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Welcome to The Lamplighter, the official newsletter of the W. D. Boyce Council!
This newsletter is distributed to all registered Scouters in the W. D. Boyce Council. It’s our goal to keep you up to date on the latest happenings, with information you can use whether you’re a parent, Scouter, charter organization representative, donor or any other friend of Scouting.
Know someone else who might appreciate receiving it? Forward this to them!
Did you receive this from a friend or colleague? Subscribe here!
New to Scouting? Click here!
Have a question, idea or something you want to see in a future issue? Please email Charlie Zimmerman, Council Field Director, at charlie.zimmerman@scouting.org
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🌸 Get Out Your Aloha Shirt! 🌸
🍍Come to the Annual Council Recognition Dinner!🍍
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Trade in your heavy coat
and your other winter clothes
for sunshine, palm trees and
sand between your toes!
Register NOW to attend the 2024 Annual Council Dinner – Luau style! - on March 16 at Five Points Washington. Join us for an evening of Polynesian fellowship as we celebrate recent Scouting accomplishments and recognize our newest recipients of the Silver Beaver award:
| 🌴 Grass skirts optional! 🌴 | As Scouting Celebrates 114 Years: Why Friends of Scouting? |  | |
The BSA turned 114 on February 8, and this annual milestone allows us to pause and reflect on the benefits Scouting has been providing our nation’s youth for over a century. It also provides us with a moment to consider what Scouting has done for our local communities, dating back almost as long.
All of the funding needed to deliver our local program is derived locally, and all of your support stays 100% local to support our Scouts! The W. D. Boyce Council is locally funded and is its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our program is funded in large part by your generous support through the Friends of Scouting annual giving campaign.
How do Scouts benefit from Friends of Scouting? Here are some of the ways that your support benefits our Scouting program: Camp maintenance and operations, district and council activities, resources, media, administration, liability insurance, reservation system, leader training opportunities, and staff support.
Celebrate the Anniversary of Scouting with your Friends of Scouting gift today!
| Summer Fun Is On the Way! | |
Cub Scout Summer Camps are sure to be the highlight of your Scout’s summer. Join us for unforgettable adventures including archery, BB guns, games, Scout skills, crafts, and more!
Find a day camp near you for Outdoor Adventure! 🧭 AND be sure to check out our overnight camping option: Cub Scout Resident Camp - aka Cosmic Camp 🚀 - at ISR! Click here for details!
🌲⛺Scouts BSA Summer Camp at Ingersoll Scout Reservation is also bound to be a hit! This summer will be an exciting time at ISR as we gear up to provide new and exciting opportunities for our Scouts.
Great campsites are still available, and registration will open soon. Visit https://isrsummercamp.org/ for more details!
| NYLT: Your Best Scouts Deserve to Become Better Leaders! |  | |
National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is an exciting, action-packed program designed to provide youth members of the Boy Scouts of America with the leadership skills and experience they can use in their home units and in any other situations that require leadership of self or leadership of others.
NYLT aims to give each scout participant a basic knowledge of various leadership skills while helping them relate these skills to their own troop/crew responsibilities; to give them the confidence and knowledge necessary to run their unit’s program; to provide an opportunity to share ideas and experiences with Scouts from other units; and of course, to have FUN.
This course is built around the BE-KNOW-DO of leadership: What a leader must BE. What a leader must KNOW. What a leader must DO.
NYLT is youth-led and integrates the best of modern leadership theory with the traditional strengths of the Scouting experience. Through activities, presentations, challenges, discussions, and audio-visual support, participants will be engaged in a unified approach to leadership that will give them the skills and confidence to lead well. Through a wide range of activities, events, games, and adventures, participants will work and play together as they put into action the best that Scouting has to offer.
This year’s program will be offered from July 28 – August 2 at Ingersoll Scout Reservation.
Scoutmasters:
Nominate your troop's best to attend NYLT today! Click here now!
| Picture Spring Recruiting Success! 📸 | |
The traditional fall recruiting push is one of those things that’s done that way — at least in part — because it’s always been done that way. It makes sense, because fall also happens to be the time when kids go back to school and Scouting kicks back into high gear.
But why not also recruit new members to your pack or troop in the spring? It doesn’t take very much extra work. It allows us to focus on some key sources of new members, gain new adult volunteers AHEAD of the fall, and lay the groundwork for a great year. Plus, it allows new Scouts to have an AWESOME summer experience with their new best friends!
Check out these webinars on Spring Recruiting and watch for more recruiting resources coming soon to https://wdboyce.org/recruiting-resources/.
What are the advantages of recruiting new Cub Scouts in the spring?
Welcome new Tigers in the Spring!
Scouts BSA Spring Recruiting – Adventure On!
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Have You Ever Been To Philmont?
2024 Council Contingent Spots Still Available!
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If you’ve ever been to Philmont, you no doubt consider it one of the highlights of your Scouting experience. It truly is “Scouting Paradise” and you likely wish that every Scout could have that experience.
Consider recommending Philmont to the Scouts you know - and their parents. Chances are they may not know of Philmont’s rich history, sweeping vistas and awesome opportunities for personal growth. But those Scouts can experience it for themselves THIS SUMMER!
The W.D. Boyce is seeking participants for a council contingent to Philmont Scout Ranch. Scouts will explore the Philmont high-country on a 9-day, backpacking expedition. They’ll experience the thrill of climbing mountains over two miles high, and crews can learn technical rock climbing, archaeological excavation techniques, blacksmithing, western lore, and more!
