ScoutMeIn

Help NCAC Celebrate 100 Years of Camping!

January 30, 2020 by Craig Weston

The Council celebration of 100 years of NCAC summer camps is well underway, as we continue to celebrate the opening of Camp Roosevelt on the Maryland western shore as our first council summer camp in 1919!

To honor the long history of summer camping in the Council and to highlight the importance of the outdoors to the growth and development of Scouts, throughout 2020 we are encouraging Families, Webelos, Scouts, Venturers, Explorers and Sea Scouts to get involved by attending a camp (or cruise) overnight —- for a weekend or for a week (or two) at one of our summer camps!

Here’s what happening in the coming weeks:

Districts can hand out the free Camping Centennial Logo patch to those who attend the District Klondike Derby or Winter Camporee. Contact your District Executive before the event.
New to Scouting or camping and want to learn what gear you need and where to go? Sign up for Course ELC135 “Camping Opportunities in the NCAC” at the University of Scouting on February 29th.
Also, at the University of Scouting, take a walk-through history! Stop by the midway area to view displays of rare council camping memorabilia dating back over the past century.

Visit gotogoshen.org/summercamp or gotosnyder.com/summercamp and register today!

Stay tuned to WeOwnAdventure to learn about future special events and commemorative merchandise.

Troop 544 Creates and Distributes Blessing Bags to The Less Fortunate for MLK Day Service Project

January 20, 2020 by Susan Hall, Committee Chair

On January 20, 2020, Troop 544 traveled to downtown Franklin Square Park in Washington D.C. to distribute over 50 blessing bags to the less fortunate. Most of the persons in the park are homeless. The bags were created from donations from the scouts and their families. Items were gathered and assembled at the Troop meeting the Saturday before.

We had a great turn out for both events. The scouts were very eager to provide service to others, which made the leadership very proud. They not only were obeying the scout law and oath, but they also practiced the motto of doing a good turn daily.

Check Out This Inspiring Eagle Scout!

December 17, 2019 by Ana Schobitz

Meet Noah Harmon, an animal lover with a passion for his religion. For Noah’s Eagle project, he built an entire rosary garden for the St. Jude Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, VA. This huge task took Noah and his team of 62 volunteers almost six months to complete! The first steps of his project was the fundraising.

Noah raised $3,291.13 from selling mulch, popcorn, having two car washes, and from receiving several private donations. With the help of all his fundraising, Noah began his task of leading the physical labor. He had to dig about six inches into the ground and get rid of the many roots in the area. After clearing the area completely, Noah created the cement path, making religious shapes and phrases in a circle around the garden space.

The rosary garden included a large statue, several benches and a great deal of plants which were donated to Noah’s project. In a total of 345.5 hours, Noah and his team successfully built his rosary garden. Noah found that by “having confidence in [himself], and working hard,” he was able to create a beautiful, livable space for the church to enjoy.

Troop 1203 Meets AT Hiker

December 12, 2019 by Eschenbrenner David

After summiting and exploring Mcafee Knob and Tinker Cliffs VA while backpacking the Appalachian Trail, Leo Eschenbrenner and Zumi Hersey from Troop 1203 set up camp at the Lambert Meadows Campsite. The boys cooked dinner utilizing their lightweight stoves as they have so many times. Dinner was Leo’s tried and true favorite, chicken and broccoli with rice.

About the time we had all we could eat a south bound, AT hiker named Bob hiked into our campsite. Bob was a south bounder or SOBO as they are called. He started his AT journey in Maine on Mt. Katahdin and had been hiking sense the spring. AT hikers don’t typically carry a lightweight stove or cook meals but live on cliff bars and fruit.

Leo offered a hot meal to Bob and Bob gladly accepted. After Bob enjoyed his hot meal, Bob spoke to the boys about trail angles. Trail angles offer kindness to AT hikers and the kindnesses the boys offered to Bob was some magic that made his journey a little more special. We talked to Bob for seemed to be about 45 minutes and discussed his amazing experiences and the people he had come to meet along the way. Bob departed before sunset with the goal of seeing the sunset from Tinker Cliffs. Leo spoke about Bob and the friendship they shared over his trail angle hot meal.

A Scout is friendly and a Scout is kind
ASM Dave Eschenbrenner
Troop 1203
California, MD

Woodworking Fun at 2019 Webelos and Scout Expo

November 22, 2019 by Dave Schneeman

Michael’s Woodshop Begins Its 2nd Year

At Camp Snyder’s 2019 Webelos & Scout Expo, Michael’s Woodshop officially began its second year of operation and it certainly got off to a great start! Visitors had the opportunity to tour the shop and Webelos, Scouts and siblings (and a few Dads) took the opportunity to get some hands-on woodworking experience by making their own Cell Phone Charging/Viewing Stand. After going through a safety briefing, the Scouts used a template to mark their blanks, went through two drilling & cutting work stations and then performed some light sanding to create a good fit. With a little final sanding, they all walked away with a very cool, handmade cell phone stand that they can use or give as a gift!

This project also served as an exhibition of how the experienced volunteer Shop Stewards in Michael’s Woodshop can tailor projects to meet the needs of your group. For the Webelos & Scout Expo, the project needed to be short in duration and needed to accommodate a wide range of participant ages and skill levels. This was achieved by carefully selecting and modifying a suitable project design and by creating a series of templates and jigs specifically for the event. The end result was a very smooth process that allowed 60 visitors to complete the project during the Expo.

Michael’s Woodshop is a hands-on work space that was designed for use by Scouts of all ages to create and learn. The shop is operated and maintained by a group of volunteer Shop Stewards who are also available to help plan and carry out events. Michael’s Woodshop may be reserved for Unit activities, District events, Eagle Scout projects and many other Scouting activities.

For information about shop capabilities, upcoming events, reserving the shop or to learn more about volunteering, please visit the Camp Snyder website www.gotosnyder.org/ or email us at MichaelsWoodshop.CWBS@gmail.com.

This Eagle Project Protects Wild Ducks!

November 2, 2019 by Ana Schobitz

“Quack Quack!” Check out this awesome Eagle Project from Maximo De Leon. He used cedar wood planks, chicken fencing, wood screws, and sign posts to build and install safe nesting boxes for wild ducks at Lake Fairfax park in Reston VA. In just two days, Maximo and his team of volunteers built and installed 15 duck boxes! Maximo was happy to “see [his] project develop from an idea to the installation!” These boxes give the wild ducks a safe space to keep their young away from predators, what will your eagle project do?