Wood Badge, Tour de Blackhawk, Camp Properties Workshop, Training, Jamboree

Lots of activity this past weekend.  On Friday Ed and I were at the Wood Badge Staff Development held at the Boeger Leadership Lodge to practice our presentation on Scouting Generations.  A new session that deals with understanding the differences between the various generations represented by our volunteers.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with John Wurtzel to discuss the stage show for the Tour de Blackhawk on June 11-13.  It should be a good show.  If you haven't signed up yet you'll want to get your units registered at http://www.blackhawkscouting.org/2010Events/TourDeBlackhawk/TourDeBlackhawk.htm.  Besides having rides available from 8 to 100 miles there are three bike rodeos planned along the trials for Cub Scouts to participate in.

Next was a session at Pecatonica High School to plan the future of our camps.  We are gathering information to update our strategic plan as well as other plans for the camps.  We had over 30 volunteers participate in the session which lasted into the afternoon.  Thanks to Bob Gingras for organizing the session.

Then it was back to Camp Lowden where I got to stop by and visit with a large group that was taking the BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) and WLOT (Webelos Leader Outdoor Training) and with some of our Jamboree participants.  The big event was the Wood Badge Reunion Dinner that saw 100 of our past and future Wood Badge trained volunteers come out to catch up with one another at the Boeger Leadership Lodge.

Adventure Base 100 & Canyon Camp Work Day

Another busy weekend last week.  It started with a bus ride into Chicago to support the Adventure Base 100 stop at Douglas Park.  Steve James helped organize the Blackhawk Area Council contingent.  We received compliments from the Chicago Area Council staff both the number of volunteers and how we handled things.  I received an email that showed the Chicago stop had the second highest turnout behind only the Pasedena Rose Parade stop over New Years.  There was just shy of 13k visitors.  Great job by everyone involved.

As it turns out the requirements for another new merit badge, Scouting Heritage, were just released and a visit to Adventure Base 100 meets one of the requirements.  So those Boy Scouts that came out to visit or help have a start on earning that merit badge.

Last weekend was also the Canyon Camp work day sponsored by the Monroe Kiwanis.  I was out on Sunday and helped finish up the new tent platforms that were started on Saturday.  They had over 50 people out on Saturday and got a lot of work done.

This weekend is also a busy weekend with the Camp Properties Workshop, BALOO & WLOT training sessions, Jamboree Shakedown, and the Wood Badge Reunion Dinner.  I hope to see some of you around.

Tour de Blackhawk, Silver Dollars, Pinewood Derby, Galena, Johll Bead Ceremony

Don't miss out on the early registration discount for the Tour de Blackhawk which ends this week (May 1).  All the information can be found at www.blackhawkscouting.org/2010Events/TourDeBlackhawk/TourDeBlackhawk.htm.  John Wurtzel and his committee are putting together a great event.  There is something for everyone with rides from as few as 8 miles to about 100 miles.  There are also some bike rodeos planned for the Cub Scouts.  This is something completely different that Blackhawk Area Council has never done before.  If you are available to help on the day of the event John is looking for some volunteers for various duties.  Just fill out the volunteer form (http://www.blackhawkscouting.org/2010Events/TourDeBlackhawk/TourStaffApplication.pdf) or send John a note.

The BSA Silver Dollars are selling out.  The uncirculated dollars are already gone and there is less than a week's supply of the proofs left.  Don't miss out, by law the mint can not make more.

Two weekends ago the Council Pinewood Derby was conducted by Bob Gingras and his team, which seemed to draw a lot from the Mighty Pack 5, put on another great event.  I received a number of compliments about the event while at the Winnebago Culvers on Saturday.

I even got to race my car on the Worlds Longest Track ... well at least part of it. It wouldn't all fit in the building.  My car took a big lead at the beginning before being passed on the straight by Jerry Coots' Wanchanagi Key 3 car and Rick Sanner's super special.  Unfortunately for them their cars were both disqualified for having illegal wheels.

Last weekend was the U.S. Grant Pilgrimage in Galena.  There was a tremendous turn out for the event this year far surpassing last year's attendance.  The Pilgrimage committee did a great job adding a number of new things this year.  There was a new Venturing Trail Hike, which was more challenging, a GPS Trail Hike, and some new activities like a zip line.  The OA had lines of Cub Scouts participating in an ever growing list of activities that included a monkey bridge, knot tying, bear bag toss, and compass work.  We had nine Generals this year that participated in a scavenger hunt.  If you got all nine you could get a special scavenger hunt pin.  The Army Golden Knights parachute team was present but unable to jump because of the low ceiling.  They did march in the parade and had a signing session following the parade.  I stayed at Canyon Camp with the Sycamore District Venturers which is slowly becoming a tradition for all the Ventuers to stay together.

