Centennial Quality Unit

Congratulations to all those units who worked hard this year to achieve centennial quality unit. District leadership grateful to all those boys and leaders who worked hard to set strong goals and then achieve them.  Please remember that 2010 Centennial Quality Unit pledge forms are due by February 28, at the latest.  Units who do not turn in their form on time cannot qualify for quality unit in 2010. Remember that as an award for achieving Centennial Quality Unit, units can qualify for free rank advancements for the following year!

 Summer Camp

Please let the council know what your intentions are for Summer Camp. You should already have plans to register for Cub Scout and Boy Scout Summer Resident Camp. Please read the valuable information in the current January YAAC for dates, fee’s and programs.  No boy should be left out from experiencing summer camp.

 Life to Eagle

The Eagle Scout project process may seem to be a large and daunting task for the boy who is ready to begin the journey.   Scouts, leaders, and parents can learn about what to expect on the trail from Life to Eagle Scout. 

Members of the district advancement committee will walk Scouts and parents through the “12 Steps to Eagle” showing how to correctly set up a timeline for the project, properly document the journey, and much more. 

How to properly prepare for Eagle projects and board of reviews will be discussed during our next Life to Eagle Seminar which will be held Monday, March 29 at Messiah United Methodist Church on George St. in York. Anyone interested in attending may RSVP to Steve Coates at sacoates@juno.com.

March Roundtable

March Roundtable will be on Thursday, March 4, at 7pm at Messiah United Methodist Church on George Street in North York. Please come and help your unit by receiving valuable training and information regarding council activities, and events. Don’t miss out on these monthly opportunities to learn about the monthly themes and get ideas on how to make your pack and troop meetings more fun and enjoyable for everyone.  The Boy Scout theme this month will be Citizenship with an emphasis on Physical Fitness, and the Cub Scout theme is Take Flight. The Cub Scouts will also be discussing Summer Camp planning that night, so Cub Scout leaders please come and learn how to help your pack and dens grow through resident summer camp programs.  Everyone come and see what Jeff and John have up their sleeves this month!

April Roundtable

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.

District Dinner 

Our District Dinner will be held Tuesday, May 4, at the Dover Township Fire Department on Davidsburg Rd. Our District Committee is working tirelessly to formulate a menu that is bound to impress! They are still working out the last minute details but please plan on coming and enjoying this opportunity to meet and network with professional staff and other volunteers in the council! More information is coming soon.

 Mall Show Update

The winter weather has given us a little more time to prepare for the York Galleria mall show. The new date is set for March 27. Set up will begin at 8am and the show will run from 10am to 4pm. Reservations are still be accepted.  Please contact Patrick Colvin at patrick.colvin@scouting.org for details.

 Spring Camporee

Plans are being made for a great spring camporee! Units should mark their calendars now, as this is bound to be a camporee to remember! This year’s camporee will be held April 23-25 at Kinsley Farms in York. We will be re-attempting the Rail Trail Bike or Hike that was rained out last year. Bring your bike or your boots for a beautiful trip along the Rail Trail. Cost is $5 per person.

 Brookside Day Camp Dates

Just a reminder that the First Capital day camp that will be held at Brookside Park in Dover will be held Monday, July 26 through Friday, July 30.   This is a change from the printed council calendar.

 District Award of Merit

The District Award of Merit is the highest award that a Scouting volunteer can be honored with at the district level.  The recipient must be a registered Scouter who has performed outstanding service to youth in Scouting.  Every unit has someone worthy of being recognized with the Award of Merit.  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.

Quality District

First Capital District earned “Centennial Quality District” status for 2009!  The district had membership growth in both its traditional, suburban programs, as well as in its York City urban programs.  Congratulations to all leaders and district volunteers on this achievement!

Note from the new DE… 

Hello York-Adams Area Council!  My name is Patrick Colvin and I’m excited to start work as your new district executive. 

My family and I come to you from the New England area.  I grew up in Scouting and achieved my Eagle Scout rank while living all over the country, including Anchorage, AK and Seattle, WA, but spent most of my growing up years in a suburb of Boston called Foxboro. I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Natural Resource Recreation Management from the University of Utah and have worked in several different capacities at Boy Scout summer camps while in college.   My wife and I have a one year old daughter and a three year old Golden Lab.   My family and I are very excited to be here with all of you.  

Klondike Derby 

The 2010 Klondike Derby will be held at Camp Tuckahoe on Friday, February 19 and wrap-up on Sunday, February 21, 2010.  Scouts from the Blue & Grey District and the First Capital District will be challenged on Saturday during the activity portion of the Klondike.  The theme is Scout Olympics! 

Look for registration/information packets were mailed to unit leaders in November, and are available electronically.  Questions or concerns?  Please call Jon Hess at 848-1564 for more information.

Mall Show 

Last year was a busy year for all of our Scouting units.  Now, it is time to show off!  A great time to share pictures, stories, and the skills learned throughout the year is at the annual mall show on Saturday, February 6. 

