Thanks Troop 152

Thanks to Troop 152 for the great job they did in getting the remodeling started on the Amerock building last weekend. Throughout the day as the weather changed from sunny to clowdy to rain and finally snow, they were able to install all new windows (which required new framing) and doors. They also cleaned the inside, and prepared the outside for the new siding. In addition the troop started the landscaping around the Bradley Kiosk and cut and split wood. Great job Troop 152.

Leadership Training

One of the things that the BSA does very well is to provide opportunities to develop leadership. It is provided for in training and experience for both our youth and adults. Is your unit taking full advantage of the training opportunities?

In Boy Scouts, the National Youth Leadership Training or NYLT course is offered to provide your troop leaders with the skills they need to be able to successfully operate a troop. If you talk with scoutmasters around the area that have youth running their programs that have been through NYLT they will tell you that it makes a big difference in how their troops operate. Many units help subsidize the cost to the youth by funding at least a portion through a reimbursement to the youth upon successful completion of the course. For more information on the next NYLT course, go to www.blackhawkscouting.org/nylt/index.html .

As important as having our youth trained is having our adults trained. The adult leadership course is Wood Badge which is open to any registered adult. This is not an outdoor training course and it is much more than team building. This course covers, among other things, the stages of team development and the appropriate leadership skills that should be utilized. Over the past several years we have had a growing number of cub scout leaders attending Wood Badge to where recent courses have had more cub scout leaders attending than either boy scout or venturing leaders. Each unit is encouraged to send at least one adult on a regular basis. A number of units help subsidize the cost through a reimbursement following successful completion of the course. For information on the next course see www.boundless.hostrefugee.com/~wbadge/ .

Amerock/Wood Badge/Nature Building @ Lowden

I know what your thinking, the weekend is coming up and your without a scout function. We can help. This weekend, March 28-29, work will begin on remodeling the Amerock/Wood Badge/Nature building at Camp Lowden. The windows and doors are on the agenda to start. Eventually siding and, surprise, a heating/air condition unit will be added. All this work is planned to be completed before summer camp begins. If you can make it please contact Dan Banko. His troop is coordinating the weekend and will feed anyone that comes out to help.

50 for 50

Wood Badge course C-23-07 is set to conclude on March 23. That is the end of the 18 month period from the conclusion of the training portion of the course. The 18 months is the time during which the participants "work" their tickets. Generally when you have this many participants there is a good chance that circumstances will arise that prevent one or more from completing their tickets. But not this time, with the support of a great staff I can report that as of today the entire troop (50 of 50) have completed their tickets. This can't happen without the commitment of the participants and the dedication of the staff/counselors. I want to thank all of the participants and staff for making this a great experience for everyone involved. As I think about the course I recall the clip from the movie Remember the Titans. During halftime of the state championship when the Titans are trailing; one of the stars of the Titans says that individually they aren't perfect but together - they are perfect. Having 50 completions makes us perfect as a team. Thank you Troop 1 participants and staff.

Council Recognition Dinner

On March 8th we held the annual Blackhawk Area Council Recognition Dinner. The dinner is open to anyone in the council and is held in honor of our 2008 Eagle Scouts and Silver Beaver recipients.

Eagle Scout Class of 2008

2009 Silver Beavers

ScoutReach, Sycamore, and Wanchanagi were recognized as Quality Districts and Blackhawk Area Council was recognized as a Quality Council.

Another Busy Weekend

Saturday was an early trip to Camp Lowden with Dave Savone, Ed Allen, and Dan Banko to help cut and move trees that were taken down last fall. They are now in the way of the construction of the Boeger Leadership Lodge. Fortunately for us the NYLT staff had some time and helped out. We were able to get most of the wood moved and the rest is staged where Dave can get at it with his loader.

Later that day we spent several hours hiking through camp looking for the southern boarder. We got well back into camp but I'm not sure we made it all the way. The rest will have to wait for another weekend, hopefully before all the buckthron blossoms this spring. Below are some shots of the area.