Sunday I was in Cuba City, Wi (just north of Galena) for Greg Johll's Wood Badge Bead Ceremony.  As part of Greg's ticket he developed an informational video about Diabetes that can help educate volunteers.  We had four of his grandchildren (two Boy Scouts and two Cub Scouts) help with the ceremony.  I hope to get a copy of that picture to post.

Now its time to get ready for Adventure Base 100 on Saturday.  The BSA traveling exhibit will be in Douglas Park in Chicago this weekend and Blackhawk Area Council will be working there on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

October 12, 2009

Wow, I can't believe it has been three weeks since I last updated the blog. I've been so busy getting the chandeliers done for the Boeger Leadership Lodge in my spare time its taken away from my updates. Anyway here's some of the latest.

Work continues on the Boeger Leadership Lodge with the tile and wood floors being completed.

The kitchen equipment was installed last week.

And the lights are progressing.

Which is good because we are now generating power with our solar cells.

I was out at Canyon Camp to visit with representatives from the Natural Land Institute and the DNR about the Wiley property that the NLI recently acquired. We took a tour of Canyon Camp as a part of the meeting.

The weekend before last was the Sycamore District Camporee. It was a different event in that most of the competition was held at night with activities like the rifle and archery ranges and climbing wall were open during the day. Congratulations to Troop 152 who won the competition and Troop 456 that won the spirit award.

Last weekend was a trip to Kansas City with Dave Savone, Dan Banko, and Mike Condon to the Wood Badge Course Directors Conference. I was asked by Dave to help staff the course.

Somewhere in there was a day in the kitchen for the second weekend of the Wood Badge course.

September 20, 2009

I had some family commitments on Saturday so my scouting activity was on Sunday. Ed Allen and I went out early to Camp Lowden to help prepare the closing luncheon for the Wood Badge course.

Fun in the Kitchen.

The patrols presented their flags to the Scoutmaster Tom Siefken.

On our way out of camp we stopped at the Boeger Leadership Lodge to check on the progress from during the week. A number of additions with the subfloor being in stalled in the kitchen, the tile going in the downstairs bathrooms, stairs to the porch on the east side of the building, the new larger lights by the front door, and the front door was stained to match the exterior.

Wood Badge & A Century of Values

Last weekend was the start of Wood Badge C-54-09. Scoutmaster Tom Siefken and this staff have a great bunch of participants with which to work. We had a good time in the kitchen even though it takes us away from the regular course activity.

While we were there we checked out samples of the exterior lighting fixtures to see how they match the Boeger Leadership Center.

Tuesday Ed Allen and I went to Rockford and the Kealing-Puri Peace Plaza to welcome Team 9 of Detroit Area Council and their traveling “A Century of Values” tour. The Detroit Area Council is traveling the country to present a copy of the mural to every council. We had a good turn out of supporters along with two television stations, channels 13 and 23, and a representative from one of the local radio stations. Copies of the mural are being offered and can be ordered through the council office.

Then we were out to the Boeger Leadership Lodge to measure bed space. We selected bunk beds from a company named Rocky Top to match the décor of the building. Because of the construction the beds are a little larger than typical and we had to measure to determine how many we can fit into the bedrooms. The building continues to progress with interior painting and staining underway.

Tomorrow is a trip out to Show and Do, our training event for scout leaders that focuses on outdoor skills and high adventure.

This Week - August 17

Monday the Boeger Leadership Center committee met and finalized a budget for finishing the interior of the lodge. It is getting close to the point were we can start looking at furnishing the bunk houses, kitchen, etc.

Tuesday was a reception for Chuck Walneck who was recently awarded the Silver Buffalo, the highest award the BSA bestows. It was a great event with a number of Chuck's former scouts in attendance. Locally we know how much Chuck means to our council, but his efforts are national in scope and is a very deserving recipient of the award. Thanks to John Inman for arranging the reception and Jim Boeger for sponsoring the event. Jack Ward, my Wood Badge Scoutmaster, served as the MC for the evening.

Tonight is the Executive Committee meeting and then down to Lowden to work in the kitchen for the Wood Badge course. It's sort of a tradition where past course directors assist in the kitchen. It allows the staff to focus on the course and not have to allocate some of the limited number of staff members to kitchen duties.

Wood Badge Beads for Harper & DeYoung

Last night I was at the Pack 29 meeting in Durand to present beads to two more participants of C-23-07, Joe Harper and James DeYoung.

Anita Byrd Wood Badge Presentation

Last night I was out to White Eagle's Roundtable to do a Wood Badge presentation for Anita Byrd. A lot of troop members from C-23-07 were present for the ceremony along with several of the staff.

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/ .

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.

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.

Tobin Bead Presentation

Monday night was back to Wetassa to present Wood Badge Beads. I was invited to a Court of Honor for Troop 19 in Freeport to present Rich Tobin, one of the participants in my C-23-07 Wood Badge course. Rich, the Scoutmaster for Troop 19, and Chuck Hass, the Committee Chairman, were both in the Buffalo patrol.