T399 Parents:
Our next Parent Meeting is scheduled for February 3rd at 7 pm at TUMC. Discussions will include parent support for El Rancho Cima backpacking camp-out (Feb 6 - 8), Camporee (Mar 6 - 8), Hornaday weekend (Apr 17 - 19) and Summer Camp selection and sign-up.
It is a good idea to Sign-up now for the El Rancho Cima backpacking camp-out at www.troop399.org.
Spaghetti Supper is Feb 8th, 6 pm at TUMC. Cooking kudos to Julian Fontana for Chairing this supper again! Tickets are $6 each and $20 per family. We only have two Troop 399 fundraisers each year and the money raised directly impacts the program for our Scouts. Please encourage and help your Scout sell the Spaghetti Supper tickets he received at last week's Scout meeting.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
T399 January 27th Court of Honor
T399 Parents:
Please join us Tuesday night, January 27th, for a very special T399 Court of Honor, 7 pm at TUMC Fellowship Hall.
Scouts will receive awards, recognitions and rank advancement. This Court of Honor is also our special chance to honor Mark Marshall and welcome Dirk Heinen as Scoutmaster. To add to the evening, T399 will be receiving the coveted National Hornaday Unit Award. This is a rarely given award and we are very proud of our Scouts for their hard work and achievement. One of our Scouts will be receiving the National Gold Medal Citizenship Award. Please plan to come, you will be inspired by the leadership and stewardship our boys are portraying.
Prior to the meeting I need a few parents to agree to come 30 minutes early and help with Board of Reviews. If you can serve in this capacity, please let me know.
Please join us Tuesday night, January 27th, for a very special T399 Court of Honor, 7 pm at TUMC Fellowship Hall.
Scouts will receive awards, recognitions and rank advancement. This Court of Honor is also our special chance to honor Mark Marshall and welcome Dirk Heinen as Scoutmaster. To add to the evening, T399 will be receiving the coveted National Hornaday Unit Award. This is a rarely given award and we are very proud of our Scouts for their hard work and achievement. One of our Scouts will be receiving the National Gold Medal Citizenship Award. Please plan to come, you will be inspired by the leadership and stewardship our boys are portraying.
Prior to the meeting I need a few parents to agree to come 30 minutes early and help with Board of Reviews. If you can serve in this capacity, please let me know.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Jimmy Donovan's Eagle Project
Jimmy Donovan Eagle Project 1.24.09
Who: Cornelius James “Jimmy” Rodriguez-Donovan II
What: Eagle Project
Where: Barton Creek Hike & Bike Trail,
3755 S. Capitol of Texas Hwy
When: Saturday, January 24th, 9:00 A.M.
How: I am building a bridge over a gully that passes through the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Hike & Bike Trail over Barton Creek. The previous bridge was washed out and the trail is heavily used by runners and bicyclists. We will start at 9:00 A.M. and work about 5-6 hours, ending around 3:00 P.M. All required tools and protective gear will be provided, but it is recommended that scouts bring their own gloves. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. For info, call 512-779-0391 or 512-317-2539, flyer is in the announcement tab of Web site.
Thank you.
Who: Cornelius James “Jimmy” Rodriguez-Donovan II
What: Eagle Project
Where: Barton Creek Hike & Bike Trail,
3755 S. Capitol of Texas Hwy
When: Saturday, January 24th, 9:00 A.M.
How: I am building a bridge over a gully that passes through the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Hike & Bike Trail over Barton Creek. The previous bridge was washed out and the trail is heavily used by runners and bicyclists. We will start at 9:00 A.M. and work about 5-6 hours, ending around 3:00 P.M. All required tools and protective gear will be provided, but it is recommended that scouts bring their own gloves. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. For info, call 512-779-0391 or 512-317-2539, flyer is in the announcement tab of Web site.
