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July 2020
The Pathway to Adventure Council is in Phase 4 of the City of Chicago's "Protecting Chicago" Reopening Framework. For more information on meeting safely and required forms, please view our full announcement here .
SCOUT SHOP AND SERVICE CENTER UPDATE
July 4 Holiday Hours for Service Centers and Scout Shops

The Arlington Heights, Chicago, Highland, and La Grange Service Centers and the Highland Scout Shop will be closed Friday, July 3.

The La Grange and Arlington Heights Scout Shops will be closed on Saturday, July 4, and will remain closed on Monday, July 6, per their normal store hours.
VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP
We are proud to announce Camp O.N. (short for Owasippe and Napowan) for Scouts BSA! Since we can’t be at camp, we’re bringing camp to our Scouts! This online camp program provides exciting and engaging merit badges and activities led by our camp staff, including all necessary program supplies! Weekly programs will include ten merit badges to choose from, including cooking, science, and craft activities, and much MORE!

We are happy to announce Cub Scout Fun Week! Since we can’t be with you this summer at our Cub Scout summer fun days, we’re bringing summer fun days to you!

This at-home program provides exciting and engaging activities done at your own pace throughout the week of July 20 through July 26, 2020.

Programs will include craft, Scout skills, STEM, service, physical fitness, and much MORE! The Fun Week Kit includes all necessary program supplies!
Scouts who complete all of the programs will receive their very own superhero cape!
 
POPCORN
2020 Fall Popcorn Sale - Fuel your Adventure!
The PTAC 2020 Popcorn sale is right around the corner! The popcorn team, made up of professionals and volunteers, has been working for months putting together a great opportunity for all units. This year’s sale, using Pecatonica River Popcorn, will give Scouts and units the chance to sell amazing product and earn some spectacular prizes and incentives.  

Leader/kernel trainings will be starting on July 31, at various locations around the council. A representative from every selling unit should attend the training, as this is where they will get trained on the PRP system, taste the new product, pick up all their order forms and prize forms, and have the chance to talk to other kernels and hear what they do. Registration information for the trainings will be sent out in the near future, and will be conducted via our online registration process. We need all leaders/kernels to register for the training so that we can follow social distancing and group size guidelines.

For units that have not yet registered for the sale, please do so using this link:  https://forms.gle/axWQERzkbZMRWAqXA. Filling out this form will let us know that you are planning on selling this fall, but more importantly, it will give us the name and the contact information for the person from your unit running the sale. We will then have the correct person when we send out communication during the sale.  

We are looking forward to a great sale in 2020, and want you to be a part of it!
Any questions regarding the sale can be directed to  ptac.popcorn@scouting.org.
ACTIVITIES
Woodbadge Updates
Wood Badge 2020 is postponed.
COVID-19 has become a tremendous challenge to all of us in Scouting and taken a toll on much of our program. Because of the tremendous amount of preparation time needed to run a course, Pathway to Adventure Council has made the tough decision to postpone our 2020 Wood Badge Course.

Wood Badge has been rescheduled to the weekends of 9/10-9/12 and 10/2-10/3 of 2021. Registration will be opened June 1st at https://scoutingevent.com/456-woodbadge2021.

Wood Badge is advanced leadership training for Cub Scout, Scouts BSA and Venturing adult leaders at the unit, district, council, and professional levels. It is taught by living the experience of a Scouts BSA Troop, utilizing the patrol method. Wood Badge is about learning and developing Leadership skills, rather than basic Scouting skills - skills that can be used in Scouting and all facets of life. We hope you will join us in 2021 for this extraordinary and life changing course.
Trading Tech Merit Badge Clinics Go Virtual!
We may not be able to go into the offices of our Trading Tech partners located in Chicago’s financial district this year, but they will bring their offices and colleagues to you, virtually! Our friends including, Advantage Futures, CME Group, Enova, FourStar, John Lothian News and others are ready to teach Scouts a merit badge and life lessons they won’t forget. The first week will be July 13-17th.

You can find the first two sessions below!

