News from Thunderbird District - March

Thunderbird District Newsletter March Edition In this issue Rocket Day 2007 Scouting For Food Cub Scout Training Boy Scout Training FOS Join our list Join our mailing list! Greetings! Welcome to this month's edition of the Thunderbird Newsletter. Rocket Day 2007 Are you looking for a great outing for your Scouts on April 28? Well, we have just the thing for you. The Thunderbird District is holding it�s first ever Water Rocket Launch for Cubs Scouts, their buddies and family members. This event is a great way to invite new boys into your pack and show them HOW MUCH FUN SCOUTING IS! Scouts, and their buddies will build and launch their rocket twice. Even if your pack isn�t going, come with your family or den and spend some time together. When: The event will be held on April 28th from 12:30 to 5:00 pm. Where: Location is a large open grassy field with no Obstructions. The staff has the NASA and FAA officials currently looking for a great location. How much: The cost is $5.00 up to April 3. After April 3 the cost is $6.00 Pre registration is very important so we have enough material on hand the day event. DON'T WAIT! For more information click on the link below to contact Jason Bledsoe at the Scout office. Jason Bledsoe Scouting For Food Do a Good Turn The Thunderbird District will be participating in Scouting for Food this spring. Scouting for Food involves hundreds of Scouts and leaders who deliver empty bags to houses on a Saturday Morning with a note asking people to fill the bag with non-perishable foods and leave the bag out the next week. The next Saturday, the bags are picked up and delivered to local food pantries in need of our help. Please be a part of this effort and sign up your unit at the April Roundtable. Bags and door hangers will be available then. We will drop off bags, except in the Raytown area, on Saturday April 7th and pick them up Saturday April 14th. Raytown bag drop off will be Saturday April 14th and pick up will be April 21st. For more information, please click on the link below to contact our Relationship Chair, Cindy Cone. Cindy Cone Cub Scout Training Are you trained in your new position? Cub Scout Leader Training is offered several times in the fall of each year and at least once in the spring. The new Cub Scout leader, whether a Den Leader, a Cubmaster, a Committee Member or someone else, should begin with Cub Scout Leader Fast Start training, available online or by contacting the Training chairman. The next logical step is Youth Protection Training (available online or in person), which is a must for all leaders who deal directly with youth. The Thunderbird Training Team highly recommends that all leaders take Youth Protection in person for the first time around. It is recommended that you review the materials online or in person at least every two years. To continue training, attend one of the district�s scheduled courses, including New Leader Essentials and the job-specific course related to your registered position: Cubmaster, Tiger Leader, Den Leader, Webelos Leader, or Pack Committee. These segments, and Youth Protection, are typically offered in a convenient one-day package. Webelos Leaders will conclude their training experience with the Webelos Leader Outdoor Experience. These courses aren�t the end of training. Experienced Scouters realize that they can continue to hone their skills, renew their enthusiasm, and better serve their Cubs by exploring new and different opportunities. Scouters who will be leading outdoor activities should experience BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation). Various other opportunities, such as University of Scouting, Roundtable, and other special trainings will provide a Cub leader with loads of great information and ability. Wood Badge, open to all trained adult leaders, is Scouting�s premiere leadership development program. Click on the link below to view all the Thunderbird Cub Scout trainings in 2007! Cub Scout Trainings Boy Scout Training Are you trained in your new position? Boy Scout Leader Training is typically offered once in the fall and once in the spring. The new Boy Scout leader, whether a Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, or a Committee Member, should begin with Boy Scout Leader Fast Start training, available online or by contacting the Training chairman. The next logical step is Youth Protection Training (available online or in person), which is a must for all leaders who deal directly with youth. The Thunderbird Training Team highly recommends that all leaders take Youth Protection in person for the first time around. It is recommended the you review the materials online or in person at least every two years. To continue training, attend one of the district�s scheduled courses, including New Leader Essentials. Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters should attend the �Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster Specific� course. They are also required to attend the Outdoor Leaders Skills course, typically offered as an evening and an overnight. Scoutmasters and Assistants will also profit from the Troop Committee Challenge course, but this is not required for them to be considered fully trained. Troop Committee Members and Chairs should attend New Leader Essentials and the Troop Committee Challenge. They are encouraged, but not required, to take the Scoutmaster/ASM Specific course and the Outdoor Leader Skills course. These hours of training will provide an investment that can touch dozens of boys over many years. Your boys are worth it! These courses aren�t the end of Boy Scout leadership training. Experienced Scouters realize that they can continue to hone their skills, renew their enthusiasm, and better serve their Scouts by exploring new and different opportunities. Scouters who will be supervising aquatic events will want to explore the Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat courses, available online. Powder Horn Training is designed for Boy Scout leaders who will be supporting troop high adventure programs. Various other opportunities, such as University of Scouting, Roundtable, and other special trainings will provide a Scout leader with loads of great information and ability. Wood Badge, open to all trained adult leaders, is Scouting�s premiere leadership development program. Click on the link below to view all the Thunderbird Boy Scout Trainings offered in 2007! Boy Scout Trainings FOS Has your unit earned free rank advancement? As many of you know, Friends of Scouting is our annual campaign to support the Scouting movement in the Heart of America Council. Through your financial support we are able to provide quality programs, facilities, and staff for our Scouts. Every year each unit is given the opportunity to participate in the FOS Campaign. Units that meet their goal are recognized with free rank advancement for a year! We encourage everyone to be a part of this wonderful campaign and help meet their units goal. $140.00 per year supports one Scout. Please support FOS and help us make this year's FOS a success. To schedule your unit for a presentation or for additional information please contact our Family FOS Chairman, Steve York. Steve York If this newsletter was forwarded to you, but you would rather receive it directly, enter your email in the box above, "Join our mailing list", and click join! Thunderbird District Heart of America Council, BSA Email: mgettys@bsamail.org Phone: 816-569-4971 Fax: 816-942-8086 Web: http://hoac-bsa.org/Thunderbird.cfm

