Greetings!
Scouts are attending school classes online from home as Autumn begins with a wave of warm weather. There is some good news about Marin County Public Health starting to relax the CoronaVirus restrictions, and these will have important effects in opening your units to meetings and activities again. For more details about restarting your unit activities together in-person, check the last section of this Dispatch.
We continue to offer a number of interesting program ideas for our Scouting families highlighted below, and online resources to support learning and entertainment for all. Keeping our Scouts engaged in character-building programs during these challenging times is our top priority. We look forward to seeing you all participate in a virtual event or with family and small-unit camping groups up the hill at Camp Tamarancho soon!
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Council Roundtable Meeting - the First Thursday every month! |
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Last month we returned to our regularly-scheduled Council Roundtable meetings held the first Thursday of every month, September through June. This Thursday, October 1, we will be meeting again online via ZOOM. The Roundtable will start at 7:30 sharp with current announcements and important presentations until 8:30pm. We have some valuable updates to share for opening up your units to in-person Scout meetings, activities, and advancement fun!
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Please see program-specific log-in details below, and forward the invitation to other Scouters in your local units!
ZOOM Meeting ID # 826 1598 5928
ZOOM Meeting ID # 823 0551 3864
VOA & Venturing Rally
The Scouts in the Venturing Officer's Association have been holding meetings via the
Google Hangout call-in method for the Crew Presidents and other VOA members. There is no quarterly Venturing Rally scheduled this month, but will be scheduled next in December.
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Cub Scout Speaker Series - the First Wednesday every month! |
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Join us next Wednesday, October 7 at 5pm for our very popular Cub Scout Speakers Series. Our next presenter is US Coast Guard Petty Officer Brandon Fowler, who will tell us about all the exciting duties of protecting our Nation's coastline and boating safety on the high seas.
All Scouts who attend can earn credit towards rank advancement. Email Nancy Rozell right away to register your Cub Scout for this special event!
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Popcorn Fundraiser Sales are Strong!
Due to concerns with the ongoing CoViD-19 pandemic, this year’s Trails End Popcorn fundraising campaign will focus on online and take orders rather than storefront sales. Last year an impressive 25% of sales were from take orders and online sales, so by improving on that presence, we’re hoping Scouts and units can sell enough to support their Pack, Troop and Crew programs and activities through the year!
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Contact Senior District Executive Nancy Rozell by email, for further details about how your unit and Scouts can participate this year to raise funds for activities next year!
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Marin Trading Post Announces Expanded Hours Effective 09/28 |
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The Marin Council Trading Post is now open for inside sales with extended hours during the month of October under the following:
- Store hours are Monday through Friday, 10am to 4:30pm, Thursday evenings until 7pm, and Saturdays 9am to 12noon.
- Inside sales, curbside walk-up sales, as well as orders placed in advance can all be accommodated. It is recommended large orders be placed in advance.
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Large orders can be placed by calling (415) 454-1081 or emailing both Mary Vasser and Cynthia Mueller.
- Clothing cannot be tried on before purchase.
- Credit/debit card, check, or unit account charges are preferred forms of payment.
- Please wear a facemask when visiting the Trading Post; hand sanitizer is provided.
- Practice physical distancing if waiting in line (only 4 people can be inside at any time).
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Jamboree on the Air/Internet (JOTA/JOTI) --- October 16-18 |
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Jamboree-on-the-Air 📻 and Jamboree-on-the-Internet 💻 (JOTA/JOTI) is an annual international Scouting event sponsored by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). Each year during the third weekend in October, Scouts from around the world gather to learn about other cultures and the activities in which other Scouts participate. They can communicate with each other using Internet-enabled devices (JOTI) such as computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, or by using amateur radio (JOTA) to link Scouts and ham radio operators around the world, around the nation, and in your own community. |
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Last year over 1.5 million Scouts and leaders participated in JOTA/JOTI activities from more than 160 countries around the globe registered in the international database! Check out the updated JOTA/JOTI website ⚜️:
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Pack 43 Cub Scouts Participate in California Coastal Cleanup! |
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Pack 43 has been participating in the California Coastal Cleanup for the past five years or longer, and did not want to miss out due to CoViD. CA Coastal Cleanup evolved this year from a public event one Saturday in September to an all month-long approach utilizing the Clean Swell app. |
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The Pack 43 leadership with the cooperation of Marin County Parks staff, organized a private Clean-up event at Hal Brown Park in Greenbrae. About 30 Cub Scouts from Lions to Webelos participated in the clean-up activities which were scheduled in shifts by den. This volunteer conservation service project removed a significant amount of litter and debris from the popular wetlands area along scenic Corte Madera Creek. |
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Annual "Scouting for Food" Community Service Campaign |
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Together, we can help end hunger in Marin!
A staggering one-in-five of your Marin County neighbors was in need of food assistance during this past year and into the pandemic! Join Marin Council volunteers for our annual door-to-door community service campaign throughout assigned neighborhoods to pick-up food donations and transport them to the SF-Marin Food Bank in San Rafael.
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Click on the following links for further details:
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BSA Online Registration and Annual Unit Recharter Process |
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The Autumn months are the traditional time for new membership recruitment and registration, followed by the annual unit recharter process in November. While this may be a bit more challenging during the CoViD pandemic, BSA has streamlined the online registration process here!
