Troop 131,
Just a reminder, there is No troop meeting on Monday due to the Federal Holiday. A special call out and well wishes to all of the furloughed Federal Employees. Hopefully this will end quickly …
A big portion of the troop is still at the Climboree tonight and I hope they are having a good time! For those at the Climboree, we will need you to dry and clean all the troop gear quickly since we need it ALL again for the Camporee next weekend.
I will be at the Shed on Wednesday at 7:30 to open it up and help stow the gear. Please check it all before you return it as the Camporee crew will not have much chance to remedy any dirty or missing gear. Those going to the Camporee may pick up the patrol bin on Wednesday if you like, otherwise you will need to get it on Friday.
Please see the note below concerning the second pumpkin drop off at the church!
October is certainly a very busy month and thank you all for your attention!
CAMPOREE:
We have 24 scouts and 8 adults signed up for this trip. It should be a lot of fun!
Scouts, please remember, we wear our Class A uniforms on ALL camping trips, and they should be on when we travel to and from the campsite.
See below the food and patrol assignments from the last meeting:
Cooking Patrol Bringing Patrol Bin Food Purchase
Bananas: Andrew Gross Split evenly
Goats: Greyson Hunt Split evenly
Mustachios Jack Norris (using personal gear) Split evenly
Turtles Ozzie Springer Split evenly
Penguins Thomas Grocki Split evenly
Pickles: Nathaniel Baldwin (Must. Bin) Split evenly
Scouts, make sure you know your duty assignment (Cooking, Prep, Cleaning) for which meal and what food you are bringing. Talk to your patrol mates and verify that you are all set! Bring your Duty Roster and don’t lose it!
Also, don’t forget to bring your rockets!!!
DUES
Parents: It is that time of year! Please, be on the lookout for an email regarding 2026 T131 dues from Mrs. Devlin– Committee Chair.
$40/scout (not for adults) is due by Nov 15. More to follow!
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.
Best Regards,
Mr. Green
SERVICE CORNER
Pumpkin Drop Off
If you are not going on the Camporee this coming weekend, the Church will have the second shipment of pumpkins delivered on Saturday. Despite the fact that the troop is camping this weekend, it would be amazing if we could have a contingent of scouts come out on Saturday to help! Please consider volunteering for our amazing sponsor. Remember, we would not have a place to meet or shed to store our gear without them, this is the time to show our gratitude!
Sign up link here – and thank you for your support and service for our community!
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 the 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!
TROOP GOOGLE GROUP AND EMAIL DISTRIBUTION
PARENTS: Many of the scout’s email addresses are not included in this distribution list. If you would like to include them on troop distribution. Please email Patrick Byrnett (Membership Chair) and he can add their information.
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 once after the release of the merit badge schedules.
NYLT
See link below for National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). In the past we have had a number of scouts who participated in this program, and they all came back raving about how good it is.
https://ncacscouting.org/training/nylt/
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, October 13th – No Meeting- Federal Holiday
Friday, October 17th – 19th – 4 Mile Run Camporee – Wonders of the Flight – Flying Circus Aerodrome – Bealton, VA
Saturday, October 18th – Pumpkin Drop off 2 – 8:30am to noon – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, October 20th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM (BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
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
