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Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

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NCAC OE Hosts 4th Annual Mid-Atlantic Outdoor Ethics Community Meeting

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The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Outdoor Ethics Committee recently held it’s fourth annual Mid-Atlantic Outdoor Ethics Community Meeting at the Marriott Scout Service Center. The event brings together Leave No Trace Trainers and Master Educators from around the region to receive updates on the latest trends in Outdoor Ethics, to share information, and enjoy fellowship. This year’s event drew 35 participants including the Leave No Trace State Advocates for Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, the Council Outdoor Ethics Advocates for NCAC, Hawk Mountain Council, Cradle of Liberty Council, Garden State Council, and the Colonial Virginia Council, and the BSA Area 6 Outdoor Ethics Advocate.

The group received an update from Paul Sanford, National Director of Recreation Policy at the Wilderness Society. Paul gave a great overview of the Wilderness Society, land designation under the Wilderness Act, the importance of wilderness, and the current issues in wilderness recreation. His talk was very well received by the group and will be used to help shape our ongoing awareness and educational efforts. Paul indicated that the Wilderness Society will soon be releasing a wilderness curriculum aimed at middle and secondary school age youth. We will post this information on the Outdoor Ethics page of the NCAC website once it is released.

Marian Orlousky, Director of Science and Stewardship at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), was next to provide an update. Marian detailed the increasing number of bear interactions on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and the need for improved food storage by folks recreating on the trail. She also introduced a new initiative of the ATC called the Wild East. Read more about it on the Outdoor Ethics page of the NCAC website. Marian’s presentation really hit home with the group and will inform our future lessons.

Rush Williamson of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) gave an update on improvements seen by land managers of scouting units on the trails in the Mid-Atlantic region. Paul Schimke, the Maryland State Advocate for the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, updated the group on the latest news from the Leave No Trace Center and also updates from the National BSA Outdoor Ethics conference that took place near Kansas City last fall.

Sara Holtz, Outdoor Ethics Advocate for the Powhatan District, led the group through several interactive Leave No Trace activities that were fun examples of how to train youth in an engaging manner. The meeting wrapped up with a panel discussion on various contemporary Outdoor Ethics topics.

The NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee would like to thank all of the speakers, participants, and also the committee Staff Advisor, Ray Posluszny, and his wife Liz for all their assistance with the facility and equipment for the event.

See the NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee webpage here for materials from the event. There is a link on the left-hand side of the page for “Community Meetings” http://www.ncacbsa.org/training/outdoor-ethics/

Please contact Victor Bieniek with any questions.

Workplace Giving: Don’t Leave Money on the Table

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Community leadership takes many forms. The National Capital Area Council Boy Scouts of America is fortunate to have so many hardworking volunteers committed to Scouting programs in our area. We appreciate all the ways that the work of our volunteers contributes to Scouting’s mission, and that’s why we want you to know about an easy, powerful way you can support us while doing what you’re already doing. That way is workplace giving.

If you have given a donation to NCAC this year, don’t be afraid to ask your employer if they offer a matching gifts program. Often times, companies offer matching gifts to incentivize employees to participate in meaningful causes that benefit their communities, such as Scouting. For you, that means a possible avenue to doubling your donation for an organization that you’re already invested in. Some companies will even match the time you give with a financial contribution. That is, for each hour you volunteer, your employer may donate money to the Scouts. Because workplace giving is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to support NCAC’s mission, it enables us to maximize the impact your donation makes–no matter what form it takes.

If you are unsure if your company offers a matching gifts program, please go to https://doublethedonation.com/ncacbsa and enter your company’s name to see if they participate. Every donation matters, and by taking a moment to check if your company participates in workplace giving, you could double the impact of what you’re already doing. And that’s working smarter.

Thank you for all that you do for Scouting. For more information on this and other ways to give, please visit: https://www.ncacbsa.org/support-scouting/

Online YPT Course Replaced on March 1st: Make Sure You Completed Training

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On March 1, 2019, the online YPT Course was replaced with an updated version.

If you started—but did not complete—the current Youth Protection Training by February 28th, any progress you made will not have been transferred. You will have to start over.

If you completed the current Youth Protection Training by March 1st, you WILL NOT have been affected.

Completions will not be recorded on my.scouting.org until you have completed all 3 modules and the certification test.