Digital Technology at Enova (13+):       https://scoutingevent.com/456-38319
Personal Management at US Bank (14+): https://scoutingevent.com/456-38421
Order of the Arrow Updates
Takhone Lodge has extended the unit election season and is conducting virtual elections to finish up this year's elections. Please request a visitation today: http://oa7.org/unitvisit/
ADVANCEMENT
PTAC COVID-19 Advancement Updates
Virtual Camping Nights
In light of the extended period of camping restrictions attributable to COVID-19, the following temporary modification is being made by the PTAC Council Advancement Committee until September 1, 2020. Virtual camping may be counted toward the required nights of camping for rank advancement and merit badge requirements if all of the following conditions are met:
  • To be counted, all virtual camping nights should be a direct result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and be part of a BSA unit-organized unit camping event (a unit camping event is defined as multiple members of the unit are involved and camping simultaneously at remote locations)
  • Some form of unit-organized communications should occur either during or immediately following the event
  • All existing Youth Protection Policies and Digital Safety Guidelines must be followed
  • No more than 3 nights of virtual camping are to be credited in any month which government or council-imposed COVID-19 restrictions are in place

Electronic Application Submission, verification, and Signatures
Eagle packet verification was suspended while offices were closed, please be advised that we have restored the process of verification before conducting the final Eagle Board of Review. 

When it is time to turn in your completed Eagle Scout application/paperwork, you can drop off your packet to one of our (4) Service Centers. We have safe drop-off points arranged at each location. For addresses to our Service Centers, please see: http://pathwaytoadventure.org/contact/  

If you would like to submit paperwork electronically for verification, please contact Mary Demski at: mary.demski@scouting.org .

Eagle/Summit/Quartermaster Time Extensions due to COVID-19
The PTAC Advancement Committee has been granted the authority to grant a 3-month extension for those scouts working on Eagle/Summit/Quartermaster and it can be established that COVID-19 disruptions were the only circumstances that delayed work.
If you feel that COVID-19 has disrupted a youth’s progression, please send an email to PTACAdvancement@gmail.com as soon as possible with the following information:
  • Name
  • Unit
  • Date of 18th birthday
  • Details of situation/request
  • List of any items remaining to complete including merit badges, leadership roles, etc.
  • Current status of the service project and if it is already approved by your District
Should you need to seek additional information about your specific situation, please reach out to: PTACAdvancement@gmail.com and we can provide individual guidance and recommendations.

Currently, these COVID-19 changes and exceptions expire on September 30, 2020.

Eagle Summit/Quartermaster Credentials
Please note that fulfillment requests for Eagle certificates, cards, and letters from the National Service Center and National Supply are experiencing delays due to COVID-19. Your patience and understanding is appreciated. 
Hornaday Award Achievers
A Hornaday Award Achiever (HAAer) is any Scout or Scouter that has ever been curious about the "why?" and "how?" of nature while having fun doing a Scout activity, a school activity, or on a family activity. The curiosity of wanting to learn more about your nature experience, the urge to do something about it, and the natural activity of educating others about what you did makes you a HAAer.

Young Scouts are naturally curious about nature or conservation concerns and need you to guide them into becoming a HAAer. Around the time a Scout earns First Class rank is the best time to advise them about the requirements for earning their Hornaday Conservation Award. Waiting until the Scout has done or is doing their Eagle project on a conservation activity is too late to qualify for the Hornaday Conservation Award Badge. For Scouters that have been involved with conservation activities for 3 or more years, there is a recognition award for your dedication to your conservation activities.

PTAC’s Conservation/Hornaday Conservation Award Committee is the first place to go with your questions about the Hornaday Conservation Award requirements, the 3-year Adult award, and the unit recognition awards, which are awarded and administered by the Council. The Committee will be able to provide you with the definitive answers you will need to challenge your Scouts, your unit, or yourself to earn a Hornaday Conservation Award.

Scouts from across the council are currently working on their Hornaday Award! To learn more about one project in progress, check out this info from PTAC Scout Tim R .

