Let's count down together: 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1! As we rapidly approach the New Year, here is your last Four Things To Know for 2022!

• STEM Summer Day Camps for Cubs
• Leader Training in January
• Good Citizenship Award
• Popcorn Sales Were Bursting

Plus, Dates to Know, this month's Safety Minute, and a new Fun Fact.

STEM Summer Day Camps for Cub Scouts

Train to be a spy, blast rockets into the atmosphere, explore natural habitats and more with the our STEM Adventure Day Camp, offered as part of the new Outdoor Adventure Lab. Scouts and non-Scouts ages 6 to 14 are guaranteed to have fun with our hands-on nature exploration, recreation, and more with six fun-filled themed weeks. Each week features STEM activities that follow a theme paired with other exciting activities! Each week is different; choose to come for just one or stay for all six.

Registration is now live! Visit www.outdooradventurelab.org/daycamp to learn all about what we will be offering this summer at Camp Garrison. Sessions run June 26 to August 4, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday.

Questions? Direct them to Day Camp Director Ashley Pirolli.

Leader Training in January

Is your unit participating in a High Adventure Trip or another serious wilderness activity? If so, Wilderness First Aid is a "must have" for trip leaders and guides. Join us at Council Headquarters for this two-day course on January 7 and 8. Information and Registration can be found here.

Do you want to extend your unit’s camping program to a 12-month schedule? If so, Cold Weather Camper training for adults is for you. Learn the knowledge and skills necessary to properly plan for and successfully conduct a safe and fun outdoor cold-weather camping experience. This course will be interactive and hands-on, including skills that can be directly applied to cold weather camping environments. The two-day, overnight course will be held January 14 and 15 at the Pine Tree Education and Environmental Center in Tabernacle, NJ. Information and Registration can be found here; registration closes January 7.

Good Citizenship Award

We have the honor of presenting 25 Scouts the 2023 Good Citizenship Award. Unit Leaders can nominate Scouts with the following qualifications:

• Is a junior in high school (requirement)

• Is a citizen of the United States (requirement)

• Is a member of the nominating organization in good standing (requirement)

• Demonstrates hard work and fair play

• Has personal attributes of honesty, courage, tolerance, curiosity and loyalty

• Endeavors to follow and uphold the principles of American patriotism

For additional information and the nomination form, please write to our District Executive, Ryan Martin. Forms must be completed and returned to Ryan by Friday, January 20, 2023.

Popcorn Sales Were Bursting!

Congratulations to the Scouts and Units who participated in this Fall's Popcorn Fundraiser, which wrapped up in early December. Our District had the second-highest level of sales in the Council, and our top-selling Unit, Pack 11 of Bryn Mawr, had the second-highest level of sales among all Units in the Council. Congratulations to this Unit that was able to sell over $33,000 of popcorn. A truly fantastic accomplishment.

Using a combination of on-line sales and show-and-sells, the Units who participated earned an average of over $3,000 per unit for their own use on their programs, equipment, and recognition for their Scouts.

This is an easy fundraiser that any Unit can do, be it their only fundraiser or supplementing an existing one, helping Scouts earn their own way and reducing the dues that families need to pay to the Unit every year. Plan on joining this successful fundraiser next Fall, and keep an eye open in the Spring for information on the 2023 Popcorn Campaign.

Dates to Know

For an additional list of Council events, check out the Council Program Update.

Wilderness First Aid Training - January 7 and 8

Info and registration here

District Annual Meeting - January 9

Join us at 7:00 pm to meet the District's slate of committee members for 2023.

District Roundtable - January 10

Join us at 7:30' see notice above for additional information

Cold Weather Training for Adults - January 14 and 15

Info and registration here

Gold Rush Klondike: Weekend of January 27 to 29

Contact Barry Kauffmann to join this annual winter camporee.

University of Scouting: February 4

A variety of courses for Unit Leaders. Save the Date!

Constellation District First Aid Derby: Saturday March 11

Test your First Aid skills in our annual competition. 

Click here for information and to register.  

Pilgrimage and Encampment:  March 10 to 12

A full weekend of the Pilgrimage and Encampment returns in 2023 with a visit to Fort Washington State Park! Click here for registration and information.

Constellation District Pinewood Derby - evening of Friday, April 28

Register Here to have your Pack's top cars go head-to-head with others in the District

Canadian Scout Exchange at Resica Falls: May 27 to 28

Share a weekend of Scouting adventures with Canadian Scouts. More info here. 

District Safety Minute

I'm sure many of you saw the videos of motorists stranded on the highway for hours this week due to the heavy blizzards in part of country. Be prepared with these easy steps! Of course you all have a flashlight in the car, but also keep an emergency kit in your car with blankets, hat, boots, gloves, and some hand warmers. A shovel and kitty litter can help if you get stuck in snow or ice. Always keep at least half your gas tank full, and you can get a portable jump-starting kit in case your battery gets drained in the cold. And, the best idea of all, stay home with a mug of coffee or hot chocolate if the forecast calls for snow or freezing rain.  

Fun Fact to Know

There was a time when Scouts in our District didn't have to travel far to go to Summer Camp. Camp Biddle was a summer camp for "lone scouts" (those in rural communities that didn't have their own units) that was located in Broomall, Marple Township. Sargent's Handbook of Summer Camps of 1924 showed it had 125 Scouts that summer, each paying $7.00. Scouts could get there by trolley, which ran on West Chester Pike (at a cost of 38 cents for a roundtrip ticket). We don't know when it opened, but unfortunately that summer of 1924 was its last.

Key People to Know

Constellation District Volunteer Leadership (Key 2)

John Cluver, District Chair

Rob Shillingford, District Commissioner

Service Area 2 Professional Team

Ryan Martin, Team Lead and Fundraising Specialist

Rhys Wallace, Membership Specialist

Aaron Munson, Service & Program Specialist

Constellation District Website: Click Here

Constellation District Instagram:  @constellation_district 

Constellation District Facebook page: Click Here

Do you have news or photos on a new Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow induction, or anything else to share on the District's Facebook page? Contact our Public Relations Chair, Rose Sutkowski, to get it posted.