Weekly Scouter Update
October 15, 2021 | Greater Los Angeles Area Council, BSA
The Greater Los Angeles Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
San Gabriel Valley District 

Is Proud to Recognize
Margaret Finlay & John Fasana

2021 Distinguished Citizens Award of the Year Recipients

Thursday, October 14, 2021
Reception 6:30 p.m., Program 7:00 p.m.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Monrovia
924 W. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, CA. 91016

Click Here for more information
HAT - Wilderness First Aid
(October 23 & 24, 2021)
Wilderness and Remote First Aid (WRFA) is the assessment of, and treatment given
to an ill or injured person in a remote environment where definitive care by a
physician and/or rapid transport is not readily available. This course goes far beyond
what you may know as “first aid”. While it contains substantial medical information
and teaches skills required for medical emergencies in the wild, the deeper purpose is
to train participants to manage acute situations. 
Click Here for more information and registration
Hello Scouters, School is back, so is Scouting – and how!
Thank you all for the fantastic work that you’ve done in getting the word out to all the boys, girls, and families desperate to escape the not-so-great indoors. Your efforts are clearly working - as of today, we need to recruit 46 more Scouts to reach our goal of 9,554 total Scouts. 

In fact, the Rose Bowl District has already reached its overall growth goal, while it and Pio Pico have both hit their Cub Scout numbers. The best part is that every other district is close behind – with the Council currently at 99.5% of goal! 

Recruit the 9,555th Scout and earn some bucks!
And we’re not done yet – October is traditionally one of our busier recruiting months.
To help you keep the momentum going, we’re announcing our Breakthrough Bucks promotion. The rules are simple:

  • The 9,555th Scout to register will receive $100 in GLAAC Bucks
  • The Unit who recruits this Scout will receive a $100 credit to spend on any Council Scouting activity and a free day at one of our camps

And don’t forget, our GLAAC Bucks and Kickstart Your Adventure card promotions are still happening. Every Scout who recruits another Scout receives $25 GLAAC Bucks to use on Scouting activities, while every new Cub Scout will receive a Kickstart Your Adventure card with a 25% discount toward the purchase of their uniform and Scouting supplies.

Our number one job is to help you succeed – so please take our money!
BSA’s Guide to Safe Scouting - FALL 2021 Updates 
The update to the Guide to Safe Scouting is now available in PDF here and online here. The

Fall 2021 Updates Include:
 
Aquatics Policy
  • Update to the Scuba Policy.
  • Prohibiting the use of Full-Face Snorkels.
  • Lifejacket language to reflect performance levels.
 
BSA’s Commitment to Safety
  • Update to the BSA’s Commitment to Safety.
 
Camping Policy
  • Update in Format/Delivery.
  • Age-Appropriate Guidelines for camping integrated into Age-Appropriate for Scouting.
 
Immunization Policy
  • Update to current Vaccination Policy (Effective 6/1/2022)
 
Transportation Policy
  • Update to Format/Delivery.
 
Prohibited Activity List
  • Council cannon use exception has been eliminated.
 
New Sections Incorporated in GTSS
  • Wilderness First Aid
  • Hazard Trees
 
Frequently Asked Questions
Fall Camporee at Camp Trask
You don’t want to miss the October 15-17 Metropolitan Fall Camporee ‘Scouting Around The World at Camp Trask, 30 minutes from downtown LA!