Thank you.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
T399 Information & Dates
T399 Parents:
I. Scout meeting on Tuesday, January 20 @ 7 pm, TUMC
#1 Parent Meeting @ 7 pm, TUMC
#2 Scoutmaster conferences and Board of Reviews will be conducted at this meeting.
Please volunteer to help conduct a Board of Reviews. Special thanks to the many
parents who volunteered their time at the meeting to assist with Boards of Review.
We could not do it without you!These conferences and reviews are in preparation
for the January 27th Court of Honor.
II. Camp-outs: Sign-up on-line if your Scout plans on attending. Go to www.troop399.org to sign-up and pay. If you signed up for Cracker-barrel or camp-out leadership (2-deep leadership) you will be contacted by Leslie Benitez. We need two-deep leadership for both campouts.
#1 NASA camp-out, January 23 - 25. Camp Strake & NASA! Tina Chan has agreed
to Ram Rod this campout. If you have any questions contact Tina or Phil Condra.
#2 El Rancho Cima, Backpacking camp-out, February 6 - 8. This is not a misprint,
Tina has agreed to Ram Rod this campout also. If you have any questions contact
Tina or Phil Condra.
III. Special Events
#1 Court of Honor, Tuesday, January 27 @ 7 pm @ TUMC Fellowship Hall. This
is a special ceremony as we honor Scoutmaster Mark Marshall and welcome Dirk
Heinen as our new Scoutmaster. Please make every effort to have your Scout attend.
Class A uniform required.
#2 Spaghetti Supper, February 8 @ 6 pm @ TUMC. Scouts are asked to sell tickets.
They are red tickets and your Scout should have brought some home from Tuesday's
meeting. $6 a person and $20 a family. Last year we had a record crowd, great
fellowship and a wonderful meal. Thanks to Julian Fontana for chairing this
fundraiser again for the Troop. We appreciate your hard work and your great cooking!
I. Scout meeting on Tuesday, January 20 @ 7 pm, TUMC
#1 Parent Meeting @ 7 pm, TUMC
#2 Scoutmaster conferences and Board of Reviews will be conducted at this meeting.
Please volunteer to help conduct a Board of Reviews. Special thanks to the many
parents who volunteered their time at the meeting to assist with Boards of Review.
We could not do it without you!These conferences and reviews are in preparation
for the January 27th Court of Honor.
II. Camp-outs: Sign-up on-line if your Scout plans on attending. Go to www.troop399.org to sign-up and pay. If you signed up for Cracker-barrel or camp-out leadership (2-deep leadership) you will be contacted by Leslie Benitez. We need two-deep leadership for both campouts.
#1 NASA camp-out, January 23 - 25. Camp Strake & NASA! Tina Chan has agreed
to Ram Rod this campout. If you have any questions contact Tina or Phil Condra.
#2 El Rancho Cima, Backpacking camp-out, February 6 - 8. This is not a misprint,
Tina has agreed to Ram Rod this campout also. If you have any questions contact
Tina or Phil Condra.
III. Special Events
#1 Court of Honor, Tuesday, January 27 @ 7 pm @ TUMC Fellowship Hall. This
is a special ceremony as we honor Scoutmaster Mark Marshall and welcome Dirk
Heinen as our new Scoutmaster. Please make every effort to have your Scout attend.
Class A uniform required.
#2 Spaghetti Supper, February 8 @ 6 pm @ TUMC. Scouts are asked to sell tickets.
They are red tickets and your Scout should have brought some home from Tuesday's
meeting. $6 a person and $20 a family. Last year we had a record crowd, great
fellowship and a wonderful meal. Thanks to Julian Fontana for chairing this
fundraiser again for the Troop. We appreciate your hard work and your great cooking!
#3 Just in time for the upcoming Court of Honor! The Casis Elementary School Forest, where several Troop 399 scouts have done Eagle projects, needs volunteers on Saturday, January 17th, beginning at 9:30 AM to remove additional invasive species. Thanks to scouts Sam Faries and Seung yeon Lee, they've all been tagged, so you'll know which ones to remove.
