making slime

Troop 38 and Pack 38 presenting the colors at the football game

Troop 163 & 4163 working on rank advancements

DISTRICT EVENTS

QUANAH PARKER (SCOUTREACH)

District Executive: Gemma Mitchell - [email protected] Ph # 806-282-8296 District Chair: Jeremy Bradford District Commissioner: Chrystene Speed

SCOUTREACH As we inch along in this fall scouting time, the Scoutreach program received great news!

The Maverick Boys and Girls Club has allowed us to come in and do YPT training for their staff so that we may be able to actually start delivering the program to the youth at the main location and Rolling Hills Elementary this month! This was wonderfully received by the Soutreach program aides who are more than ready to start delivering the program.

We will also be moving into unchartered territory for the Scoutreach program as Canyon ISD has requested that we make the den meetings virtual. Again, the aides are excited to be able to put their savvy technological skills to the test and start filming the den meetings so that they can be shown to the CISD sites.

We hope that this will allow us to get back into the Amarillo ISD sites that we can’t be in right now as well as expanding the Scoutreach program into the areas of Amarillo that we haven’t been properly serviced through traditional scouting.

Stay on the lookout for more to come!

Yours In Scouting,

Gemma Mitchell | Quanah Parker Senior District Executive BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA Golden Spread Council #562