The Indian Steps and First Capital Districts will be coming together at the York Galleria to put together the annual mall show.  This is a great day of fun and fellowship.  Cub Scouts are encouraged to bring their pinewood derby cars to race against each other.  Boy Scout troops that have a unique or special skill are encouraged to showcase their talent for everyone to enjoy and participate. 

Keep an eye out for registration forms at roundtable and in the First Capital Activity Alerts.  Questions or concerns?  Feel free to contact George Holder (First Capital) at 764 – 0649 or Terri Boyd (Indian Steps) at 870 – 0189.

First Capital Activity Alert:  Who’s Missing?  

The Activity Alert is the First Capital District’s way of sending information electronically.  The goal for the Activity Alert is for every leader in the Scouting program, to receive information through e-mail.  Information about potential Eagle Scout projects, community service projects, and camporees is passed through the Activity Alert.  Be sure that at least one leader within the pack or troop is signed up to receive Activity Alerts. 

To become part of this informational emailing list, contact Patrick Colvin at 827-4569 or email patrick.colvin@scouting.org and write “First Capital Activity Alert: Add Me” in the subject line.

Blood Drive 

Scouts should be out actively recruiting parents, friends, family, and community members to participate in the blood drive.  The blood drive is the second part of the three part Good Turn for America.  The blood drive takes place in January 2010. 

All Scouts in the York-Adams Area Council should participate in this life saving event.  One individual can save up to 3 lives with one bag of blood.  This is a great opportunity for Scouting to make a huge difference in the York-Adams area.

2010 Day  Camp DATE CHANGE 

The date of the First Capital Day Camp at Brookside Park in Dover will be changing to July 26-30.  Please note this change on your calendars. 

The date change is due to park availability.  However, we’re also hoping that unit leaders will appreciate that we’re a little further away from the Fourth of July holiday. 

More information about Day Camp will be out in late winter.

January Roundtable 

The January roundtable will be held on Thursday, January 7, at 7:00pm at the Messiah United Methodist Church.  Units are asked to have at least one leader in attendance.  The intention of roundtable is to have at least one leader from every pack and troop in attendance to benefit from the discussion and ideas shared.  The roundtable staff encourages every unit to have one leader in attendance, so please try to attend the monthly roundtable.

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.

First Capital: Charlie Koble ckkrx@aol.com 

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

Mike

Three merit badge courses will be offered in programs this year hosted by York College of Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Students in Free Enterprise of York College. The badges will be: American Business, Personal Management, and Entrepreneurship. Personal Management and American Business are both two part courses, with one part in the fall and one part in the spring.

Advanced registration for each badge is required. Scouts can register by contacting Gretchen Weekley (717-843-0901 or gretchen.weekley@scouting.org) at the council service center. The deadline to register is 10 days prior to the course.

Personal Management
Two-part class:
Saturday, November 21, 10am-12pm
and Saturday, March 20, 10am-12pm

American Business
Two-part class:
Saturday, November 14, 10am-12pm
And Saturday, March 13, 10am-12pm

Entrepreneurship
Saturday, November 7, 10am-12pm

All courses will be held at York College of Pennsylvania. Specific locations on campus will be announced by e-mail to everyone who RSVP’s.
Light snacks will be provided. Parents are welcome to attend.

A pack can qualify for the National Summertime Pack Award certificate by conducting three pack activities—one each in June, July, and August.

Qualifying packs receive a colorful streamer for their pack flag. Dens with an average attendance of at least half their members at the three summer pack events will be eligible for a colorful den participation ribbon. Boys who participate in all three pack events are eligible to receive the National Summertime Pack Award pin, which they can wear on the right pocket flap of their uniform.

The purpose of the National Summertime Pack Award is to encourage packs to provide a year-round program by continuing to meet during the time periods when school is out of session for several weeks or months.

An application for the National Summertime Pack Award may be downloaded from at this link.

A new website has been posted that includes the latest information about the possible consolidation with the Keystone Area Council. This site will be a good source on the most recent news related to the study. Click here for the link.

Don’t forget that roundtable is this Thursday, October 1, at 7pm at Messiah United Methodist Church (1300 North Beaver Street). There will be plenty of news to share, and some great programs are planned for the evening. As always, every unit is strongly encouraged to send a representative.

Life to Eagle

The Eagle Scout project process may seem to be a large and daunting task for a boy who is ready to begin the journey.  Scouts, leaders, and, parents can learn about what to expect on the trail from Life to Eagle Scout.  Additionally, how to properly prepare for Eagle projects and board of reviews will be discussed during the Monday, October 26, meeting at the Messiah United Methodist Church, starting at 7 pm.  Members of the district advancement committee will walk Scouts and parents through the “12 Steps to Eagle” showing how to correctly set up a timeline for the project, properly document the journey, and much more.