Please come if you can, and bring workgloves, Children are encouraged and welcome.
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Please come if you can, and bring workgloves, Children are encouraged and welcome.
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
A Message from Leslie Benitez, Volunteer Coordinator:
T399 Parents:
Parents are leaders in every Troop. Leaders = Parents. Whether you have a specific title or a parent that helps out; we would like to encourage T399 parents to become better trained. Our Scouts benefit from more parents having the training necessary. And you already know the percentage of parent participation of Scouts that become Eagle Scouts ... 95% of Eagle-ranked Scouts had active parents. Leaders = Parents = Eagle Scouts.
Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting said, "Every Scout deserves trained leaders."
The Capital Area Council (CAC) is offering a day of training at the University of Scouting at St. Edwards University. There are 172 different classes offered and each class lasts one hour. Please consider taking a day and doing this for our Troop. We want our Scouts to have the best possible experience and this requires parents to become involved.
Quote from the CAC:
"There is Something for Every Volunteer at the University of Scouting. This is a first for our Council. January 24 the Council is putting on a day of Scouting program ideas with more than 400 course offerings called the University of Scouting for all Scout volunteers, conveniently located at St. Edwards University in South Austin.
Take a minute to look through some of these course guides for lots of interesting sessions. Please use this opportunity to find something new to take back to your program. There are courses in here that would be of interest to any Pack, Troop or Crew parent."
Information concerning this event is located at the Capital Area Council Website: http://www.bsacac.org/Training/university_of_scouting.php.
Parents are leaders in every Troop. Leaders = Parents. Whether you have a specific title or a parent that helps out; we would like to encourage T399 parents to become better trained. Our Scouts benefit from more parents having the training necessary. And you already know the percentage of parent participation of Scouts that become Eagle Scouts ... 95% of Eagle-ranked Scouts had active parents. Leaders = Parents = Eagle Scouts.
Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting said, "Every Scout deserves trained leaders."
The Capital Area Council (CAC) is offering a day of training at the University of Scouting at St. Edwards University. There are 172 different classes offered and each class lasts one hour. Please consider taking a day and doing this for our Troop. We want our Scouts to have the best possible experience and this requires parents to become involved.
Quote from the CAC:
"There is Something for Every Volunteer at the University of Scouting. This is a first for our Council. January 24 the Council is putting on a day of Scouting program ideas with more than 400 course offerings called the University of Scouting for all Scout volunteers, conveniently located at St. Edwards University in South Austin.
Take a minute to look through some of these course guides for lots of interesting sessions. Please use this opportunity to find something new to take back to your program. There are courses in here that would be of interest to any Pack, Troop or Crew parent."
Information concerning this event is located at the Capital Area Council Website: http://www.bsacac.org/Training/university_of_scouting.php.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Message from Nick Fox
Dear Troop 399 Parents:
I have again volunteered to act as Troop 399's Pacesetter Chairman for the Friends of Scouting (FOS) fundraising campaign conducted by the BSA Capital Area Council. This is an extremely important event that every year helps provide 25% of the Council’s annual operating budget, much of which is used to subsidize scouting programs and camps for boys in 15 surrounding counties, including Lost Pines campouts and Winter and Summer Camps, Longhorn District Camporee, Order of the Arrow, leadership training, and even Troop insurance are funded through the Friends of Scouting campaign.
This year your contribution is more important than ever, with charitable organizations like the United Way Capital Area no longer providing financial support to the Boy Scouts. The Friends of Scouting campaign has to pick up the shortfall in order for the Council to be able to maintain the programs it has long provided to our scouts. Last year, the Council set a $5800 target for Troop 399, which we substantially exceeded. I would like to do even better than that this year, but we can only do that with 100% parent participation.
