Spring Camporall

The Spring Camporall will return to Latimore Valley Fairgrounds the weekend of April 23-25 with a special sci-fi them. This event is going to be like no other!  Members of Troop 76 of Fairfield is organizing the event.  

Programs planned for the weekend will allow Scouts to think of the future and Scouting’s next 100 years.  Each event will have a futuristic twist.  Full details and a leaders’ guide is available online and at roundtable.  

The registration fee is $10 per person if registration is received by April 1.

Life to Eagle Seminars

The next Life to Eagle Seminar will be held on May 11.  This informative session about the trail the Eagle Scout rank will be held at the Freedom Valley Worship Center, 4 miles west of New Oxford on Route 30.  For further information for the evening or to register for the seminar, please contact Linda Brown via email at fluffyralph@hotmail.com.

Day Camp

All Cub Scout Packs are called to gather the star fleet as day camp is fast approaching.  This year, the camp theme is outer space!  Pack registration information will be available at roundtable and online. 

The Blue and Grey District Day Camp will take place at McSherrystown Fish and Game on July 12-16.  Camp Program Director Mike Sanford is returning for a second year and he is planning a fun filled program for all Scouts to enjoy. 

District Award of Merit

The District Award of Merit is the highest award that a Scouting volunteer can be honored with in the Blue & Grey District. 

All units are encouraged to consider nominating a volunteer.  The recipient must be a registered Scouter who has performed outstanding service to youth in Scouting. 

To nominate someone for the award, please fill out a nomination form which can be picked up at the council service center and is available online.  Nominations are due by the April 8 roundtable.

March Roundtable

Don’t miss the March Roundtable (March 4 at 7pm) where important information about the spring camporall, the upcoming district dinner, and much more will be shared. 

Roundtable will be held at the Freedom Valley Worship Center, on Route 30 near Gettysburg.

April Roundtable Date

Don’t forget to mark your calendars that April’s roundtable is going to be on April 8.  This is unusually scheduled due to the Easter holiday.

Annual Unit Budget Planning

With summer fast approaching, now is the time to get the unit committee together to look at planning out the rest of 2010 into 2011. Looking ahead helps let items such as monthly camping trips, fundraising, popcorn, courts of honor, and even summer camp be much more manageable challenges. If anyone has any questions or could use some advice or coaching on this issue, feel free to contact District Commissioner Steve Ruck at sjrucksr@comcast.net.

 Blue & Grey Email List 

Sign up today to get the latest information with the Blue & Grey e-mail list! Get updates on district functions, trainings, reminders, and more! To sign up, send an e-mail to Michael Kostic at michael.kostic@scouting.org.

 Cub Scout Leader Training 

Cub Scout leader training will be held in May in two sessions.  The first session will be Thursday, May 6, and it will include “Introduction to Cub Scouting” and “How We Have Fun.”  The second session will be held on Thursday, May 13.  That session will focus on position specific training.  All three parts are required for a Cub Scout leader to be considered trained. 

Both of these sessions will be held at the Freedom Valley Worship Center, and both sessions will start promptly at 7pm (registration starts at 6:30). 

To register, please contact Gretchen Weekley at the council service center (717-827-4580 or gretchen.weekley@scouting.org). When registering, please give your name, phone number, email address, unit number, and registered position.

Award Nominations Due 

The 2010 Blue and Grey District Recognition Dinner will be held on May 27.  As many already know, the highlight of the evening is the awarding of the District Award of Merit as well as the Tilberg and Riley Awards.  The deadline for nominations and applications for these great recognitions will be March 31.  Nominations can be given to Linda Brown or Michael Kostic. 

The District Award of Merit, the highest award a district can bestow upon a volunteer, is awarded for either continuous outstanding service to youth or the community or for a one time project that impact is of a substantial and long-lasting positive impact on youth or the community.  Up to three of these awards may be presented this year. 