Adventures in Scouting - February

February 2007 Council News Kansas City Area Sporting Clays Classic Friends of Scouting Venturing Scouting's 100th World Centenary A Great Winter To-Do-List Item Webelos Transition District News Big Muddy Blue Elk Exploring Kaw Lone Bear North Star Northern Tier Pelathe Pioneer Trails Red-Tailed Hawk Thunderbird Trailhead Trails West Twin Rivers Useful Links Activities Newsletter Archive Calendar of Events Training Opportunities Join our list Join our mailing list! Here is your monthly E-News from the Heart of America Council. This will keep you up-to-date on what's new in our council and the Boy Scouts of America. More information about these stories and others can be found by following the links or visiting our web site. Kansas City Area Sporting Clays Classic Powder Creek Shooting Park - Saturday, April 28, 2007 Scouting is an investment in today's youth, and our future. This is your perfect opportunity to take part in a 100-round tournament while supporting traditional and nontraditional programs reaching over 43,000 young people in the Kansas City area. Come join us for a day of recreation and fun and help deliver the life changing values of Scouting. For more information, click here. Friends of Scouting Funds that Make a Difference Friends of Scouting, our annual fundraising campaign, provides the essential funding needed to keep Scouting available at an affordable cost. The cost of delivering Scouting to the more than 31,400 traditional youth members is $137 per Scout. Our communities generously work together to provide the necessary support that ensures that the Heart of America Council remains one of the premier councils, providing the finest programs and services to our young people. Families of our Scouts, former Scouts, concerned members of the community, local businesses, and corporations all work together to provide this crucial funding. The Heart of America Council's Friends of Scouting Kick-Off was held on January 31st at the Liberty Memorial. Throughout the spring, volunteers will be contacting past contributors as well as new prospects to enroll as a Friends of Scouting member. Our council's goal for 2007 is to reach $1,687,450 by the Victory Meeting and to raise $1,847,000 by the year's end. Thank you to those volunteers whose commitment makes this campaign possible and thank you to those of you whose generous financial support makes Scouting a reality for so many young people. For more on Heart of Amercia Council's Friends of Scouting, click here. Venturing A Program for Our Older Youth Looking for something new and exciting that will keep your older Scouts involved in your troop? Venturing is an exciting program alternative for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age. Venturing offers activities that will appeal specifically to this age group and help to keep them active and involved. Venturing is based on a unique and dynamic relationship between youth, adult leaders, and organizations in their communities. Venturing crews are established by matching people and program resources to the interests of young people in the community. The result is a program of exciting and meaningful activities that helps youth pursue their special interests, grow, develop leadership skills, and become good citizens. For more information on Venturing, click here. Scouting's 100th World Centenary The World-wide 100th Birthday Celebration Scouting started in 1907, with an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in the UK for 20 boys from a wide variety of social backgrounds. In 2007, Scouting celebrates its worldwide Centenary. This is an opportunity to promote the values, benefits, and achievements of Scouting to the world. It is also a chance for the millions of Scouts around the world to make a real difference in the lives of others through their Centenary activities. The single theme for all events and activities for the Centenary of Scouting and the 21st World Scout Jamboree is: 2007: One World One Promise. For more information on Scouting world-wide 100th anniversary, click here. A Great Winter To-Do-List Item Taking Stock, Providing a Legacy Winter offers the opportunity to catch up on indoor projects. It is a time to make things a priority that may not make it on a to-do list during other times of the year. One of the best things to do this winter season is to think about your estate plan. More than half of all Americans have no plan. Of those that do have a will, many are outdated. Take time this winter to take stock of what's important to you. Consider the places, people, and causes that you depend on and that depend on you. Think about the kind of legacy and impact you wish to have. To learn about the benfits of estate planning and planned giving, click here. Webelos Transition Helping Them Take that Next Step Since over 90% of all Boy Scouts were Webelos Scouts, the Webelos-to-Scout transition is one of the most important membership focuses at this time of year. Our challenge is to ensure the transition to the next level of Scouting is readily available for a young man once he meets the joining requirements. By the time Webelos Scouts are ready to cross over to Boy Scouting, they and their families should be comfortable with the youth and adult leaders of the troop, understand their role in the troop and troop activities, and feel excited about beginning this new adventure. For more information about Webelos transition, click here. Heart of America Council Boy Scouts of America Email: hoac-bsa@bsamail.org Phone: 816-942-9333 Fax: 816-942-8086 Web: http://www.hoac-bsa.org