To help new families find their way to local Scouting, don't forget to update your unit profile at BeaScout.org! If you need further assistance, don't forget to contact our Council professional staff here!
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Important Adult Leader Training Continues with Online Access |
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The Scouts in your Pack/Troop/Crew deserve TRAINED adult leaders. This will help develop a better Scouting experience for your sons and daughters, improved preparedness if or when something goes wrong, and it fulfills an important adult volunteer requirement for our units.
BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) Great News for Cub Scout Packs! We are planning to hold a course for this critical training in November. The specific details will be posted on the Marin Council website page for Leadership Training later this week.
In addition, the BSA National Council will soon be releasing modified adult training formats for the continued COVID-19 period. When this happens, Marin Council will schedule those course sessions and list them on our Council website. In the meantime, the best way for your Pack/Troop/Crew to maintain Trained adult leaders is to complete the important online courses by following the steps below:
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Youth Protection Training, Cub Leader Position Training, Scoutmaster/ASM Position Training, and Venturing Advisor Position Training: all are available online for free! Follow these steps to register and complete your training:
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Create or log-in to your personal account at my.scouting.org;
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Next, to renew your Youth Protection training (YPT), click on the YPT logo at the upper right side of the screen;
- Or, click on "BSA Learning Center" to find the online version of the Leader Specific training courses listed above.
Hazardous Weather training is also required to be considered a trained leader and wear the "Trained" patch on your uniform. It's only 30-40 minutes online and you will learn some great information for your next outing! Just click on the title and the link will take you there!
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Enjoy Tamarancho with Scout Family or Small-Unit Camping |
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This Summer, many individual Scouting families were able to enjoy a unique opportunity to get out of the house for local tent camping and day-hiking along scenic Fairfax Ridge. Now, dens and patrols or small packs, troops and crews can join the fun! As current County restrictions related to CoViD-19 have been adjusted, the Marin Council is finally able to utilize Camp Tamarancho for daytime outdoor activities and small unit groups (up to 16 people total, with maximum 14 youth and 2 adults) for overnight camping. To register for your event, please contact Office Manager Cynthia Mueller for campsite availability!
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Talako Lodge News Bulletin --- Order of the Arrow Members |
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The Lodge leadership has several important announcements and big events for all Arrowmen happening in October! We are conducting our monthly lodge meetings again, with our next virtual gathering on Tuesday, October 13 via ZOOM. During this meeting, we will be making final preparations for the Induction wknd, distributing the new NO-NOAC patch sets to those who have purchased, and discussing a future virtual Induction event.
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Fall Induction Weekend
Talako Lodge will be holding our Fall Induction again this year at Camp Tamarancho. We have been contacting every Troop to schedule virtual elections, so if you have been elected already, be on the look-out for an exciting email invitation about this unique experience. Our Induction Weekend is scheduled for October 16-17, and there is a mandatory participant/parent meeting at 6:15pm Wednesday 09/30.
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Annual Lodge Registration and Dues
If you are a Talako Lodge member of the Order of the Arrow, and you know that you have not paid your dues this year for 2020-2021, please use the link below. Paying your dues helps the Lodge grow, and if you want to attend events or purchase our new PATCHES, then you have to be a member in good standing!
Currently, we are in the process of making the new NO-NOAC 2020 patch sets shown. They can be ordered when you are completing your annual registration and dues payment online. If you have any questions about the Order of the Arrow and Talako Lodge, please email Lodge Chief Joshua Holzer.
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Restarting Local Scout Unit Meetings and Activities Safely |
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As a reminder, under the continuing Marin County Public Health directives, social distancing and face masks are required in public. Our Scout Executive Michael Dybeck, with the approval of our Risk Management Committee, has produced several important documents to assist with determining your response for planning events and activities. These include Marin Council guidelines and FAQs, as well as a valuable unit restarting guidebook loaded with details and available by clicking on the image at right . . .
Other Helpful Links and Resources on CoViD-19
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Marin Council Service Center: Offices Status Updated
Effective July 13, 2020, the Marin Council offices along with other non-critical businesses were ordered closed to the public. Regardless, our office staff is still available to support you almost anytime. Please be aware:
- Council staff is onsite and available by phone Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm.
- Currently, non-employees are not allowed upstairs in the Administrative offices.
- The bulk of the staff is primarily working remotely; if you need to see a specific staff member, it is suggested you schedule an appointment and we will be happy to arrange a phone or Zoom meeting.
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No matter what . . . Council Executive Staff are always available via email here: (Michael Dybeck, Nancy Rozell, and Michael "MJ" Andrews).
While the office may be closed, the Marin Council Trading Post is open for "Curbside" pickup, as well as inside sales; please see details in post above.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during these novel times; please contact Scout Executive Michael Dybeck with any questions or concerns in this regard.
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Scouting . . .
Prepared. For Life.
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At the Marin Council, we will continue to do our best to keep you informed of changes in our program calendar as the weeks pass. We will also strive to highlight new ways for your family continue to enjoy and benefit from Scouting-at-home under these unique circumstances.
Please check our Council website homepage regularly for the most current information updates and event calendar, and the frequent social media activity on our Instagram and Facebook pages linked below, as well as our individual Camps Tamarancho & Marin Sierra.
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