As we kick off the holiday season, it is appropriate to pause and consider the many wonderful highlights of Scouting opportunities that have benefitted our youth and families. We are grateful to be able to celebrate the holiday season in good health with our friends and families together as we close out another year.

At Marin Council, BSA, we thank you for your dedication and support for all our members and programs, and wish you safe and happy holidays and a very special New Year!

Unit leaders, don't forget to assign someone from your Pack, Troop or Crew to attend our regular monthly Roundtable meeting for leaders and parents! This gathering via ZOOM will start at 7:30pm sharp with opening ceremony and brief announcements for all program volunteers together. The Scouts BSA group will then go into their own break-out session.

with Commissioners Roger Dickerson, Mike Blum and Sam Guyton!

All recharter materials were sent out by email to unit leaders and committee chairs back in mid-October. Hopefully, your assigned recharter specialist has made progress with this annual process to verify your current unit roster and membership information. If you need additional support with completing the BSA online recharter paperwork, click here for further details! In addition, your Marin Council professional staff contact information is always available on our website!

Is there some hobby that you really enjoy? Do you have

subject expertise you'd love to share with an eager Scout?

If so, then this in-person training session is for you!

Join our Marin Council Advancement Chair Jesse Barnett who will lead this valuable BSA training session starting at 11am on Saturday, December 3 at the Council office!

You'll learn the best BSA methods for delivering the Merit Badge program to Scouts interested in your vocation, or avocation. The training will last about 90 minutes, and result in your permanent certification to counsel Scouts on Merit Badges of your choosing. More details can be found here, or register today by contacting Jesse Barnett by email!

This biggest celebration of Scouting in the US happens only once every four years at the Summit in WV, but was postponed from 2021 due to the CoViD pandemic. Now 7 years will have passed, so all current Scouts should not miss this opportunity to attend such an amazing experience! Marin Council volunteers will be supporting our last chance promotional information meetings at 7:30pm on Thursday, December 15 and Tuesday, December 27 at the Council Service Center. Check out all the fun and excitement presented there, and go online for a preview!

In addition, the 2023 National Jamboree will offer a variety of special programs designed especially for Venturing, Sea Scouting and Exploring. We will “Lead the Adventure” from Subcamp D3, the specially-designated Subcamp for Venturers, Sea Scouts and Explorers. Your Crew will experience the exciting adventures the Summit offers and the fun and fellowship of more than a thousand Venturers, Sea Scouts and Explorers from around the country.

The holiday season of gift giving is upon us, and our Marin Council Trading Post is a great resource to find that special something for your Scout youth or adult Scouter! Also don't forget: 'tis the season to hand out Pinewood Derby cars to your Cub Scouts. We have the latest edition car kits for $6.99 each. Let the Trading Post know if you would like a batch to hand out during the Holidays!

Your local Marin Council Trading Post is the 4th largest Scout shop in the SF Bay area, and we appreciate your continued support! Open weekdays Monday through Friday, 10am to 4:30pm, and every Thursday until 6pm . . . Come on down and check it out! Also, don't forget that the Trading Post will be closed for annual physical inventory over the holiday week starting Wednesday, December 22, 2022 through Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Nearly 25% of our annual budget comes from donations! Those are contributions from Scouting alumni, community partners, and local Scouting families who benefit the most from our programs and our camps. Without this support, we would not be able to offer the services we do, and not be able to maintain our camps to the level we need.

We have heard from a number of our families and donors that have requested greater opportunity for directed giving towards specific projects or programs as opposed to general program support. Beginning this fall we have begun rolling out “micro-campaigns” through our online giving portal. These micro-campaigns will be geared to a specific Council program or camp improvement items --- many times projects that will not be able to move forward without additional funding.

Our first two micro-campaigns consist of the camp toilet conversion project which is a huge improvement to our facilities, and our annual Scouting for Food drive which costs our Council about $5,000 to conduct. We are pleased to announce that we did reach our recent challenge grant for the toilet retrofit project, but even though we were able to match that initial target, there is still a funding need to achieve our total goal of $50,000. Donations are still welcome, so to give to these campaigns, you can visit Give - Boy Scouts of America or simply click the “DONATE” button on our Council homepage. We will update this portal periodically and add new priority micro-campaigns as we move through the year.