The Youth leadership of Metropolitan District has organized a Global themed Camporee for this fall. Participating Troops have chosen a country to represent. Eight countries are already selected. Youth are challenged to build a themed gateway, to teach a country game or craft, to cook food from their selected counties. Of course, there will be game competition and skits and flags from many countries. The Metro District welcomes units from across the Council to participate. There is still time to sign up. Go to the Metropolitan District page (on the GLAAC website) for more details. Webelos are welcomed to attend for the day and/or camp the weekend. Click Here for more information and registration
Get Ready for Some Fantastic Monster Mash Festivities!
All Cubs Scouts and their families are invited to BOO! Fest! Join our Monster Mash Festivities and all the fun at Monster Land. Pack/Families provide their camping equipment, personal gear, food, cooking gear, and Trick-O-Treats or purchase the meal plan for $30 per person. We hope to SPOOK you there! Click Here for Oct 22 - Oct 24, 2021 BOO! Fest
Wood Badge Reunion
(October 30, 2021 at 9:00 AM)
Wood Badge Critters are invited for games, patch trading, and conviviality in the morning starting at 9am. Beadings will take place at 11am -- please check with your Troop Guide, ASM Troop Guides, or Scoutmaster.  The reunion will take place at the Cushman-Watt Scouting Service Center, 2333 Scout Way, Los Angeles, 90026.  The pocket park on the rooftop will be made available for picnics and lunch at 12pm. At 1pm, the Service Territory NYLT CDC will take place in the training rooms until 5pm. Click Here to register and obtain more information.
The Aquarium of the Pacific
Are you looking for some family fun on a Sunday Afternoon? The Aquarium of the Pacific welcomes back Scouts, family, and friends on Sunday, November 7th. Cub Scouts are invited to complete steps toward badges, utilizing self-led activity sheets that are specifically designed for Scouts. Click Here for more information on activities and details.
2021 Law Merit Badge Day
(December 11, 2021 at Cabrillo)
Law Merit Badge Day is a unique experience that allows Scouts interested in legal careers to complete Scouting's Law Merit Badge requirements. It will provide Scouts with an understanding of criminal law, civil law, legal history, and the opportunity to participate in a mock trial. 
Click Here for more information
Alumni Award
There is a Scouter recognition knot that many Scouters may earn that you might not have heard, but it has been around a number of years. This knot is called the Alumni Award. This award has not been promoted in our council, up until now. In fact, there has only been 2 people who have earned this award in the Los Angeles Area Council. This recognition is to encourage Scouters to reach out to Scouting alumni to get them re-connect with Scouting at the local, regional, and national levels. The award recognizes registered Scouters who help unregistered alumni rejoin the program. This task breaks down into four categories of requirements:
  • Alumni identification and promotion, such as contacting former members, planning alumni activities, and/or presenting to non-Scout groups.
  • Alumni engagement, including helping two former members become registered Scouters or recruiting alumni to volunteer at Scouting events.
  • Personal participation, which could mean serving on an alumni committee or sharing your experiences at the BSA Alumni Web site.
  • Personal education, such as completing the online alumni training or taking an alumni course at the Philmont Training Center.
How to get the award
  • Applicants must be currently registered adult Scouters of the Boy Scouts of America.
  • All applicants must work their local council’s alumni committee chair, Ross Arnold
  • Those applications approved will be sent a certificate that can be used to purchase a square knot and/or lapel pin from the Scout Shop.
  • The application can be uploaded from this website: Click Here
If you have any questions, please contact Ross Arnold at Rossarnold1213@gmail.com or call him at 323 605-2740 You could be one of the few people in our council to earn this very special recognition.
Jamboree On The Air
The King Harbor Yacht Club (K6HYC) Radio Fleet will set up for Jamboree On The Air, October 16, 2021, from 10 am to 4 pm. JOTA is an annual event in which Scouts, friends of Scouts, and Guides from all over the world speak to each other utilizing Amateur (ham) Radio.

We will be set up outdoors at KHYC, 280 Yacht Club Way, Redondo Beach. Free parking in the club parking lot. Please get in touch with Ron Grass at 310-991-1552 (text is fine, with the time of day and numbers of Scouts) if you plan on attending or email rwgrassl@verizon.net
Conservation Good Turn Award
The purpose of this recognition is to encourage packs, troops, teams, and crews to join with conservation and or environmental organizations (federal, state, local, or private) to carry out a Conservation Good Turn in their home communities.
 
Who Can Earn This Award?
Youth, adult members and all Scout type units may earn this recognition.
Scout Shops of the Greater Los Angeles Area Council
Our three Scout Shops are here to ensure that you are ready to camp this year, whether you’re heading off to camp or staying home for a backyard campout. The Eagle portraits are back and on display at the New San Gabriel Valley Scout Shop. Belle & Beau are once again providing portraits so come on in and look for the Eagles from your unit. Visit our Scout Shops for great deals every day. Click Here to visit our webpage
Circle X Ranch Foundation Invites Your Membership
Since our inception in 1949, The Circle X Ranch Foundation has provided support for the outdoor programs of the former Los Angeles Area Council and now the Greater Los Angeles Area Council. The Foundation supported the original Circle X Ranch Camp in the Santa Monica Mountains, and when that property was sold in the late 1980’s, Camp Circle X Ranch at Big Horn at Hubert Eaton Scout Reservation (HESR) was named, and our support continued on there and at all our Council properties.

Gifts totaling over $6M through the years have provided needed support for programs to enhance the outdoor experience for the thousands of Scouts in the GLAAC. Our most recent gift in 2021 of $27,500 was utilized at each of our Council’s camps: Camp Cherry Valley (CCV), Hubert Eaton Scout Reservation HESR), Firestone, Trask, and Cabrillo Youth Watersports Center.

Annual events our members can participate in include VIP visits to summer camp operations at CCV and HESR, End of Summer Social/Business Meeting, and culminating with our signature fundraising event the week before the USC/UCLA football game.

Membership dues are only $25/year. Please view our link on the GLAAC website for more information about how to join our merry band of supporters. Membership is open to anyone who has a love of the outdoors and a desire to support programs/operations at our GLAAC camps. We look forward to your participation in supporting our GLAAC Outdoor Programs along with our 190+ current members. Click Here to join and learn more about the Circle X Ranch Foundation.
Please Submit your Articles for our Scouter Weekly Update in MS-Word format on Monday of each week, with the images separately in a JPG format. Please email your articles to rossarnold1213@gmail.com.