Although a gift of at least $200 is requested (which gets you a nifty patch), any amount is appreciated, even if you can only spare $20. If your scout went to Winter Camp or will be attending Summer Camp this year, you should know that the Council will be paying for $75 of the actual cost for your scout to attend. No doubt all of our boys benefit from Council programs, as well as our adult leaders. And our contributions allow the Council to reach out to thousands of “at risk” youth and teach leadership and self-reliance skills. It is a fact that over 90% of boys that stay with scouting for five years or more graduate from high school.
I will be making a brief FOS presentation during our Court of Honor on Tuesday Evening, January 27th, as well as handing out brochures with the donation form and additional information about the 2009 FOS campaign. But I would like to wrap this up shortly thereafter. So I would again ask that each of you take a few minutes reflecting on the benefits that scouting affords your son and consider making a donation to the 2009 campaign. Making a contribution is easy. You can contribute by check or major credit card, or if you prefer, you may visit www.bsacac.org to make an on-line donation to Friends of Scouting. Please be sure to provide the requested information on the donation form, including our Troop number so we get proper credit, and please send me an email so I can confirm and count you towards Troop 399’s 100% participation goal.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for your generous donation.
Nick Fox
Pacesetter Chairman, Troop 399
Friends of Scouting Campaign
I have again volunteered to act as Troop 399's Pacesetter Chairman for the Friends of Scouting (FOS) fundraising campaign conducted by the BSA Capital Area Council. This is an extremely important event that every year helps provide 25% of the Council’s annual operating budget, much of which is used to subsidize scouting programs and camps for boys in 15 surrounding counties, including Lost Pines campouts and Winter and Summer Camps, Longhorn District Camporee, Order of the Arrow, leadership training, and even Troop insurance are funded through the Friends of Scouting campaign.
This year your contribution is more important than ever, with charitable organizations like the United Way Capital Area no longer providing financial support to the Boy Scouts. The Friends of Scouting campaign has to pick up the shortfall in order for the Council to be able to maintain the programs it has long provided to our scouts. Last year, the Council set a $5800 target for Troop 399, which we substantially exceeded. I would like to do even better than that this year, but we can only do that with 100% parent participation.
Although a gift of at least $200 is requested (which gets you a nifty patch), any amount is appreciated, even if you can only spare $20. If your scout went to Winter Camp or will be attending Summer Camp this year, you should know that the Council will be paying for $75 of the actual cost for your scout to attend. No doubt all of our boys benefit from Council programs, as well as our adult leaders. And our contributions allow the Council to reach out to thousands of “at risk” youth and teach leadership and self-reliance skills. It is a fact that over 90% of boys that stay with scouting for five years or more graduate from high school.
I will be making a brief FOS presentation during our Court of Honor on Tuesday Evening, January 27th, as well as handing out brochures with the donation form and additional information about the 2009 FOS campaign. But I would like to wrap this up shortly thereafter. So I would again ask that each of you take a few minutes reflecting on the benefits that scouting affords your son and consider making a donation to the 2009 campaign. Making a contribution is easy. You can contribute by check or major credit card, or if you prefer, you may visit www.bsacac.org to make an on-line donation to Friends of Scouting. Please be sure to provide the requested information on the donation form, including our Troop number so we get proper credit, and please send me an email so I can confirm and count you towards Troop 399’s 100% participation goal.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for your generous donation.
Nick Fox
Pacesetter Chairman, Troop 399
Friends of Scouting Campaign
Monday, January 12, 2009
T399 Spaghetti Supper February 8, 6:00-7:30 pm TUMC
Julian Fontana, Troop 399 Chair of the Spaghetti Supper, has asked me to announce that this Tuesday Troop 399 Scouts will be given their Spaghetti Supper tickets for pre-sales. Please be sure your Scout makes it home with his tickets. We are also asking each parent to assist as much as possible with ticket sales to insure the success of this event. This is one of only two Troop fundraiser each year and the success of the event is important to the program the Troop provides to your Scout. I have posted a copy of the flyer in the announcments section of the web page. Please go to www.troop399.org for all your information concerning the Troop.
Thank you Julian for all your efforts with the Spaghetti Supper!