We will always have a Friends of Scouting appeal to process those donations online and support all aspects of council operations. (Please note: for ease of set-up we take advantage of a BSA National giving platform, but rest assured that your generous donation always stays local within the Marin Council.)

One of the favorite local events of the year is the annual Marin Council Recognition Dinner,

held annually (scheduled for Monday, March 13, 2023). The reason it's so popular is that we

recognize dozens of outstanding Scouts and leaders at that time. Scouts, Explorers, and adult

leaders from all over the county attend this wonderful event.

Now is the time to begin to consider individuals for those 2022 OTY nominations. Please note

the following important dates in this process, and don't miss this opportunity for recognition!

All Scout youth & adult nominees will be recognized at the Marin Council Recognition Dinner in

March 2023. This is a great opportunity to see all that is happening in Scouting throughout

Marin County! Updated "Of the Year" nomination forms will be emailed to all unit leaders, and

are available to download from the Council website here: Documents & Forms.

As the year is coming to a close, your Marin Council Properties Committee volunteers wish to express how grateful we are to our local Scouting community for using our camps for Scouting fun and adventure, and for helping to care for the camps too! We are especially appreciative for all the volunteers and staff who helped improve and maintain both camps this year when we made great progress on our facilities.

We are looking forward to a vibrant and productive 2023 working together on our properties for the benefit of all our Scouting members in Marin. Please keep in mind that the Properties Committee is alway looking for volunteers! If you like spending time at our wonderful camps, please consider helping us with ongoing maintenance efforts and facility improvement projects . . . contact by email John Pope or Lisa Linnenkohl for further details!

After another successful Summer reviving the excellent programs and Scout Camp traditions at Marin-Sierra, we are excited by the opportunities awaiting us in July 2023! All of our camp forms are updated and the Council website has all the exciting details to plan your best week ever at Scouts BSA resident camp! This annual experience is critical to the delivering the promise of adventure and the mission of the BSA to our youth. Click here to place your unit reservation at the best Summer camp in the Sierra Nevada . . . May the Forest be with YOU!

Or click here to submit an application for the most Summer fun you can have by joining our amazing Camp Staff team at Marin-Sierra!

The Council Venturing Committee helps guide our older Scouting youth and young adults with the benefits of this co-ed program and fantastic leadership opportunities. More information about our Venture Crews with their special interests and high adventure activities is available through our quarterly Venturing Rally meetings or recent Scouts BSA Roundtables. For further details, please email Venturing Rally Commissioner Peter Bauer. There are several interesting adventures next year to National and world Scouting events; see details below or join Venture Crew 333 to find out more!

Join local Marin Scouts who are planning to visit the amazing International Scout Centre in Kandersteg,

Switzerland, founded by Lord Robert Baden-Powell. From June 25 to July 9, 2023, we'll travel the Swiss Alps, hike trails surrounded by incredibly scenic beauty, and enjoy meeting Scouts from around globe! Depart from SFO and fly to Zurich, then travel by rail though the Swiss Alps to Kandersteg, and return for a fun overnight in Zurich. The Crew size is limited to 14 participants; all equipment and program is provided. For more details, check out the Kandersteg website or email Crew Advisor Willy Coronado.

December Meeting & Banquet: Talako is ending the year on a high note with our annual Lodge Executive Committee (LEC) elections and Dinner Banquet from 4pm to 8pm on Saturday, December 10, 2023 at Scout Hall in Mill Valley. Please see the invitation attached, and all Arrowmen and family guests can register NOW! You can also pay your 2023 Lodge dues ($20) at the same time!

2023 Lodge Executive Committee elections will commence immediately before our banquet festivities. For any youth Lodge members interested in being a candidate for a position on the LEC for this next term, please download a letter of intent, complete it and submit to the Lodge Advisor.

Scouts and parents should contact Lodge Chief Jamey Schnasse or Lodge Advisor Kenn Moynihan to assist with planning and volunteering for this big celebration! To donate an item to the annual Talako benefit auction, just click this link!

If you have any questions about the National Order of the Arrow organization, NOAC or the local Talako Lodge in Marin, please contact Lodge Chief Jamey Schnasse.

Please check our Council website homepage regularly for the most current information and event calendar, and the frequent social media activity on our Facebook and Instagram pages linked below, as well as those for Camps Tamarancho & Marin-Sierra.