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Trail Signs
August-September 2023
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Service above self! Trail Signs newsletter is our bi-monthly newsletter.
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Prepared, for Crunch-time! |
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“Prepared, for Crunch-time!” is the Hoosier Trails Council’s plan to help your unit to have ONE fundraiser this year. Trained popcorn staff and volunteers will help your unit to plan and execute the best and most efficient fundraiser that your unit has ever had. Popcorn experts are primed to meet with your unit to determine your needs and to get things rolling.
Mark your calendar to attend a Popcorn Sale Kickoff Event:
Popcorn Sales Training East – Tuesday, August 8th – 6:30 pm
First United Methodist Church, 240 W Poplar St., North Vernon, IN
Popcorn Sales Training West – Thursday, August 10th – 7:00 pm
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church 4201 W Third St., Bloomington, IN
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Fall Membership Recruitment |
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August is the time for summer to start winding down, get ready for the new school year, and most importantly it is the time when we want to welcome new families into our program. The Field Staff have been working hard visiting the principals and superintendents discussing our access to talk to the youth in the schools to invite them to their local join night.
The Hoosier Trails Council consistently throughout 2023. More than ever your help is needed in volunteering to talk in your school and spreading the word about your join night. Who best to spread the word about Scouting in your community and what it has done for your family than you?
Those of you who attended the Join Scouts Night Recruitment Training saw some great “Scout Talks” and were able to see how easy and fun it can be. Also, at the JSNRT we also brainstormed how many points of contact there are to inform the families about joining Scouts. Yard signs, banners, parent to parent, peer to peer, church and local business billboards, flyers, school open houses, social media… the list goes on and on and they all are crucial to our fall success. Your Service Area Field Executives will have all the resources ready to hand out that you will need to make this fall a successful recruitment.
Our goal is to recruit the families as early as possible and get them involved in some great fall programming and the popcorn sale so they will be able to fund their Ideal Year In Scouting with little or no more out of pocket expenses.
Online Registration will be available for recruitments, enabling families to pay for their registration on site, with a credit or debit card. There have been changes in the BSA joining fees that units should be prepared for, and here are a few resources:
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Join Us for a Year Full of Fun and Activities! |
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Cub Scout Shoot-O-Ree
September 16-17
Maumee Scout Reservation
The Cub Scout Shoot-O-Ree will be hosted on Saturday, September 16-17 at Maumee Scout Reservation. An optional overnight camping package will be available for this event that will include registration for one Scout and one adult with meals included. Additional Scouts or adults can be added to your reservation but at least one parent/guardian will be required for each Scout camper. This offers a great way to spend more time at beautiful Maumee Scout Reservation and participate in a campfire and MORE activities! This event is open to registered Cub Scouts and their Cub Scout age siblings. The Shoot-O-Ree is especially great for boys and girls who just joined the program. Shoot-O-Ree Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues throughout most of the day at the camp administration building, adjacent to the camp parking lot. Activities are open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 pm.
Activities will include BB Shooting, Archery, Sling Shots, Water Balloons, Rubber Band Shoots, Marshmallow Shoots, Football Toss and more. New events are added each year! Snacks & lunch will be available for an additional cost at our OA Café or you can bring your own lunch. There will be a Trading Post available for those wishing to purchase snacks and souvenirs.
Please check the weather forecast for the day of your choosing, and make sure each participant is prepared and dressed appropriately. This is a “rain or shine” event! There will be a variety of indoor and outdoor activities for all sorts of weather conditions.
Pre-Registration is strongly encouraged.
Scouts that plan to camp overnight will set up their camping gear and join us for dinner at 6:00 pm in the dining hall.
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Eastside Fall Camporee
September 8-10
Maumee Scout Reservation
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Come join the Eastside for the return of its Cardboard Boat Regatta. The Fall Camporee will be held at Maumee Scout Reservation the weekend of Sept. 8-10 when Scouts gather to race boats made from cardboard, duct tape, glue and paint.
Troops and patrols will race their homemade boats on Lake Tarzian to find the fastest boat and the one that stays afloat the longest.
In between racing, Scouts will also have the opportunity to show off their Scout skills in other patrol competitions. Registration will soon open on https://hoosiertrailsbsa.org/calendar/
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Unit Program Planning - The Ideal Year of Scouting |
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Providing a year-round, quality Scouting program should be the goal of every Scouting unit. Using our program planning calendar and links below, start planning your Scouting year now!
Now is the time to start thinking about your program for the upcoming Scouting season just a few short months away. This is the start to the Ideal Year of Scouting and creating an adventure for your unit. Hoosier Trails Council would like to help you get things kicked off and give you the materials you need and the support you want. Learn new ways to support your members and leaders, tips on recruiting, fundraising and much more. Please visit our website for your resources to start planning your best year ever!
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Meet Our Council's Leadership Team |
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They say that an organization is only as good as its leadership, we are proud to share a new webpage that is intended to introduce you to the current council leadership. Meet the team.
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Ordeal Weekend
Hoosier Trails Council would like to congratulate all of our Scouts on being elected to enter the Order of the Arrow, Nischa Chuppecat Lodge. It is a great honor to be chosen, as you have been, by your fellow Scouts. In doing so, they have set you apart as one of whom they expect a great deal. Always remember that you were chosen because of your camping ability, and your Scouting spirit.