Please contact Wayne Schimpff, Chairman, Conservation/Hornaday Conservation Award Committee with your questions: wschimpff@aol.com or 773-406-9396.
THOUGHTS FROM THE TRAIL
In this new section of our newsletter, we will hear from our Council President, Marc Passiment.
It has been quite a month. June brings the beginning of summer and adventures. On my travels through the council this month, I found many wanting to seek new adventures. Both students and parents shared the challenges of distance learning. Apparently, Zoom is cool at first, but virtual classes are no substitute for the “real” thing. It reminds me of Scouts at summer camp. They like to have their phones, but love to play outdoors.

To all, thank you for understanding our need to conduct a virtual summer camp this year. One way to make it even more fun is to add the camping part on your own. Parents want to take time with their kids, and kids, though they may not say it to them, love their parents’ attention. I spoke to one group that will camp in the back yard (socially distancing) at night while participating during the day. COVID-19 is bringing creativity back through necessity.

In my conversations with Scouts and Scouters, we talked about the challenges ahead, and the great times of the past. It was funny because, for me, they are the same. With each story, the description was about a challenge and the fun everyone had overcoming it. Stories like, “I remember the time when it rained so hard, we thought we needed canoes in the campsite.” Or, “I remember when I took over as Cubmaster, and there was no committee. Now, there is a great group of parents having fun and so many kids having a great time.” 

As I sat with a Scoutmaster, a former Scout in his troop came up. The youth had left the troop at least six years earlier, and yet remembered all the great times, and wished he has stayed for more.
They agreed to talk again. Many will choose to come back to Scouting, just as some will choose to leave.

As I watched a new leader visit the Scout Shop to gear up for their new adventures, I thought to myself, ‘that person is in for an incredible ride.’ They will see hope in the eyes of the youth who learn how to take care of themselves and others and become leaders in their community. I realized the path is there for them to make, and I am simply a caretaker and guide when needed. Their adventures are for them to create. As I spoke to a proud leader/parent of a new Eagle Scout, and they talked about the journey; I understood the value of the program. I saw in that youth an enthusiasm for the world around him and heard in his words the passion for the work he had done for the community. 

There are lessons from our program that can help all. Understanding the point of view of someone else, and learning about the world around us, serves us well. When one group tries to impose its’ will on another, then eventually someone will impose their will on that group. Compromise is when we consider the needs of all and work towards mutual benefit. Thank you to all the youth and adults that taught me that this month.

I Look forward to seeing you all on the trail and sending you thoughts next month… 
HIGH ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
PTAC 2021 National Jamboree Contingent- Registration Extended!
Despite our current shut-down, we are still looking forward to Jamboree 2021 and registration is still open! In order to ensure a place for your Scout, register as soon as possible! While a $200 deposit is due now, you can choose “mail-in” as your payment option in the registration and send the deposit at a future date. This will hold your Scout’s spot as a part of PTAC’s Jamboree contingent troop. The committee has made this adjustment to the fee schedule to accommodate as many Scouts as possible!

Information, fees, and registration can be found on our website: pathwaytoadventure.org/jam boree2021

Calling all Volunteers!
Pathway to Adventure Council is looking for volunteer Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters for our council contingent troops headed to the 2021 National Jamboree. Being a Jamboree leader is an amazing way to experience the Jamboree and work with Scouts from across Pathway to Adventure Council. To be considered, you must be a currently registered troop or crew Scouter.

To apply to be a volunteer, follow this link!
Pathway to Adventure 2021 Sea Base Council Contingent
PTAC is going to Sea Base! Do you like to sail? snorkel? SCUBA dive? If the answer is "yes," then plan to join your Scouting friends for a week of sun and fun in the Florida Keys next summer, 2021. Both Coral Reef Sailing crews will snorkel, fish, crew the vessel, learn navigation, and tour the nearby Turtle Hospital. During as many as 11 dives, the SCUBA crew will explore coral reefs, wrecks, and underwater rock formations. After leaving Sea Base, both crews will have free time to sight see. For more info, contact the event coordinator (who's been on both adventures).

EVENTS
*Attendees must be 21+ years old to participate in the Brew Jamboree event.
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