The Tilberg and Riley Awards were established to recognize outstanding unit programs.   The awards are presented to a pack and troop, respectively, for excellence in programmed activities with an emphasis on service to others.   In order to be eligible for consideration, a unit must first qualify as a Centennial Quality Unit and apply for award consideration. The awards committee reviews the information about the unit such as year-round programming, community service, and participation in council/district activities, number of registered, trained leaders and number of youth.  

Complete award information along with the respective nomination or application forms can be found on the Blue and Grey District Blog on the council website at www.yaac-bsa.org.

Mall Show 2010 

All packs, troops, and crews from the Blue and Grey District are invited to attend the Mall Show which will be held on Saturday, February 6, at the North Hanover Mall.  Set up a booth, or stop by for fellowship! 

The Mall Show is all about showing the public and fellow Scouts the great things that each unit does.  Start thinking of a display, craft, or Scout skill that can shared with the public. Registration information is available online.

Spring Camporall 

The Spring Camporall will return to Latimore Valley Fairgrounds the weekend of April 23-25 with a special sci-fi theme.  This event is going to be like no other!   Full program information will be available in January, and will be posted on the district blog.

Blue & Grey E-News 

Keep current with the news and happenings of the Blue & Grey District by signing up for the e-news.  To be added to the list, please send your email address, name and unit number to Michael Kostic at michael.kostic@scouting.org.

Klondike Derby

 The 2010 Klondike Derby will be held at Camp on February 19-21.  Scouts from the Blue & Grey District and the First Capital District will be challenged to Scout Olympics on Saturday during the activity portion of the Klondike. 

Registration forms and additional information was mailed in November and is available online.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ben Heyser at 321 – 4606 for more information.

Life To Eagle Seminars 

The next Life to Eagle Seminars will be held on February 16 and May 11.  Both will be held at the Freedom Valley Worship Center, 4 miles west of New Oxford on Route 30.  For further information for the evening or to register for the seminar, please contact Linda Brown via email at fluffyralph@hotmail.com.

Centennial Quaility Unit Program 

Units participating in the 2010 Centennial Quality Unit Program have until February 15 to confirm their objectives.  At this time, most units should have met with the appropriate district representative or are scheduled to do so.  Units not scheduled should contact Steve Ruck at 877-3151 immediately.

Blood drive

 The annual blood drive is just around the corner and is scheduled to take place during various dates in January 2010. Please be sure you’ve made your reservations with the council service center if you are going to participate. 

If you have questions please contact Darren Smith at bsa.darrensmith@yahoo.com or call the council service center.  Plenty of additional information is also available online at www.yaac-bsa.org.

Unit leaders: 

Tonight at your district roundtables, you’ll get to hear a short presentation about the Good Turn for America Blood Drive.  This is a very important community service opportunity for our Scouts, and it is a great way to help our community. 

Your Scouts can earn a special patch and help save people’s lives by participation – and the work that you have to do to make this happen is relatively easy!  There are 6 easy steps; so please read on… 

Step 1)  Pick a Location

Pick a blood drive site in your community that you’d like to support.  The complete list for area drives can be found at the very end of my e-mail. Once you’ve done this, please send an e-mail to Gretchen Weekley that says “Hey, my unit (tell us your unit number) would like to work on getting blood donors for (whichever site you pick).”  It is important you tell us upfront which site you’re working on, just so we can tell if each site is being covered.  

Step 2) Take Note of Time, Date, Location…

Now that you’ve picked a site, you’ll be able to tell what date and times that particular drive will be conducted.  Not every drive is on a weekend. 

Step 3) Share the Info

At your next unit meeting, you’ll want to let your Scouts and families know that you’re working on donors for the site you picked.  Explain the goal is to get each Scout to get a few people to donate blood at that site.  They should ask their parents, teachers, neighbors, or adult friends.  They don’t need to go nuts knocking on doors in their neighborhood.  (This isn’t like selling popcorn!)  They should just ask a couple of people they know. 