Our council has been awarded spots for two crews – one for girls and one for boys – for nine-day treks, taking place July 7-16, 2024. (Travel days not included.) We currently have openings in the boys' crew for one Scout and one adult, and openings in the girls’ crew for two Scouts and one adult.
Questions? philmont2024@gmail.com
Registration: https://scoutingevent.com/138-Philmont2024
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Get Ready for Outdoor Adventure!
We’ve got some valuable (and fun!) training for adult leaders on tap to help you get up to speed, and both will be offered at the same time, in the same place – April 13-14, 2024, at the Morton Opportunity Club!
Basic Adult Leadership Outdoor Orientation (BALOO)
This one-and-a-half-day course is designed as an introduction to the Cub Scout outdoor program for leaders interested in adding a camping component to their Pack activities. BALOO training consists of an online pre-requisite component in addition to an overnight hands-on practical. BSA’s Cub Scout level camping policies will be taught along with the discovery of the necessary tools to help units carry out a successful camping experience. Completion of this course is mandatory for a minimum of one adult on a Pack overnighter.
Intro to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS)
Working as patrols, this hands-on course provides adult leaders the practical outdoor skills they need to lead Scouts in the out-of-doors. Upon completion, leaders should feel comfortable teaching Scouts the basic skills required to obtain the First Class rank. Along with Scoutmaster Specifics, this course is required of all Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters registered in Scouts BSA troops in order to be considered trained.
Click here for registration details!
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Reaching Out for Scoutreach Volunteers
Scoutreach is the BSA’s traditional Scouting program delivered in a non-traditional way to youth from hard-to-serve communities. Scoutreach is our commitment to making sure that every child has an opportunity to be a Scout, regardless of their circumstances, neighborhood, or ethnic background. The organized program provides a safe environment for youth with positive adult role models who teach kids about healthy living, introduce future career opportunities, and reinforce character development.
Currently, Scoutreach programs are delivered in Peoria by a paid council staff member as an after-school program, in partnership with District 150 Schools. Programs are based on a school calendar and run from September to June.
What we need is YOU! As our Scoutreach program grows, we need additional adults to serve as assistant leaders to join in the fun of sharing Scouting with kids who might otherwise never get the chance to experience what we have to offer.
Could you volunteer 3 hours once or twice a month? If so, contact Erin Smith (309-673-6136, Erin.Smith@scouting.org) and help extend the hand of Scouting!
| Mark Your Calendar for Fun with Friends! | |
These great sporting events provide an opportunity for us to share our love for Scouting with our friends and colleagues who can’t say “no” to a great round of golf or an opportunity to shoot some clays! They’ll come away with a better understanding of our passion for Scouting, as well as memories of a great day outdoors. Save the dates and start making plans to invite your friends to join you!
Scouting Clays
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Oak Ridge Sportsman's Club
Peoria Golf Classic
Monday, July 15, 2024
Country Club of Peoria
Bloomington Golf Classic
Monday, August 12, 2024
Bloomington Country Club
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Council Program/Insurance Fee Explained
The W. D. Boyce Council executive board is committed to ensuring the financial viability of the council for years to come. In 2021, it became clear that a change was needed in our funding approach, as it was no longer possible to subsidize core costs at past levels through voluntary donations to Friends of Scouting. A significant factor was the skyrocketing cost of insurance, above and beyond what is paid through national membership fees.
As a result, the council implemented a program/insurance fee to ensure the consistent delivery of its support, programs, and camping experiences. While BSA policy allows for a fee equal to the national membership fee, the fee was kept well below that point, to keep Scouting as affordable as possible for all families.
How much is the fee?
In 2021, the fee was originally set at $28. At the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Council Executive Board, it was increased to $30 per year, effective April 1, 2024. This is the first increase since the fee was established.
Who does the fee apply to?
The fee applies to youth members only. (Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Exploring)
Is there financial assistance for families who need it?
Yes. We realize that there are families that have financial situations that could prevent them from benefiting from Scouting. We are helping with a confidential financial aid program that is providing substantial assistance to such families. Our council will not turn away any youth with a documented inability to pay.
How is financial assistance requested?
Unit leaders may submit the council’s Financial Assistance form available at https://wdboyce.org/assist/
|  | Help Wanted in Lowaneu and at Summer Camp | |
Lowaneu District
We are looking for a new District Associate to serve in Bureau, Putnam and La Salle Counties.
Duties of this part-time position include:
- Work with a volunteer committee and other community leaders to identify, recruit, train, guide, and inspire them to become involved in youth programs.
- Achieve progress towards specific goals and objectives which include: program development through collaborative relationships, volunteer recruitment and training, fundraising, membership recruitment and retention.
- Assist leadership with campaign efforts to meet the financial needs of the organization.
- Ensure that all programs are served through volunteers, regular leader meetings, training and activities.
Ingersoll Scout Reservation
We are also still looking for qualified applicants for the 2024 Summer Camp season at Ingersoll Scout Reservation!
“Enthusiastic, entertaining, hard-working, knowledgeable, and sincere” are just a few of the terms that troops have repeatedly used to describe the staff of Ingersoll Scout Reservation.
Each summer, a team of staff members is hired to create a fun summer camp experience for around 1,000 Scouts by teaching exciting new skills, providing adventure opportunities, and encouraging rank advancement.
If you or someone you know would be interested, please check out the full job descriptions here, including directions to apply!
| Thanks for reading and for your support of Scouting! |
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