Thank you Julian for all your efforts with the Spaghetti Supper!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Citizenship in the World Merit Badge
Announcement from Capital Area Council
Event Can Apply to Citizenship in the World
Boy Scout leaders: Apologies for the last-minute notice, but we got the call only yesterday... If you have Scouts working on the Citizenship in the World merit badge, there is a program happening this Saturday that can satisfy requirement 7e (Participate in or attend an international event in your area, such as an ethnic festival, concert, or play).
The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center is hosting a special series of programs called, "Celebrate Me", which will spotlight different nations and cultures. The first of these programs focuses on Japan, and is co-hosted by the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin. It's happening this Saturday, January 10 from 1pm-4pm. CLICK HERE for more information.
Event Can Apply to Citizenship in the World
Boy Scout leaders: Apologies for the last-minute notice, but we got the call only yesterday... If you have Scouts working on the Citizenship in the World merit badge, there is a program happening this Saturday that can satisfy requirement 7e (Participate in or attend an international event in your area, such as an ethnic festival, concert, or play).
The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center is hosting a special series of programs called, "Celebrate Me", which will spotlight different nations and cultures. The first of these programs focuses on Japan, and is co-hosted by the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin. It's happening this Saturday, January 10 from 1pm-4pm. CLICK HERE for more information.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Service Hours Opportunity at Pease Park.
Dear Gentlemen:
My name is Richard Craig and I am a volunteer with the Austin Parks Foundation. I am heading up an effort to plant 100 trees in Pease Park (along with the Austin Parks Dept. and Old Enfield Neighborhood) on Saturday, February 21, 2009. We would like to respectfully request the help of the Boy Scouts of Troop 9, Troop 5 and Troop 399 in this very big project.
Sunne and Jeff Wiginton were kind enough to share e-mail addresses with me. Please forgive this impersonal means of requesting your troops' assistance.
Here is some information on the tree planting project itself:
The City's Urban Forestry personnel at PARD will dig the holes for these trees by mechanical means prior to the Feb. 21st planting date. Volunteers will simply need to get the trees out of their containers, plant them in the pre-dug holes at the correct depth, backfill the hole with existing soil and organic amendments, mulch the surface around the tree and water them in well.
The trees will be 15 gallons or larger and at least six or seven feet tall. There will be a variety of species, from larger shade trees to smaller spring flowering ornamentals. They will be placed according to a plan developed by a landscape architect working with the Foundation and the City's Urban Forester, Walter Passmore. Each tree will be attached to a bubbler hose running off of a one inch irrigation line and timer to ensure that they have adequate watering to survive their first several years.
The huge number of trees to be planted in one day makes this a very challenging project. We believe we will have a number of volunteers from the neighborhood and other interested stakeholders. But, few groups can offer the manpower and enthusiasm that the Boy Scouts of America can. Therefore, it seemed natural to turn to your three nearby Troops, the future citizens of Austin and custodians of Pease, for help.
Pease Park is in very bad shape, having lost 40 trees in the severe wind and hail storm of May 15, 2008. This was just the latest blow to a park that has been steadily been losing its tree canopy for years as the existing old cedar elms die. New trees have not been planted at a rate to arrest this creeping de-forestation. The Austin Parks Foundation and the City hope to plant an additional 300 trees over the next several years in a campaign we have called "Trees for Pease." This year's planting is just the first phase.
I have attached an article on Pease Park that has appeared in several neighborhood association newsletters and a fundraising letter we have used to provide you more information on the park and the project.
You can also learn more about the "Trees for Pease" campaign on the Austin Parks Foundation's website: www.austinparks.org
It is listed under coming "Volunteer Opportunities."
We hope to have the media present to publicize the event. The West Austin News is working on a story now. We plan to have t-shirts to pass out to volunteers as a token of our appreciation for their assistance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 477-0737 or Charlie McCabe, The Executive Director of the Parks Foundation, or Rosie Weaver, the Foundation's volunteer coordinator, at 477-1566.
