Troop 131,
It was a good meeting last week and a big thank you goes out to Mrs. Farmer and the adults who participated in the board of review. It is always gratifying to see so many scouts reach the next rank!
Unfortunately, Mrs. Ramirez and I will miss this Monday meeting on October 27th (due to a business trip) but there will be plenty of other adult leadership there, if you need blue cards, scoutmaster conferences, etc!
Just a heads up for the following week, we are going to have a very special meeting on November 3rd. Since there was no Webelos Ree or joint Camporee this fall, we decided to dedicate one meeting to host the local Packs (133, 135 and 801) so that they can visit the troop and see what we are all about. We are expecting close to 40 scouts and adults! Typically, at a camporee we provide dinner for the Arrow of Light Scouts & their Parents, and this troop meeting is no different! Thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Devlin (Chair), Mr. Byrnett (Membership) and Mrs. Ramirez (Service), the troop will provide a special spaghetti dinner.
We will start the meeting with skills instruction (such as knife skills and/or fire building) then, weather permitting, we will go outside and host a campfire with skits and spaghetti dinner. Each patrol is required to prepare and act out at least one skit or song or story! If you would like to be the MC/host for this campfire (for instance to fill a requirement for the communications merit badge) then please let the SPL know!
Also, don’t forget about the wreath sales, see information below and I attached to this email some updated collateral to aid in your sales. Remember, we are asking that each scout sell 3 wreaths this year!
TROOP MEETING
We will have a Troop meeting at 7:30 PM this Monday at Immanuel Church on the Hill!
This should be a fun meeting, as we will prepare for the above-mentioned Pack Visit/Campfire/Spaghetti dinner by working on our skits. There will also be plenty of time for rank advancement and games!
BACKPACKING
Our next trip will be a backpacking trip! While the troop will camp together, there will be two options to hike in, see not below from Mr. Grocki!
_____________________________________
Who: All Scouts
What: Backpacking!
When: Fri 14 Nov – Sun 16 Nov 2025
Where: MUDHOLE GAP – GW National Forest
Why: We’re a backpacking Troop
Cost: $10
Signups: https://forms.gle/DrD8cDQJiAHkTXa2A
We’ll leave from the church Friday afternoon and camp two nights.
This is a troop favorite with a new twist. If we have enough scouts and adult leaders we’ll be splitting into two crews, with one hike for scouts new to backpacking and one for more experienced scouts. We’ll camp Friday night together at Elizabeth Furnace Campground and then meet up again Saturday night at the Mudhole Gap campsite on the mountain. The beginner hike is around 4.5 miles with 750 feet of elevation gain. The advanced hike is 7 – 8 miles with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
Remember there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing and gear- so be prepared as late fall camping is no joke! We’ll be doing a mix of packaged backpacking meals like Mountain House, quick no cook meals for the trail, and backpacking meals put together with grocery store ingredients. This will be a great chance to test our capability before we head into a heavy backpacking schedule in 2026.
Easiest way to make payment for this or other Scout events is Zelle:
Name: TreasurerT131
Email: Treasurer@T131.Org
When making payment via Zelle, please be sure to add a note telling the Treasurer what the payment is for; alternately, you can send a separate email.
Chris Grocki
Outings Coordinator
Boy Scout Troop 131
DUES
Parents: See note below from Mrs. Devlin– Committee Chair concerning the troop Dues. Please note that the Dues are now Separate from the National Registration with the Scouting America/National Capital Area Council.
Good morning, scouts and families!
Thanks to the 2024 change in BSA’s national registration system, this message is only regarding local Troop 131 dues! (National dues are paid directly to the BSA organization. The MAJORITY of our scouts/adults will renew at the end of January, so be on the lookout for that email.)
As you’ve seen with your own budgets, costs are going up for the gear we need to put on this program. T131’s 2026 dues will be $40 per scout FOR THE YEAR. We still supplement with events like the wreath sales and car washes, but dues constitute the majority of our funding.
· This money mostly goes to pay for things like rank patches, merit badges and troop camping gear, but it also includes unit registration, summer camp registration, scout camping food, annual picnic supplies, and our annual cub scout recruiting dinner.
· It DOES NOT pay for high adventure; HA participants have separate fundraising events.
· Continuing from last year, we will still waive adult camping fees (with the exception of events that come with secondary costs like climboree/camporee, skiing or rafting). Thank you to all who continue to support our boys’ outdoor experiences!
· Troop 131 dues are only for scouts—no dues for adults.
· Pay by NOV 15 via Zelle/cash/check to Mr. Baldwin (Zelle: treasurer@t131.org). This can also be covered with past wreath sales or other credits.
Finally, we never want dues to stand in the way of the Scouting experience. Scholarships are available; please contact me or the scoutmaster to discuss.
Anastasia Devlin
Chair, Troop 131
786.457.3043
WREATH SALE
It is that time of year, our one main fundraiser for the year! The money raised from the sale of the wreaths helps pay for much of the activities, patches and gear that we need. We have a big group of new scouts, and I hope you all will help if you can. We are looking for 80% participation this year! Mr. Green has graciously volunteered to be our fundraising chair this year, please see the note below and attached files from him with more details.