Sunday I was at the Sycamore District Venture Bowling Tournament which included two regular games and a third goofy game. There were twelve teams this year with one coming from out of council. The crew from Marengo won the title and the traveling trophy. Fareen Parkitney did a great job of putting on the event.

Centennial Quality Unit Goals

We are now entering the third year of a four year quality program called the Centennial Quality Awards Program. Each unit establishes for itself goals in predefined areas which have been determined to provide a measure of how well a unit is doing. Even though we are in the third year of the program, I still hear comments about how hard it is. When I run into this and start asking questions it is almost always a result of misinformation; either on the part of the unit leaders or in some cases whoever provided them with the original directions.

Let’s start with the hardest goal - Retention. What is an appropriate goal for retention? Since it is different for every unit and their particular circumstances you should look at your 2007 and 2008 retention numbers as a guide. If you don’t have these they are easy to calculate. Take the number of boys on your charter on January 1 of that year (X). Now determine how many of those you removed when you rechartered that same year (Y). Remember Y includes 5th Grade Webelos for packs and youth that have aged out for troops and crews. Then you can do the simple math, (X-Y)/X, to get the percentage. There is your actual retention number. It’s that simple - don’t let anyone over complicate it. If you have already rechartered, since we do not drop scouts from charters outside of rechartering time, you already know this year’s retention number. You can debate whether this is the best way to calculate retention, but you can’t argue that it hasn’t been consistent over time and between units.

Bill & Ruth Frejd Gift

Blackhawk Area Council was blessed recently as the beneficiary of the largest estate gift in our council’s history. George (Bill) and Ruth Frejd through their estate have established two charitable trusts with our council as a beneficiary. The net present value of the two trusts is estimated to exceed $3 million. These funds are provided to support camping and camping programs in our council. Below is an excerpt from the Blackhawk Courier:

“Mr. Frejd, an Eagle Scout who was a young city boy during the Depression, knew the value that a quality experience at camp might have on a young boy. He also carried the values learned in Scouting through his life. He was a dedicated volunteer in Rotary, served for decades as a board member for Centegra Health Systems and was an employer concerned for the well being of his employees.”

Generations to come will benefit from the generosity of the Frejd family. We thank long time family friend Martin Smith and their attorney Jack Ward for bringing the wishes of the Frejd family to life. Both Marty and Jack are recipients of the Silver Beaver Award. Marty has served on the Executive Committee and Board and currently chairs our successful Distinguished Citizens Luncheon in Rockford and the Distinguished Citizens Dinner in McHenry County. Jack is a long time supporter of Blackhawk Area Council and my Scoutmaster from Wood Badge course C-20-98.

Blue & Gold Week

February is typically full of Blue & Gold Banquets. Last week seemed to be my week for Blue and Golds; each for a different reason. I started with Pack 152 where I was invited as their Unit Commissioner. This pack has grown significantly over the past couple of years due to a strong and committed group of volunteers headed by Anna Polletta, Cubmaster, and Kal Gibron, Committee Chairman.

The next stop was at Pack 155 to do a Friends of Scouting presentation. This is a smaller pack that is starting to grow, again due to the commitment of some great volunteers such as outgoing Cubmaster, Malissa Hall. Yes, they made their FOS goal.

The final Blue & Gold last week was to do a Wood Badge Bead Ceremony at Pack 81 in Oregon for Mary Stromberg who is a participant in my course, C-23-07. Mary was the final Eagle to receive her beads, making the Eagle patrol the first to have all of its members complete the course. Mary also crossed over 10 Webelos from her Webelos Den into two different troops. That is definitely Leaving a Legacy.

Boeger Leadership Lodge Progress

The construction of the Boeger Leadership Lodge progresses a step at a time. Earlier in the week the footing was framed (first picture) and poured. Today the construction crew was out framing the lower level walls (second picture). The cement truck should be out first thing in the morning to pour the walls.