Thursday, May 4, is the next roundtable. The Cub Scout and Boy Scout sessions start at 7:30. Venturing starts at 7:00 (see below). Come and bring new leaders and parents to learn and be better informed about what is going on around the council.

 

Roundtable is the first Thursday of every month--starting in September and ending in June. They are held at the LDS Church, 220 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael.

Once again, we will be holding a spring kick-off for popcorn Kernels and unit leaders at 6:00 p.m. before the May roundtable. We will learn about new products, try samples, share tips for best practices, and enjoy dinner together as we begin preparing for the 2017 season! Contact Nancy Rozell with questions.

Every year, the Marin Council has a council pinewood derby race at the Marin County Fair. This race is for all the winners of pack races to run off against other packs, and it is the highlight of the year for many Cub Scouts.

We need volunteers to set up, run, and clean up after the race, as well as conduct two check-in days in June for packs to register their cars for the race and provide a track and software. This race cannot happen with people to run it.

If you can help, please send an email to the council office.

Cars that are not in the race can be part of the Marin County Fair pinewood derby car exhibition. Forms will be available on our web site soon. We'd like to get as many cars from Cub Scouts at the Fair as possible.

Cub Scout Day Camps at Camp Tamarancho

Day Camp is the highlight of a Cub Scout's year! However, boys who are not currently in Cub Scouts are welcome attend. Day Camp is open to boys who will be entering the second through fifth grades in the fall of 2017.

• First Day Camp: June 26-30 (registration open through 6/15/17)
• Second Day Camp: July 10-14 (registration open through 6/30/17)
• Third Day Camp: July 24-28 (registration open through 7/13/17)

Bus service is available from many parts of Marin if desired.

Cost for Day Camp is $235.00. If your son is not in Cub Scouts now, a minimal charge of $20.00 will apply to register him.

Bus service is $50 per camp.

National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)

Training for Adults

Assuming you all love the Scout program, you know how important it is to reach as many youth as possible. Keeping fees low, offering scholarships when needed, and providing the best program and support for leaders are all done on a very tight budget. That being said, we've begun our 2017 Friends of Scouting campaign! You should have just received our brochure in the mail.

 

Volunteers and professionals alike count on donations to do what we do and couldn't function without the support of friends like you.

 

Please remind your families that Friends of Scouting makes up almost a quarter of our annual budget and that every dollar helps!

Recently, a troop leader from a fairly large troop was participating in a community service project. There were people coming by and helping who were not part of the troop as well. One parent asked the leader who they were. The leader replied with their troop number and where they met. The parent said that they didn't even know the troop existed and that they wanted to join Scouting.

This simple story illustrates the real truth that even though we think people know we exist, doesn't mean they actually know we are there. We need to be present in the community--just like the troop in the story.

Recruiting is paramount to our well being as an organization and as individual units. We are a membership organization, and without members, we will cease to exist.

There are two important areas from which to draw members. First, non-Scouts or non-Venturers. Not too long ago, a troop in central Marin was waning. Their membership had dropped, and they hadn't had Webelos bridging into the troop in a while. So they took action. They began to recruit non-Scouts at every function and school that they could. As a result, numerous boys joined who had never been Scouts, and they are again healthy.

This is a perfect time to reach out to non-Scouts as their school year is finishing. Packs can look for young Kindergarten and first graders and up. Troops can promote themselves to fifth and sixth graders. Crews can actively recruit those turning 14 or graduating eighth grade. One of the best ways to attract youth is to have Scouts bring their friends. It takes commitment, effort, and resourcefulness; however, the rewards are great.

For troops, the second area to recruit from is Webelos. (Sometimes we rely on this so heavily that we ignore non-Scouts.) Begin to contact packs, and work with the Webelos all year. Show them why they should join your troop! Supply den chiefs. Be attractive. Take them out and show them the fun and adventure of Scouting.

For more information and to ask for help, contact Nancy Rozell for Cub Scouts and Tim Wells for Boy Scouts.

The Marin Council 2017 Membership Plan summary can be downloaded here.

Recently, Pack 1 helped with a service project at Horse Hill in Mill Valley. They cleared quite a bit of Scotch Broom from the area and received a little history lesson as well.

 

Greg Reza, ranger with Marin County Parks wrote: I am sending a message of thanks and a handful of photos from the day. We all agree that it was a great day and we really enjoyed working with Pack 1. Thanks again for coordinating with your group and bringing out 40+ volunteers. It seemed like everyone had a fun time and the entire team got the positive message of community service.

 

No, you don't need to carry a rope and life buoy. But, can you recognize when there's a "critical illness" in your unit? The urgent cases you're likely to face include loss of adult leadership, no unit program, or conflict between unit leaders. Without intensive care from you, your adult leaders, your commissioner, or a team of lifesavers (executive board members), such a unit could become terminal and stop serving youth.

 

Watch the Vital Signs

 

Just as paramedics and other medical caregivers check vital signs, so should you. Watch the vital signs of your unit. Any one or a group of bad signs should alert you to a life-threatening situation:

Don't wait until next month when you may see your commissioner. Don't wait until someone else suggests the perfect solution. Go into action now. Regardless of unit trauma, there are specific things you can do: consult with your commissioner. Don't know or have one? Contact me, Chris Cardinal, Council Commissioner, or Sam Guyton, assistant Council Commissioner. Touch base with your district executives, Tim Wells (Venturing & Boy Scouts), and Nancy Rozell (Cub scouts). They may have information you need. More importantly, they need to know what you now know. Plan together. Individuals can save lives, but paramedic teams are better.

 

Contact us. We're here to help our Scouts become tomorrow's leaders.

The Shooting Sports Committee offers opportunities for Scouts to learn safe handling of firearms and bow and arrow while enjoying the sport of shooting.

At Camp Tamarancho, we offer BB gun, slingshot shooting, and archery for Cub Scouts. For Boy Scouts and Venturers we offer .22 caliber and pellet rifle shooting, tomahawk throwing, and archery. At Camp Marin Sierra during Boy Scout Summer Camp, we offer opportunities to shoot .22 rifles, shotguns, and archery.

 

In addition to shooting at Boy Scout Summer Camp at Marin Sierra and Cub Scout Summer Camp at Camp Tamarancho, we offer shooting opportunities during the year at council events like Cub Scout Adventure Weekend and Tiger Expedition in the fall and Family Fiesta in the spring.

 

For Webelos, a special pellet rifle shooting and archery program is offered at Webelos Woods in the fall at Camp Marin Sierra.

 

We offer additional Cub Scout shooting programs such a special Turkey Shoot around Thanksgiving, during the Pinewood Derby Workshop in February, and another special shoot called the Bunny Shoot around Easter.

 

Boy Scout troops and patrols and Venturers may shoot at any time during the year by just reserving a range and arranging for qualified supervision.

First Cast

 

The San Rafael Downtown Library is looking for middle school and high school volunteers to help out with our Summer Reading Challenge this summer! If you're a teen or tween who will have completed 6th grade by June, loves working with kids, and wants to give back to your community, we want to hear from you!

 

Volunteers are asked to commit to 2, two-hour shifts per week for four weeks in the summer. Tasks you might do include assisting younger children with the Summer Reading Challenge, entering participant information into our online program, answering questions about the program, handing out prizes, and helping set up for library events. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 9.

 

Pick-up a paper application from the San Rafael Downtown Library Children's Reference Desk or fill-out an application online.