We would sincerely appreciate any help you can provide on February 21st and in the future. Pease Park is in need of a lot of work that might fit in well with individual Eagle Scout projects such as erosion control, groundcover/ soil restoration, gardening projects, invasives (non-native plant) removal and irrigation. We would welcome any interest in this regard and could put you in touch with the relevant Parks Dept. officials to coordinate with on such Eagle projects.
I am sorry for the length of this e-mail. But, as you can tell, we are very enthusiastic about "Trees for Pease" and hope you all will be too. Again, many thanks for your consideration and for all you do with scouting in Austin.
Sincerely,
Richard Craig
1419 Preston Ave.
Austin, Texas 78703
477-0737 (home)
925-5306 (cell)
My name is Richard Craig and I am a volunteer with the Austin Parks Foundation. I am heading up an effort to plant 100 trees in Pease Park (along with the Austin Parks Dept. and Old Enfield Neighborhood) on Saturday, February 21, 2009. We would like to respectfully request the help of the Boy Scouts of Troop 9, Troop 5 and Troop 399 in this very big project.
Sunne and Jeff Wiginton were kind enough to share e-mail addresses with me. Please forgive this impersonal means of requesting your troops' assistance.
Here is some information on the tree planting project itself:
The City's Urban Forestry personnel at PARD will dig the holes for these trees by mechanical means prior to the Feb. 21st planting date. Volunteers will simply need to get the trees out of their containers, plant them in the pre-dug holes at the correct depth, backfill the hole with existing soil and organic amendments, mulch the surface around the tree and water them in well.
The trees will be 15 gallons or larger and at least six or seven feet tall. There will be a variety of species, from larger shade trees to smaller spring flowering ornamentals. They will be placed according to a plan developed by a landscape architect working with the Foundation and the City's Urban Forester, Walter Passmore. Each tree will be attached to a bubbler hose running off of a one inch irrigation line and timer to ensure that they have adequate watering to survive their first several years.
The huge number of trees to be planted in one day makes this a very challenging project. We believe we will have a number of volunteers from the neighborhood and other interested stakeholders. But, few groups can offer the manpower and enthusiasm that the Boy Scouts of America can. Therefore, it seemed natural to turn to your three nearby Troops, the future citizens of Austin and custodians of Pease, for help.
Pease Park is in very bad shape, having lost 40 trees in the severe wind and hail storm of May 15, 2008. This was just the latest blow to a park that has been steadily been losing its tree canopy for years as the existing old cedar elms die. New trees have not been planted at a rate to arrest this creeping de-forestation. The Austin Parks Foundation and the City hope to plant an additional 300 trees over the next several years in a campaign we have called "Trees for Pease." This year's planting is just the first phase.
I have attached an article on Pease Park that has appeared in several neighborhood association newsletters and a fundraising letter we have used to provide you more information on the park and the project.
You can also learn more about the "Trees for Pease" campaign on the Austin Parks Foundation's website: www.austinparks.org
It is listed under coming "Volunteer Opportunities."
We hope to have the media present to publicize the event. The West Austin News is working on a story now. We plan to have t-shirts to pass out to volunteers as a token of our appreciation for their assistance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 477-0737 or Charlie McCabe, The Executive Director of the Parks Foundation, or Rosie Weaver, the Foundation's volunteer coordinator, at 477-1566.
We would sincerely appreciate any help you can provide on February 21st and in the future. Pease Park is in need of a lot of work that might fit in well with individual Eagle Scout projects such as erosion control, groundcover/ soil restoration, gardening projects, invasives (non-native plant) removal and irrigation. We would welcome any interest in this regard and could put you in touch with the relevant Parks Dept. officials to coordinate with on such Eagle projects.
I am sorry for the length of this e-mail. But, as you can tell, we are very enthusiastic about "Trees for Pease" and hope you all will be too. Again, many thanks for your consideration and for all you do with scouting in Austin.