In order to become a full-fledged member of Nischa Chuppecat Lodge, you must complete your induction in the Order of the Arrow. The purpose of the induction is to gain a greater understanding of the Scout Oath and Law, and the principles of the Order of the Arrow. The induction will be explained to you in full at the Ordeal Weekend, August 11-13, 2023, at Maumee Scout Reservation. Register now for the OA Ordeal Weekend!
Fall Fellowship Weekend
Nischa Chuppecat Lodge is excited to invite all members to the Fall Fellowship on September 22-24 at Maumee Scout Reservation. This is a great opportunity to celebrate all that our lodge has to offer with fun, food, workshops, and activities all weekend long! We will also be electing our lodge officers for the 2023-2024 year of service. Join us for some fellowship and participate in the silent and live auction of patches and Scout memorabilia of years gone by. A lodge committee meeting will follow on Sunday and all members are invited to attend. Register today for this awesome event!
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FUNDING AWESOME SCOUTING ADVENTURES |
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Wine-a-Ree
Come join us on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at The Commons in Columbus, IN for the 14th annual Wine-A-Ree.
This great event includes unlimited free samples and purchase options from participating wineries, breweries and distilleries.
We offer multiple ticket options: VIP hour from 12:00pm – 1:00pm, and general admission: 1:00pm – 5:00pm. Standard tickets include a commemorative wine or beer glass, and VIP tickets also include a commemorative shot glass.
Tickets will be available soon on the Council website for this great event that benefits the Hoosier Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
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Scouting License Plates
These plates can be used as standard vehicle registration plates for passenger cars, recreational vehicles and trucks weighing less than 11,000 pounds. This is not a vanity plate, so special numbers or messages cannot be accommodated. Your plate selection is good until your next registration renewal. When you purchase an Indiana Boy Scout license plate, you indicate your personal support of Scouting and add financially to the Hoosier Trails Council Endowment. How can you participate? When you renew your plates, an additional fee is added on to your basic renewal fees, and that money is contributed to the Hoosier Trails Council endowment fund.
Renew Plates Online: Currently, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles offers Online Registration for your vehicle. Once you create an account, you can choose your specialized license plate. It's fast, easy and best of all - no standing in line!
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The Boy Scouts of America is the recipient of all proceeds from the sale of vehicles donated to One Car One Difference® and specifically designated by the donor to support the BSA. With your help, Scouting will continue providing youth the opportunity to try new things, give service to others, build self-confidence, and reinforce ethical standards. Use the form on the right side of the page to donate your vehicle, and help us ensure the future of America's youth.
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Support the Hoosier Trails Council in Non-traditional Ways
Here are some ways that your family can support Scouting that you may not have thought of:
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One way in which you and your family can help support the work of our council is through registration in the Kroger Community Rewards Program! By simply buying your family’s groceries, you can help contribute to our council’s overall success. Sound easy enough? Get on board today.
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ADULT & YOUTH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES |
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Advanced Leadership Training
Hoosier Trails Council offers Wood Badge, the best advanced leadership training opportunity available in the Boy Scouts of America. Leadership in your unit continuously changes and grows from year to year and it is important to arm your new leaders with the great knowledge, techniques, discipline, and strong habits that exist in some of our most noted leaders. The Wood Badge course centers upon the concepts of servant leadership and leaving a legacy. The key elements are then taught with a clear focus on “how to.” It is all put on by experienced adult leaders with the most up-to-date resources that are provided by the BSA. If you are looking for a great opportunity for your adult leaders to learn some advanced leadership skills, this is the training they will need. Registration is open for the course, and you can sign up today!
Youth Protection Update
With fall membership season just around the corner, it is not too early to schedule your unit Youth Protection Training plan. Each year, any new adult that you have join your unit as a leader must go through and understand Scouting’s Youth Protection Guidelines. Recruitment time is the best opportunity each year that you will have to encourage your new parents to take this course online or in person. Scheduling this training up front will also put you in a good position for your unit recharter deadlines. Youth Protection Training is the best course around for sharing Scouting’s barriers to abuse and keeping our young people safe.
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New Council Safety Webpage
This new page has been created to bring safety resources to your fingertips, so that our Scouting participants have safest adventures possible. We invite you to become familiar with this great resource: https://hoosiertrailsbsa.org/program-resources/scouting-safely/
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Using a Safety Moment in Scouting Activities
Safety Moments are exactly what the name implies: opportunities to prepare for an activity, review safety measures and report incidents correctly. Topics of this new series include incident reporting helps, safe use of medication in Scouting, weather-related safety, winter activity, and winter sports. Search for Safety Moments Here
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Congratulations, Recent Eagle Scouts |
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Derrick Michael Bolton, Troop 634
Anen Ricketts, Troop 110
Ely Lane Wesley, Troop 193
Bryce Dwayne Thiem, Troop 464
Keegan Taras Polazkowyj, Troop 557
Nathan Robert Bailey, Troop 693
Peter James Coleman, Troop 693
Joseph Thomas Doran III, Troop 532
John Oliver Henderson, Troop 717
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