If you are interested in attending the seminar or if you have any questions, contact Steve Coates at sacoates@juno.com

Membership

The fall recruiting period is in full swing.  By now each Cub Scout pack has a few new Scouts and there are several other ‘lost boys’ out there.  Second round recruiting nights are being scheduled to make sure those ‘lost boys’ join in on the fun of Scouting.  The membership chairman, Frank Tolbert, will be in touch with units to schedule second roundup nights.

Leaders, during the busy time of roundup, make sure to use your resources.  Ask your unit commissioner for help.  They may be able to drop off applications, talk to new parents, or help man the recruiting table with a few other leaders.

Annual Meeting Notice

The 2009 annual meeting will take place on Thursday, December 10, beginning at 7pm at the council service center.  All chartered organization representatives are invited and encouraged to attend this meeting.

Food Drive

The 2009 – 2010 Good Turn for America will kick off on the first weekend of November.  Door hangers are to be distributed on Saturday, November 7.  Scouts should then plan to collect all donations on Saturday, November 14.  All collected food items should be delivered to a local food bank.

Door hangers will be available for pickup at the October and November Roundtables and at the council service center.  Be sure to record how many hangers you pickup and take the names of each adult and Scout who helps in the food drive.

Welcome New…

The First Capital District would like to welcome Mindy Apple as a new Cub Scout Roundtable Staff member.  Mindy is a roundtable regular who always jumped in to lend a hand when needed.  Now, Mindy will be taking a more direct role in making sure other leaders who come to Roundtable leave with better ideas and plans for their pack.

First Capital Activity Alert:  Who’s Missing?

The Activity Alert is the First Capital District’s way of sending information electronically.  The goal for the Activity Alert is for every leader in the Scouting program, to receive information through e-mail.  Information about potential Eagle Scout projects, community service projects, and camporees is passed through the Activity Alert.  Be sure that at least one leader within the pack or troop is signed up to receive Activity Alerts.

To become part of this informational emailing list, contact Michael Kostic at (717) 843–0901 or email michael.kostic@scouting.org and write “First Capital Activity Alert: Add Me” in the subject line.

Recharter and Advancement Training

Recharter time is a crucial point in the Scouting year.  It is a time to review the roster and make any necessary changes.  Each Scouting unit cannot meet or go on activities without a renewed charter that takes them to the end of 2010.  Recharter training night is open for any committee chairman, leader, or volunteer who has the duty of rechartering the pack or troop.

Recharter training will be held at the council service center on Thursday, October 22, beginning at 7pm.  The online process will be reviewed.  The goal of the training night is for anyone who helps with the recharter process to leave feeling confident on being able to correctly have all the charter paperwork ready for recharter turn in night.  As an additional training topic, Internet Advancement will be covered as part of the recharter training night.

Recharter Turn In Night

The 2010 recharters can be handed in at the council service center on Tuesday, December 8, at 7pm.  Like last year’s turn in night, everyone will have a passport with special tables to visit before handing in the re-charter.  Scout units will have the opportunity to schedule their Friends of Scouting presentation, reserve dates for summer camp, sign-up for trainings, and other resources will be available.  More information is to come on suggested arrival times to avoid long lines and backups.  Check the blog for updates.

November Roundtable

Scouters will meet at the Messiah United Methodist Church on Thursday, November 5, at 7 pm to take part in Roundtable.

The Cub Scout Theme is “Cub Scout Salute” and the Boy Scout theme is “Safety” with a special feature on religious emblems.

Three merit badge courses will be offered this year, hosted by York College of Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Students in Free Enterprise of York College.  The badges will be: American Business, Personal Management, and Entrepreneurship.  Personal Management and Entrepreneurship are both two part courses, with one part in the fall and one part in the spring.

Part one of the Personal Management merit badge course will be held on Saturday, November 7, from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Entrepreneurship and part one of the American Business merit badge course will each be held on Saturday, November 21, from 10:00am to 12:00pm. The second part of the Personal Management merit badge course is tentatively set for March 20, 2010 and the second part for the American Business course is tentatively set for April 10, 2010.

All courses will be held at York College of Pennsylvania.  However, specific locations will be decided based on course enrollment.  Everyone who registers will be notified by e-mail in advance of the course.

For more information and to register for a course, please contact Gretchen Weekley at Gretchen.weekley@scouting.org or by calling 717-827-4580.

I would like to inform all of the First Capital Scouters that September 3rd will be my last day serving the York-Adams Area Council.

My wife and I are relocating to Reading, Pa so that she can pursue her career with a local school district in the area.  We are both excited for the move and the start of something new, while a little sad to leave all of our friends and family behind.

I do plan on being at Roundtable on the 3rd.

Many thanks goes out to all of the parents, volunteers, Cub leaders, and Scout leaders for their help, guidance, and willingness to work with me during my time with the District.  I have developed many great friendships while working within the First Capital District and have enjoyed my time working with everyone.  I am also very proud to see how much everyone believes in the Scouting movement and how hard everyone works to see that we can reach as many young men as possible.

Josh