To print your completion certificate, return to my.scouting.org, select “Menu” then “My Dashboard.” Your Youth Protection Training Certificate can be printed by selecting the printer icon in the “YPT Status” area.

Warm Nights

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My name is Zack Brandon, Troop 1283 Junior Assistant Scoutmaster and Patuxent Chapter Chief. On February 3rd, Super Bowl Sunday, our troop was gathered at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bowie, MD to assist them in an annual good turn: helping those less fortunate than us have a warm place to sleep at night.
Warm Nights is a program that many churches in our area participate in every year when the weather gets cold. Many men, women, and families rely on the program to get through the winter every year. They are cared for and sheltered for one week inside of the gym in the church, and are provided with a warm place to sleep at night, a large dinner, lunches, and toiletries.

Troop 1283 helps out every year by fixing lunches and preparing a large chili dinner for the guests. The twelve youth attendees collectively made four, large, delicious bowls of chili beforehand and brought it to serve. We arrived well before the guests did, and formed an assembly line to make their bagged lunches for the following days. After setting up tables, chairs, and tablecloths, we set up a television to stream the Super Bowl so that the guests could watch it while eating their dinner. Once all of the preparations were ready, the guests slowly started to arrive. Once they were all present, the Pastor of the church opened the meal with a prayer, and we began serving the guests their chili, salad, chips, drinks, and desserts. After serving around thirty guests, we went though the line ourselves and ate dinner with them. We were able to sit and cheer on the teams at the Super Bowl with them and talk to them about who they thought would win the game. Well-fed, we cleaned up the area and departed for home late that night. It was overall a magnificent experience, and I would recommend it to every Troop in our district!

Pack 194’s Youngest Popcorn Kernel Does His Best

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For the previous two years, Pack 194’s Liam Brougham, currently an Arrow of Light Scout, has been the Pack’s top seller and has helped his entire Pack raise funds for Scouting. Sure, he enjoyed the prizes, accolades, and delivering the ceremonial pie in the face to Pack adult leadership – twice! But the 2018 fundraising season was a little different. In fact, the Pack almost did not conduct a popcorn fundraising event because there were no adult volunteers to be the Popcorn Kernel. Liam overheard his Pack 194 Committee Chair explaining this so what did he do? He demonstrated great Scouting characteristics and said, “Can I be the Kernel?” Did he do it for the prizes? Absolutely not. Because Liam further said, “I’ll stop trying to be the top seller by myself and help out the whole Pack instead.” And help he did.

Of course, first the Pack had to discuss the idea with the District Executive explaining how a Scout wanted to be Kernel. It was a bit of a surprise as Cub Scouts don’t usually lead such a pivotal Pack role and coordinate, promote, and lead all Kindergarten through fifth grade Scouts AND all their parents. But while ensuring proper youth protection was maintained with emails and interaction with others, Liam was off to the races.

Liam attended Regional Kick-Off training, asked questions, helped assemble presentation material, and spoke at Pack meetings on what Pack 194 was going to do. He set up five Store Front Sales and even went to meet with the store manager in his Scout uniform to show respect and commitment to raising important funds for his Pack’s Scouting effort. Liam had help with the ordering system, but it was he who analyzed the sales in prior years and predicted what popcorn the Pack would need to order. He made the orders (several of them), helped inventory at pickups, helped set up Store Front Sales and have sales material and popcorn on hand, helped train new Scouts, collected the end of sale proceeds, kept account of which Scouts were credited with sales, ordered the entire Pack’s prizes at the end, and answered other questions and placed more orders for Take Orders from the Pack. He learned how spreadsheets work and how they can be used to calculate. He practiced his math skills and REALLY enjoyed counting all the money (a lot of it as it turns out). And finally, he learned how internet sales and transactions worked and even upgraded the Pack’s technology to allow touch and chip credit card payments.

So how did Pack 194 do with fundraising under the leadership of Popcorn Kernel Liam Brougham?

The Pack vastly exceeded expectations. The original 10% growth target was left in the dust. The end result was more than double last year’s sales: that’s over ten times more funds available for Pack 194 Scouting events in 2019.

The entire Pack 194 enjoyed the experience of a Cub Scout in charge and shared in the benefit of Popcorn Fundraising. And Liam’s reward? Adulation from his Pack (sure), learning great life skills in sales, communication, logistics, accounting, … (OK those all definitely happened), but the REAL REWARD… a ceremonial THANK YOU by way of a pie TO HIS FACE for a job so very very well done.