Troop 152 at Frontiersman Cabin

Last weekend was my troops campout at Camp Lowden to work on Frontiersman Cabin.  We got started at 9:30 AM and finished at 10:00 PM.  It was a long day and everyone did a great job.  Thanks to Mike McCleary for organizing the work date and all those from Troop 152 that came out to help.  We even had a special treat from Betty Miller who brought out dinner. We were able to finish the ceiling, insulation, and install an outdoor outlet.

Outdoor outlet added on the North side of Frontiersman.

McHenry County Distinguished Citizens Dinner 2010

Wednesday evening Blackhawk Area Council held the 4th Annual McHenry County Distinguished Citizens Dinner at Boulder Ridge Country Club.  The event honors a Champion of Youth from McHenry County.  They year Charie Zanch was recognized for her work in the community.  Charie is CEO of American Community Bank & Trust which has four locations in McHenry County.  Charie is A hard working civic leader that is active in many different organizations focused on youth in the community, one in particular is the Challenger Learning Center for Science and Technology in Woodstock.

The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Chuck Ruth, 2009 Champion of Youth, who did an excellent job of presenting the program.  The Keynote Speaker was Scott Brown who is President, CEO and co-owner of Sage Products in Cary.  Scott talked about his time in scouting and how important mentoring is to help develop our youth into good citizens.

Special thanks to Marty Smith, Dave Domek, Mike Domek, Mike McCleary, Lisa O'Neil, and John Trione for organizing the event.

Camp Lowden, October 30, 2010

Last weekend was the make up date for the wood cutting at Camp Lowden, thanks to Bud and Eric and their crews for working on cutting and splitting wood.

We also had a crew working on the staff cabin at Camp Lowden.  Three of the sides have been sided thanks to Matt, Chris and Mike.  Dave and Cindy were out working on the porch for the cabin.

Dave and Cindy working on the porch.

Matt, Chris, and Mike working on the staff cabin.

Camp Lowden Wood Cut Weekend, October 23, 2010

Well, as far as wood cutting went the rain won this one.  However, there was certainly enough work to be done around camp to keep everyone busy.  We had one team working on staining the siding for the staff cabin so it is ready to be installed next weekend.  In the process we got some of the maintenance building organized so we could have room for the stain to dry.

Staff Cabin Siding

Another group helped install the soffit around the Amerock building.  They got most of the building completed.

Soffit Crew working on Amerock

There was also a group that dug the holes and poured the cement for the porch for the staff cabin.

One of the troops that was out for the weekend helped organize the wood crib so we have room for the new wood next weekend.

Next week we'll be cutting wood, working on the soffit around several other buildings, and working on the staff cabin.  We could use a lot of help next weekend, no experience necessary.  It can be a big time saving just to have volunteers to carry the soffit or wood between the cutters and the installers.  Even if you have an hour, consider coming out to help improve the camp.

Thanks to everyone that came out to help.

Blackhawk Area Council Distinguished Citizens Luncheon 2010

On Wednesday Blackhawk Area Council held the 14th Annual Distinguished Citizens Luncheon in Rockford to recognize the 2010 Champions of Youth.  This year Rudy Valdez, General Manager at Hamilton Sundstrand of Rockford, served as Master of Ceremonies and Dr. Robert Head, President of Rockford College, provided the Keynote Address.

This year there were three recipients, Phil Eaton, Jim Boeger, and the group Rockford Sharefest.  Phil Eaton is President/CEO of Rosecrance Health Network and was recognized for his work with adolescents in recovering from chemical dependencies.  Jim Boeger is well know to our council for his support of scouting but Jim is also and active volunteer with Swedish American Hospital, Northern Illinois Blood Bank, and National Park Service.  In 2009 Jim was recognized by the Rockford Rotary as Philanthropist of the Year with the Service Above Self Award.  For the first time a group was recognized as a Champion of Youth.  Rockford Sharefest exists to identify, develop and lead projects that empower and release volunteers and donors to use theri God-given gifts, abilities and resources to make an impact for the common good.  In 2009 the group helped refurbish Summerdale Elementary and East High School in Rockford.  Shown below is Mark Bankord of Sharefest with Phil Eaton and Jim Boeger.  Congratulations to our 2010 Champions of Youth.

2010 Champions of Youth

See the Rockford Register Star article for some more photos.

Camp Lowden Weekend, October 16, 2010

I was out at Camp Lowden on Saturday to help with a couple of projects.  It was great to see all the activity at camp.  There was training going on, OKPIC cold weather camping training, NYLT staff development, and Scoutmaster outdoor training.  There were two troops that went canoeing and another that was out to use the shooting range.  Mighty Pack 5 from Winnebago was out for the day as well.  All together there must have been 350 scouts, parents, and volunteers using the camp facilities.  In addition we had work crews out staining Winnebago Cabin - Frontiersman Cabin was done on Thursday by Ed Allen and hit brother Don - as well as work on the soffit and fascia for both cabins. It's great to see our camps getting this much use.  Next Saturday, October 23, is the Wood Cut day at Camp Lowden, consider coming out to help.