Sincerely,
Richard Craig
1419 Preston Ave.
Austin, Texas 78703
477-0737 (home)
925-5306 (cell)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Black Eye for Boy Scouts
On December 26, 2008 J.T. Dabbs III, CEO of the Capital Area Council wrote a letter to the editor of the Austin American-Statesman concerning the conviction and sentencing of Martin Turner, a former Boy Scout leader, to five years in prison for molesting boys. Mr. Dabbs of the Boys Scouts wrote "I am truly sorry for the pain Turner caused his victims and their families and (I) will continue to work to strengthen and enforce Scouting policies. These policies provide several barriers to protect young people from abusers, including: "two-deep" leadership, no one-on-one contact, youth protection training for adults and parents, criminal background checks for all adult leaders plus teaching our youth members to "recognize, resist and report." We encourage all our parents to review youth protection guidelines and renew their vigilance against sexual predators."
Martin Turner, a trusted Scoutmaster, was able to ruin so many young men's lives because he was trusted by parents and the Boy Scout protection rules were not followed by his Troop. Not following the rules in this particular case, had severe consequences.
At Troop 399 we follow the rules. We require "two-deep" leadership at all times, and this means that we need four or more parents at most events. We do not allow one-on-one contact. We continue to ask all our parents to become registered Adult Volunteers and to take Youth Protection training. I have been nick-named "Danger Ranger" because I repeat these requirements at every meeting; my diligence is solely to ensure the safety of our Scouts. The consequences of slack rule following has been displayed here in our own hometown of Austin, in a Troop that is a "neighbor" troop. Martin Turner would not have been able take advantage of boys if his Troop had followed the Boy Scouts requirements. I encourage you to register and become educated on Scouting rules and please review and discuss these Youth Protection guidelines with your son so he can become better educated as well.
At the next parent meeting I will once again call for registration of Adult Volunteers and I will ask each parent to please take the time to go on-line and take the Youth Protection training course. Please contact Leslie Benitez if you are able to serve in the capacity of our Adult Volunteer Coordinator to facilitate training for T399 parents.
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Martin Turner, a trusted Scoutmaster, was able to ruin so many young men's lives because he was trusted by parents and the Boy Scout protection rules were not followed by his Troop. Not following the rules in this particular case, had severe consequences.
At Troop 399 we follow the rules. We require "two-deep" leadership at all times, and this means that we need four or more parents at most events. We do not allow one-on-one contact. We continue to ask all our parents to become registered Adult Volunteers and to take Youth Protection training. I have been nick-named "Danger Ranger" because I repeat these requirements at every meeting; my diligence is solely to ensure the safety of our Scouts. The consequences of slack rule following has been displayed here in our own hometown of Austin, in a Troop that is a "neighbor" troop. Martin Turner would not have been able take advantage of boys if his Troop had followed the Boy Scouts requirements. I encourage you to register and become educated on Scouting rules and please review and discuss these Youth Protection guidelines with your son so he can become better educated as well.
At the next parent meeting I will once again call for registration of Adult Volunteers and I will ask each parent to please take the time to go on-line and take the Youth Protection training course. Please contact Leslie Benitez if you are able to serve in the capacity of our Adult Volunteer Coordinator to facilitate training for T399 parents.
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Weather Hazard Trained adults required for all campouts
Starting on January 1st, 2009, each unit Tour Permit submitted to the Council will require the inclusion of the name of at least one adult who is trained and current in the new “Weather Hazard” Training program. All leaders and youth thirteen years of age or older are encouraged to take the online course. The course is presented in a multimedia format with many interactive features. Planning for weather and the sources of weather information available is a large part of the presentation. Many topics are discussed including: lightning, thunderstorms, hail, cold and hot weather, floods, tornados, wind and hurricanes. Of the top causes for injuries nationwide, lightning continues to hurt our Scouts.
ps. Happy New Year!
ps. Happy New Year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)