Happy New Year Scouting Leaders!
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The beginning of a new year is a time of inspiration and rejuvenation. Like the change of seasons, January offers a time to start anew, to set goals both personally and professionally.
As Scouters, we all participate in the annual recharter process where we are asked to renew our commitment to Scouting. I am grateful for your recommitment to young people we serve and know that this comes with sacrifice. Thank you.
Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year? Perhaps you would consider making a “Scouting” New Year’s resolution. A Scouting New Year’s resolution could be anything, but below are some ideas to help prime the pump for your consideration:
- Take a training course and becoming fully trained in your position.
- Work with your Scouts to plan a new “super adventure.”
- Expand your efforts to grow your pack, troop, crew or post.
- Become more physically fit so you can experience every adventure.
- Taking on a new volunteer role in your unit, district or with the council.
- Start a new unit (there’s an award and training knot for this – the WD Boyce Award).
- Become a James E West Fellow by making a $1,000 gift to the endowment fund (there’s a knot for this too!).
The options are endless!
For all that you do for the young people in Scouting and their families, thank you!
See you along the Scouting trail!
Jeff Sulzbach
Scout Executive
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On behalf of the Greater Los Angeles Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, the Silver Beaver Selection Committee is proud to announce the Class of 2019 Silver Beaver recipients:
Mario Alvarez – Pio Pico District
Cissie Holmes Andrews – Rose Bowl District
Alison Crompton – Pacifica District
J. Dominic Femino, M.D. – Rose Bowl District
Anthony A. Ferguson – Board of Directors
Stuart A. Goss – San Gabriel Valley
Nancy Hodgkiss – Pacifica District
Sergio Huidor – Rose Bowl District
Kris Kitchen – Pacifica District
Pat Moss – Board of Directors
Eric C. Shen – San Gabriel Valley District
Karen G. Thompson – Metropolitan District
Kathy O. Thompson – Metropolitan District
John Waldron – Rose Bowl District
On Wednesday, January 29, 2020, these outstanding individuals will be recognized at the Council’s Annual Recognition Dinner for their noteworthy service of exceptional character. We hope that you can join us on January 29 as we pay tribute to these remarkable Scouters.
Please
click here
for more information and registration.
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Annual District Leader and Board Strategic Planning Meeting
Set for February 1
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All members of district committees and members of the Greater Los Angeles Area Council Board of Directors are asked to attend the District Leader and Board Strategic Planning Meeting on February 1 at the Cushman Watt Scout Service Center in Los Angeles.
This annual planning meeting is used to chart the council’s course for the next year and beyond. The agenda will include evaluating the council’s 2019 performance on our “Big Rock” goals, establishing 2020 goals, calendar planning, district action planning, and sharing of best practices.
Please join your fellow Scouters on:
- Saturday, February 1, 2020
- Cushman Watt Scout Service Center
- 7:00-8:00 a.m. Continental breakfast
- 8:00-3:30 p.m. Meeting including lunch
- Cost for lunch and meeting refreshments is $10
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Thank you Robert Davies Volk
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For nearly 60 years, Robert Davies Volk has served on the Greater Los Angeles Area Council’s Board of Directors; but his journey in Scouting started decades prior as a young Scout in the old Hollywood Wilshire District during World War II.
Under the mentorship and guidance of Troop 10 Scoutmaster, Gordon Hampton, Bob earned his Life Scout Award. He remembers going to the original Scout Camp Arthur Letts in the Hollywood Hills. Because of wartime gas shortages, his troop would take the bus to Hollywood Boulevard and then hike up to Outpost Drive to the camp. For a Scout growing up in the city, this outdoor experience had a meaningful and lasting impact on Bob and continued to influence his commitment to Scouting as a volunteer, donor, and father.
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On behalf of the Camp Big Horn at Circle X Team we would like to wish you the best as we go into a new year and a new decade! A great way to round out your year would be to join us for a week of camp at Camp Big Horn! We are beyond delighted to inform you that the quality of our staff will be nothing short of spectacular! Additionally, we are in the final stages of construction for our brand new zip-line course that will be ready for the summer! Spots are filling up fast for the summer so sign up now to make sure you and your scouts can have a blast with us on the mountain!
Yours in Scouting,
Camp Big Horn at Circle X Team
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Annual Fundraising Campaign
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It’s time to kick off the Annual Fundraising Campaign for the Greater Los Angeles Area Council. This campaign will help us raise funds necessary to provide a quality program. Although we will no longer make Units presentations, the GLAAC Annual Fundraising Campaign will continue our effort to raise the needed dollars to support youth in our communities.
Each year parents, volunteers, Scouting alumni, friends, and business patrons donate time, energy, and financial resources that make our programs possible. Annual Giving provides the budgetary support for numerous improvements to our properties, expansion of Scouting into new markets, and increases the chance that every young person in our community will benefit from the impact of Scouting.
The Greater Los Angeles Area Council:
- Raises 100% of its dollars locally
- Receives no National Boy Scout funding
- Uses ALL of the dollars raised to support youth in our community
Volunteer Grants & Matching Gifts is a great way to contribute to the Annual Giving Campaign.
Click here
to learn more!
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Gathering of Eagles - Save the Date
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The next Gathering of Eagles event will take place on Thursday, February 27, 2020, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at the office of Robb Scoular, SNR Denton, 601 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017. The cost is $10. Registration will be open soon. No uniforms. Adult beverages will be served.
