I hope you are all doing well. Sorry for the late email, just rolled back into town after being away.
First, I want to congratulate Ben Turney, who successfully completed his Eagle Court of Honor. Mr. Jahns will have one more name to put on the wall. When you see Ben, be sure to congratulate our latest Eagle Scout- this is an amazing accomplishment!
I know there is no school for those at ACPS but there is still a scout meeting! Sounds like the perfect day to work on Rank Advancement or Merit Badge Requirements! Hint hint…. nudge-nudge!
TROOP MEETING
We will have a Troop meeting at 7:30PM at Immanuel Church on the Hill this Monday.
Third time’s a charm! The meeting should focus on our November Patrol activity. We did not get to this last week, but I would like each Patrol leader to come to me during the meeting with the “official patrol plan”.
In addition, let’s have a conversation about High Adventure. We are trying to gauge interest and set up a long-term (2-3 year) plan.
SERVICE PROJECT- SCOUTING FOR FOOD
See note below from Mr. Moore. We have our annual council- wide service project- Scouting for Food.
Scouts and parents, please join us again on Saturday, November 4th to pick up non-perishable food items in the neighborhood around the church to support Alexandria’s food pantries, meal kitchens, public schools, recreation centers and other community partners to aid those in need. This is an annual event in which the troop participates. We had 26 adult and scout volunteers turn out this Saturday to drop off flyers. Thanks! It was a great success.
We will meet in the parking lot of Immanuel Church on the Hill at 3606 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, VA, at 10:00 AM, Saturday, November 4th, and then return to the homes of the residents in which flyers were distributed to pick up donated, non-perishable food items and return them back to Immanuel Church on the Hill. For friends and family outside of the area to donate visit: https://yougivegoods.com/colonialdistrict-scoutingforfood2023.
This is a great way for Scouts to earn service hours and help those in need in our community. Parents and their automobiles are needed to transport Scouts back to the neighborhood and pick up donated food items. Parents, please contact ASM Andrew Moore if you are able to participate (andrewdmoore2@aol.com, 202-258-7103).
Wear Class A Uniforms. Thanks!
WREATH SALE
Don’t forget to work on your Wreath Sales! We have lots of great things planned for next year and the proceeds from the sales help fund this. November 13th is fast approaching. See message below from Mrs. Irwin, our wreath sales coordinator! Remember the top three sellers get to put a whip cream pie on my face!
In addition, please volunteer to sell wreaths at Immanuel Church on the Hill. Please see the email note and respond to Mrs. Irwin directly!
Hello Scout Families! I hope this finds you well.
It’s that time of year where we are getting our Scouts ready for one of their biggest fundraisers – Evergreen Sales. Last Monday, all attending scouts received a set of sales materials including a clipboard with one order form; friends and family flyers attached to door hangers for houses where no one is home (your scout will need to fill out their information), and laminated brochures featuring this year’s selection of items. Also attached to the board will be an envelope for them to collect order forms and payments.
We’re offering multiple ways for customers to pay this year: Cash, Check and Zelle – all preferred; and a QR code for credit card transactions, which though available, isn’t the best due to the fees the proceeds incur (3%).
The sales window will be Monday, October 2 through Monday November 13th when I will need everything back to ensure we can get the final order to Evergreen.
If you’re wondering how your Scout will benefit from participating:
- First and foremost, your scout is going to learn some great skills… knocking on a door, introducing themselves and what they represent, and advocating for what they are striving to achieve.
- Second, they are going to EARN MONEY THEY CAN USE. The proceeds from this don’t just go to the Troop – they go to individual scout accounts to help your scout pay for the adventures they seek to have. Backpacking, summer camp… all of it – 50% of their sales proceeds go to their individual accounts. I know more than one scout last year was able to pay their way to Goshen with this.
- Third, they’re doing a good turn and helping their troop! The other 50% of the proceeds go to the troop. All of those patches and badges, the scholarships, the picnics… all of that if funded partially through this fundraiser.
Finally, we will also be partnering with our sponsoring church, Immanuel Church on the Hill this year, to do sales through the online portal and during coffee hours. All proceeds from sales through the church will go 100% to the troop. More information on signing up for volunteer hours will be coming soon.
Please feel free to reach out to me with questions… I’m happy to help if I can.
All the best,
Andrea Irwin
571-977-8902
HIGH ADVENTURE
Mr. Farmer along with Mr. Devlin have volunteered to help get us organized and put a plan together for high adventure over the next few years. Mr. Farmer put together a summary of each program and basic details. I encourage you all to look at this, click on the links. We want to see how much interest there is in each and compile a list of interested scouts. Let’s spend a little time talking about this at the meeting.
See below:
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Sea Base High Adventure:
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Minimum Age 13 for most events, to include SCUBA. There are some events that allow for youth as young as 12.
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter
Events: Sailing, and SCUBA are the primary events. The SCUBA requires a lot of prep work, so if you do that program, its all SCUBA, all the time. The sailing events have a mixture of sailing, kayaking, snorkeling and exploring.
Size: Groups as small as 6-8 for some sailing events, while the longer sailing trips on large vessels require 18-20
Availability: Events are available as early as March of next year, and extend through summer
Northern Tier Winter
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Minimum age: 14
Group Size: 6-11
Events: There is a longer event 27 December-1 Jan, and then a series of weekend events. You can camp or work with sled dogs.
Availability: Unsure yet, email sent to enquire on the December event this year
Philmont
Registration Information – Philmont Scout Ranch
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Minimum age: 14
Group Size: Depends
Events: This is the mother of all backcountry backpacking treks
Availability: There are 12 and 7 day treks available next summer. The 9 day treks appear to be the most popular as there are none of those available. The cavalcade is Philmont via hors, but they are so popular you have to register in a lottery to win the opportunity.
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday October 30th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (ACPS – No School) Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday November 4th – Scouting for Food Pick up – Alexandria Neighborhoods
Monday November 6th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday November 13th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday Nov. 17th – 19th – Patrol Outing or Camping Trip – Varies
Monday November 20th – No Troop Meeting (Thanksgiving Week)
Monday November 27th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday December 4th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (Elections) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