Step 4) Scouts Get Donors

As mentioned above, Scouts should ask some folks they know to donate.  There is an official form that the Scouts should use.  It is downloadable here and lots of copies will be available at roundtable tonight.  When Scouts ask people to donate, they should ask the perspective donor for 3 possible times.  Appointments may be taken in 15 minute intervals.  (For example, a donor may request 8:00am, 8:15am, 8:30am.)  Prior to the blood drive, the Red Cross will call the donor, remind them of their appointment, and confirm the finalize time. 

Step 5) Collect Results

So that a schedule can be made, the unit leadership needs to collect all of the Scouts’ donation forms at a unit meeting before December 11.  Then, send all the forms – you don’t have to total anything – to Gretchen Weekley by December 11.  It is critical that these forms be submitted.  Otherwise, we can’t make a schedule and the Red Cross can’t remind donors of their appointments. (Gretchen’s fax number is 717845-6338 and her e-mail is gretchen.weekley@scouting.org.) 

Step 6) Order Patches

Use the participation form to list which of your Scouts participated by recruiting donors.  Submit that to Gretchen by February 4 to get your patches. 

If You Need Help…

There is a more detailed guidebook.  You may download it here.  There is also a Good Turn for America blood drive section to the council’s website where additional resources are available.  

There are some great district volunteers available to help you.  Please feel free to contact them.

• Blue & Grey: Darren Smith bsa.darrensmith@yahoo.com 

Thanks for your work on this project!  It will definitely make a difference in our communities,

Mike

October Roundtable Offers Important Information

The next roundtable will be held on October 1 beginning at 7pm in Rooms 1009-1011 at  the Freedom Valley Worship Center.  Specific topics for the evening will include:

Cub Scout Leaders: September’s meeting will feature a “Cub Scout Salute” Theme with special emphasis on the Character Connection of Respect and a Leader Enhancement presentation on the specifics of Cub Scout Camping.  November presentations will be heard on the Character Connection of Faith and Leader Enhancement Information concerning the Planning Special Events while all offer works of art as the month’s theme.

Boy Scout Leaders:  Scoutmasters and committee members will be talking “First Aid” in October along with a “Java Talk” on Orienting New Parents and a Merit Badge feature on Auto Mechanics.  November will focus on winter camping and Pioneering Merit Badge with a leadership discussion on “SM Conferences.”

Re-Charter Turn In Night

Charter turn-in night will be on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at the Freedom Valley Worship Center beginning at 7pm.  This night units will also be asked to register dates for 2010 summer camping at Tuckahoe, Friends of Scouting, Centennial Quality Unit Meetings, and several other important items.  Please mark down the date.

PLEASE REMEMBER: The National Council recently announced that effective January 1, 2010, the registration fee to join a pack, troop, or crew will increase to $15.00.  This fee increase will effect all Blue and Grey District units this re-charter period.

Annual Meeting Announced

The 2009 Annual Meeting of the Blue and Grey District will take place in the second floor board room of the Cross Keys Village Administration Building on Monday, December 14 beginning at 7pm.  All Charter Organization Representatives are encouraged to attend as the district will vote on the 2010 slate of officers and new members to the district committee at this meeting.

Re-Charter and Internet Advancement Training

Re-charter training and internet advancement training will take place on Monday, October 26 beginning at 7:00pm in Room 1009 of the Freedom Valley Worship Center.  Unit leaders previously completing the training need to also attend to pick-up the necessary information packet, but also to attend a training session on the online tools now needed to apply for tour permits, activities, etc. held in the adjoining room.

Last Call for Updating Leader Contact Information

Units that have not submitted updated contact information for the district email, phone, and meeting lists are asked to do so immediately.  This process started at the June program launch, and we will be using the newly updated information now that the new program year is in full swing.

Don’t be left out of communications concerning all of the district and council announcements and events.  Information should be sent to Dan Zalewski via dan.zalewski@scouting.org.