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Loyola Marymount Basketball Scout Day
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On Saturday, January 25th, LMU (Loyola Marymount University) Basketball is hosting a Scout Day, which will include a Pregame Sports Clinic, High Five Tunnel, Anthem Buddies, and many other events on Campus for our Scouts. The Cost is $12.00 per person, and you also receive an LMU/BSA Patch.
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Annual Health and Medical Record
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Every few years, the BSA updates its Annual Health and Medical Record (AHMR) after consulting with health care professionals, Scout executives, council and camp health officers, and other experts to ensure it is up-to-date.
This was one of those years, meaning a new form is available for everyone to use for 2020. Your current AHMR is valid through the end of the 12th month after the date it was administered by your medical provider. For example, if you had your physical on Nov. 3, 2019, it’s valid until Nov. 30, 2020.
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Troop 438 Earns the
Conservation Good Turn Award
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Just before Thanksgiving, members of Troop 438 participated in a conservation service project working with the Friends of Griffith Park at the Commonwealth Nursery, located at Griffith Park. We helped with cleaning and five-gallon plastic plant containers. These containers had previously been used and were going to be prepared for new plants. It is essential to clean the planters because old soil builds up salts that are harmful to plants. Any diseases from the plants that previously occupied the planters might be carried on to the new plants.
We cleaned more than 100 containers and carried them all up a hill to the storage. First, we carried squall pots to the brushing station where the debris of soils and tiny creatures were brushed away. Then the planters were taken to the washing station, where they were washed tirelessly with a biodegradable soap. I had the fun, single-person job of rinsing the planters. I was soaking wet by the end, but it was worth it. From the rinsing station, planters were dried on a big tarp in the sun. Finally, we hiked up a hill into a shack for storage.
If you would like more information about Conservation Good Turn Award, please
click here
.
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Pinewood Derby At Our Scout Shops
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The GLAAC Scout Shops will be hosting a
Pinewood Derby Champ Camp
at each of their locations. The Champ Camp will include Pinewood Derby car cutting, demonstrating the tools available to build the car and preparing the vehicle for weights, painting, and decals, which all can be purchased at their local GLAAC Scout Shop. We will also be offering free weigh-ins at all locations and race testing at some locations.
The GLAAC Champ Camp dates are:
Cabrillo Champ Camp – January 18, 2020
San Gabriel Champ Camp – January 25, 2020
Los Angeles Champ Camp – February 8, 2020
Any questions, please contact the respective Store Manager at:
John Luffman, Cabrillo Store, Phone: (310) 832-7139
John Atkinson, San Gabriel Store, Phone: (626) 351-3638
Lilly Armas, Los Angeles Store, Phone: (213) 353-9879
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66th Annual Uptown Whittier Parade
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The parade attracts over 15,000 visitors, with 125 organizations/local businesses walking down Greenleaf Avenue, spreading the holiday cheer. Walking down the street are high school marching bands, dance troupes, drill teams, vintage cars, and floats, to name a few.
Scout unit 219 has had the honor to open the event with the color guard, leading the parade for many years! The group not only opens up with the color guard, but they also help carry banners and help the city staff with collecting the banners at the end of the parade.
Thank you, Whittier Scout Units of the Pio Pico District, volunteer leaders, and parents, who gave their time to help put on a great event.
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Annual Pio Pico Pushcart Derby
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The event is open to all registered Scouts, ranking from Cub Scouts to Troop level, and even our smallest of cubbies participate too. Our Lions compete in the event with a Boxcar Derby of their own. Each Unit Leaders is given a leader's guide with instructions on how to assemble and create boxcars.
The Pushcart Derby is made of Grand Prix, relay, and drag race, along with a parallel parking contest. The competition is run by division of rank, and it is a timed race event. The winners of each rank are awarded with medallions.
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Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year
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The deadline is approaching! The Greater Los Angeles Area Council's Eagle Scout Association is seeking applications from the Council's Eagle Scout Class of 2019 for the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. The award recognizes the Scout for his Eagle Scout service project, one of the requirements for earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
Click here
for more information about the NESA Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year.
Click Here
to download the nomination form. All nominations must be emailed to cicily.gardea@scouting.org on or before
January 21, 2020
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Calling All Superheroes!!!
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The San Gabriel Valley District is hosting the Annual Cub Games and Family Campout from March 20-22, 2020, at Firestone Scout Reservation. Please make this great event a unique experience for your pack, den, and family by including it in your pack's calendar.
The theme is "Calling All Superheroes!!!" and activities will support that theme - from costumes and campsite decoration to the types of games and activities planned for the Scouts, parents, and family members.
Please
click here
for more information and registration!
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Our Council Is Hiring Camp Staff
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Would you like to work as a camp counselor or counselor-in-training (CIT) this coming summer? Our two fantastic resident camps of Camp Bighorn at Circle X Ranch and Camp Cherry Valley on Catalina Island are now accepting applications!
Click here
to complete the online forms. Can you think of a better way to spend the summer than up in the San Bernardino Mountains or on Catalina Island, but you need to act fact before all the positions are filled.
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Please submit your articles for the GLAAC E-Newsletter in MS-Word format by the
15th of each month,
with the images separate in a JPG format. We would like to include one article from each Unit as well as District and Council level events.
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