Troop Wreath Sales & Fundraising Drive
We’re kicking off this year’s wreath sales! Over 50% of sales go directly toward your camping trips and scouting equipment, so your effort really pays off for the whole troop.
Our Goal: 80% troop participation (last year only 1/3 participated—let’s do better!)
Sales Target: Sell 3 wreaths, swags, garlands, or other holiday decorations
Pro tip: Mention the door hangers and plastic bags when selling!
Amazon Gift Card Prizes for Top Sellers:
- 1st Place: $50
- 2nd Place: $35
- 3rd Place: $25
Merit Badge Opportunity
Earn your Salesmanship Merit Badge through this fundraiser! Visit https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/salesmanship to review requirements. Complete items #1, 3, and 7 on your own—we’ll cover the rest at a troop meeting.
Key Dates & Details
Sales Period: October 6 – November 1, 2025
- Collect payment with each order (Zelle or Square preferred)
- Orders delivered to: Mr. Mill’s house, 213 E Randolph Ave, Alexandria, VA (pick up from here)
- Sales kits include glossy brochures and clipboards (distributed at pack meetings)
- Direct shipping available for out-of-area customers (contact Mr. Green for details)
- Orders will be delivered the first week of December (Dec 3-5)
Need help with your sales pitch?
Our fundraising chair, Mr. Green, is ready to help you craft your sales pitch and build confidence in reaching your goals. Find him at any troop meeting or reach out with questions.
See attached product flyer and sample order form for pricing and options.
For those of you interested in placing an order using the online catalog, attached is information about how to get started. Here are a few important details:
How to order: Visit https://my.evergreenindustries.com/#shop (a QR code is also included in the attachment). When placing your order, please include our customer code, BSA131, and enter the scout’s first and last name in the “beneficiary” field.
What to know: The online store has fewer product options compared to local sales, but you have more time to order. The deadline for the online store is November 15th, whereas our local and direct sale deadline is November 1st.
About profits: I didn’t initially promote this option because it returns a lower profit to your accounts compared to other methods. Each online sale returns a flat $10 to you, whereas local or direct orders return $20 or more. However, it’s a cost-feasible option for families outside our area and is shipped similarly to direct sales (to anywhere except Alaska and Hawaii).
As always, reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Best of luck!
Mr. Green
SERVICE CORNER
Scouting for Food
See note below from Mrs. Ramirez (Service Coordinator) for our annual Scouting for Food on Saturday November 1 and Saturday November 8. We will need full troop participation for this, so please mark your calendars. Hours for this will count as service hours for rank advancement.
Scouting for Food in Alexandria will again benefit ALIVE!, which provides support to Alexandrians struggling with food insecurity and economic disparity. SFF is one of its biggest food drives and will take place:
Saturday November 1st – Scouts distribute SFF stickers
Saturday November 8th – Scouts collect donations in the morning and deliver to ALIVE’s Old Town Warehouse at 801 S. Payne Street
We will be distributing SFF door stickers again this year stamped “next Saturday” in the same SFF territory and same number of SFF stickers that you had in 2024. Here’s the map of our SFF territory.
Thank you for supporting Scouting for Food!
SUMMER CAMP
For the long-term planners in the troop, we are locked in for the following two summer camp experiences:
· Goshen – Camp Olmsted Week 3 (July 5th – 11th) – traditional summer camp
o https://www.gotogoshen.org/camps-programs/camp-olmsted/
· Goshen – Lenhoksin Week 4 (July 12th – 18th ) backpacking trek
o https://www.gotogoshen.org/camps-programs/lenhoksin-high-adventure/
Sign up for camp will happen in the new year and after the release of the merit badge schedules.
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, October 27th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, Nov. 1st – Pumpkin Clean Up – 8:30am to noon – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, Nov. 1st – Scouting for Food Sticker Distribution- Alexandria Neighborhoods
Monday, November 3rd – Troop Meeting, AOL Visit & Spaghetti Dinner – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, Nov.8th t – Scouting for Food Pickup- Alexandria Neighborhoods
Monday, November 10th – No Troop Meeting -Federal Holiday – Veterans Day
Friday, Nov. 14th -16th – Camping Trip- Backpacking – Mud Hole Gap – Fort Valley, VA
Monday, November 17th – Troop Meeting (BoR)(PLC) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, November 24th – No Troop Meeting -Thanksgiving Week
Monday, December 1st – Troop Meeting – ELECTIONS – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, December 6th – Scottish Walk – Old Town Alexandria
Sunday, December 7th – Day Trip – Linden to Jim and Molly Denton Shelter – Linden VA
Monday, December 8th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, December 15th – Troop Meeting (BoR)(PLC) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, December 22nd – No Troop Meeting – Winter Break
Monday, December 29th – No Troop Meeting – Winter Break