A Few New Folks Helping With Good Turn for America

Todd Kennedy, District Chair, recently appointed Darren Smith as the Blue and Grey District Good Turn for America Chair for the 2009 service campaign.  Along with this announcement, Veronica (Roney) Stevenson from Troop 110 in Hanover recently accepted the challenge of serving as the district’s Scouting for Food Chair for the upcoming November project.  Information and door hangers will be distributed out at upcoming roundtables.

Fairfield Takes the Lead

The leadership and youth membership of Fairfield’s Troop 76 recently accepted the challenge to serve as host for the 2010 Spring Camporall at the end of this coming April.  Brainstorming began on activities and events that will enable the district to celebrate Scouting’s heritage and history as the camporall will be a part of the Centennial Celebration of the Boy Scouts of America.  A round of applause to Jay Stroup, Gene Blinn, and Mark Greathouse for agreeing to advise the youth membership on developing this once in a lifetime program opportunity.  Anyone wishing to suggest or assist with the event planning can contact anyone of Troop 76’s leadership directly.

2009-2010 Life to Eagle Seminar Dates Announced

The Blue and Grey District’s Life to Eagle Seminars will be held on the following dates: September 15; November 17; February 16; and May 11.  Each seminar is held in Room 1009 at the Freedom Valley Worship Center beginning at 7pm.  Please register with Linda Brown at fluffyralph@hotmail.com at least a week prior to the seminar the Scout plans to attend.

Unit leaders from throughout the district came together on August 4 to officially kick-off the 2009 Fall Membership Program. Over the last several years, the Blue and Grey District celebrate the joining of hundreds of new Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. In order to keep pace with this previous record, this year’s goal is to welcome 350 new traditional Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts into the district’s packs and troops in order to reach Scouting’s overall goal to enable as many boys as possible to join in on the Scouting adventure and reap the benefits being a Scout brings.Cub Scouts packs are encouraged to visit any respective “Back to School” or “Meet the Teacher” nights in addition to the September School Night for Cub Scouts Sign-up Nights. Contact Dan Zalewski at the council service center if you need special promotional materials associated with any pack recruitment efforts. The district membership committee has scheduled the flier drops for all school districts to promote the following schedule of school nights. Specific questions can be forward to Dan Zalewski at the council service center.

Boy Scout troops will bring the youth of the community a chance to “Soar Like an Eagle” this fall by participating in a district wide recruitment program in the middle schools in Hanover and Adams County. Troops will be working in conjunction with the district membership committee in putting this program together and implementing it in each of the respective middle schools throughout the district. Questions can be forwarded to Dan Zalewski at the council service center.

A new roundtable year will roll-out starting on September 3 at the Freedom Valley Worship Center. This year’s roundtables will feature more program specific information for all leaders. Come on out to learn the latest and strengthen the unit program. Meetings begin at 7pm in Rooms 1009-1011.

Cub Scout Leaders: September’s meeting will feature a “Jungle Safari” Theme with special emphasis on the Character Connection of Resourcefulness and a Leader Enhancement presentation on family involvement. October presentations will be heard on the Character Connection of respect and Leader Enhancement Information concerning the Cub Scout Camping Program while all offer a Cub Scout Salute as the month’s theme.

Boy Scout Leaders: Scoutmasters and committee members will be talking “Business” in September along with a “Java Talk” on Boards of Reviews and a Merit Badge feature on Cycling. October will focus on First Aid and the Auto Mechanics Merit Badge with a leadership discussion on “Orienting New Parents”.

All leaders are reminded to bring their own coffee cup as the hot coffee will be waiting.

Re-charter training and internet advancement training will take place on Monday, October 26 beginning at 7pm in Room 1009 of the Freedom Valley Worship Center. Unit leaders previously completing the training need to also attend to pick-up the necessary information packet, but also to attend a “MyBSA” training held in the adjoining room.

The Blue and Grey District’s Life to Eagle Seminars will be held on the following dates: September 15; November 17; February 16; and May 11. Each seminar is held in Room 1009 at the Freedom Valley Worship Center beginning at 7pm. Please register with Linda Brown at fluffyralph@hotmail.com no later than a week prior to the seminar the Scout plans to attend.