Chairman's Corner

2019 Wrap-up and Way Ahead

9 Feb 2020

Troop 476 had another great year in 2019. We went on seven campouts plus summer camp at Lewis and Clark Scout Reservation. We had three scouts earn the rank of Eagle Scout and another has a Board of Review coming up as of this writing. We participate in Scouting4Food which benefits the Bellevue Food Pantry and other service projects. In 2019, as in previous years, our troop achieved the top Journey to Excellence (JTE) Gold Level. JTE is a Scouts BSA program that ranks troops based on planning and budgeting, recruitment and retention, advancement, scouting activities, and troop leadership and training criteria. We are strong and supportive of our scouts, helping them achieve their scouting goals. We encourage every scout or prospective scout and to join us for achievement, fun, and friendship.

We have had great success with our weekly scout meetings. These are planned to assist scouts of all ranks with their advancement. Basic skills involving first aid, ropes and knots, fitness, cutting tools use and safety, nature and navigation are taught for scouts on the trail to First Class. Another period is devoted to completing the requirements of a merit badge the scouts have chosen to pursue. This plan helps ensure that scouts are making progress at meetings in addition to those achieved while camping and at home. The final period of the weekly meeting is devoted to fun, usually elimination, knock-out, basketball, or passing football.

Troop 476's re-charter statistics show that we remain a solid program. We have 16 active scouts and look forward to adding to that number this year as Webelos bridge in the spring. We have fantastic leadership and volunteer support that keeps this troop running. We have committee meetings every other month and I'm thankful all the key positions are filled with dedicated adult volunteers. I am very thankful to our Scoutmaster, and all of the Assistant Scoutmasters who spend countless hours in service to our scouts.

Moving into 2020 I look forward to another great year. In the next couple of weeks we are hosting two cub scout packs with Webelos that might be interested in joining us and we look forward to meeting them.

We just completed a winter camp at Little Sioux Scout Ranch, featuring Klondike sled racing. As usual, the rest of the camping schedule is determined by the scouts themselves. Last year on campouts to Wanahoo State Rec Area and Louisville State Park, fishing was the highlight, and our scouts enjoyed those very much. This year for summer camp we will be going to Tomahawk Scout Reservation in Wisconsin. Adult leaders who have attended before are enthusiastic. Over 50 merit badges are offered at Tomahawk and, being farther north, is cooler in the summer months than the Omaha area.

For 2020, we need to keep a few things in mind to ensure that our scouts have the best opportunity for success in the Scouting program.

• Advancement Support - We have quite a few Life Scouts who are at various stages on their journey to Eagle. Please be aware of the need to support these scouts through volunteer opportunities on service projects. Another opportunity to support advancement comes from serving as a merit badge counselor. If you have a hobby, vocation, or interest area that aligns with one of the over 130 merit badges, contact me and I'll let you know how to become a merit badge counselor and share your knowledge with scouts.
• Charter Organization Support - Troop 476 is very fortunate to have Pilgrim Lutheran Church to sponsor our scout troop. The church has generously supported the troop by giving us a space to meet, storage areas for our equipment and financial help throughout the years. We volunteer and help with the service projects (such as the three Mid-Week Feeds that we support during winter months) that Troop 476 conducts to give something back to Pilgrim Lutheran Church.
• Training - "Every scout deserves a trained leader" is a great slogan for a vibrant scouting program. Keeping our training current equips our adult volunteers and leaders with the latest on youth protection policies and helps us learn what other successful programs are doing to deliver fun and exciting opportunities to scouts. All of our adult volunteers complete position specific and youth protection training (all online and no more than an hour for each course).
• Committee Member Involvement - As our troop remains strong, there is a natural changing of the guard as scouts advance to Eagle and/or age out and their parent volunteers become less involved. There is thus a need for new adult leaders to replace those departing. If you're not already a member of the Troop Committee, especially if you are a parent to a new scout, please consider joining your fellow parents and volunteers as an assistant to one of our position leaders to maintain our strength and make for a smooth transition in the future.

For all our current adult leaders, thanks for all that you do to make the Troop 476 experience so memorable for our scouts. For anyone considering joining our troop, we welcome you and look forward to helping your scout achieve his goals with other scouts in a fun and supportive environment.

Sincerely,

Bill Treu

Troop 476 Committee Chairman