Troop 918 is sponsored by Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Our goal is to develop Godly young men of great character with a heart of service for others and knowledge and respect for the outdoors. ________________________________________________________________________________________
The Boy Scouts of America places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for its youth members. To maintain such an environment, the BSA has developed numerous procedural and leadership selection policies, and provides parents and leaders the following online and print resources for all scouting progams. For more information please visit: www.ocbsa.org/youth-protection/
This is just a reminder about the announcement I made at our last meeting.
This Sunday, June 26, we will be meeting in the MO2 parking lot from 9 am to 12 pm to clean/organize our troop patrol boxes.
There will be coffee, donuts and pizza for all volunteers.
In addition to helping our troop you would also get service hours which all scouts need. I would greatly appreciate anyone who is able to come and help, as this is part of my rank advancement.
Please email me if you have any questions regarding the project.
My mobile number is: (949) 599-6026, if you need to reach me.
We are on the calendar at the church to hold a Merit Badge day event on Saturday, July 16th.
We have asked ALL families to be available to help. For your planning, classes will end at 2 pm and we'll be cleaned up and done by 3 pm.
What is a Merit Badge Day?
Traditionally Scouts did merit badges in more of a one-to-one with a Merit Badge Counselor or perhaps a small group of their patrol together working with a counselor.
Sometimes a council would offer a Merit Badge Fair as an opportunity for Scouts to complete multiple merit badges in a single day. More recently (pre-covid), it became popular for Troops to host these events.
There are some rules, it's very important to maintain the integrity of the Merit Badge program so badges are not just given away just for attending and while these events are technically not "fundraisers", we are allowed to charge a registration fee, and yes, at the end of the day we do substantially assist the troop's finances.
Our council policy is that Scouts may take no more than 2 Merit Badges at a single event and the registration fee is set at $20. Classes are also kept to a max of 8 scouts per counselor so that quality can be maintained.
What do we need from you?
1.Review the information below and reply ASAP, sometime this weekend. 2.Reply by the end of this weekend to confirm your availability, express interest in a badge, update any information I have for you, etc
Merit Badges and Counselors
Below is a list of Merit Badges that we have offered in the past along with a few others that I've added based on what some of you have indicated you can or could do when we did our Troop Family Resource Survey.
Some of you already know I have your name in this spot, some of you may be surprised to see your name in the plan. The open spots are classes we have had but do not currently have a counselor available.
This year our Scouts decided to return to Camp Tahquitz in the hills near Big Bear for our annual week at Summer Camp.
This is the highlight event of the year as they stretch themselves and grow personally as well as in their scouting skills and rank!
We will leave for Camp the morning of Sunday, July 31st and return in the afternoon on Saturday, Aug 6th.
What will a Scout do at camp? Camp Tahquitz offers a great adventure program for all Scouts as well as an excellent advancement program for younger Scouts!
The program is varied, offering a wide range of outdoor activities - archery, rifle shooting, rowing, canoeing, climbing, rappelling, nature studies, horseback riding and camp craft, just to name a few.
How will Scouts grow at camp? In addition to all the fun Scouts will spend a week
Waking up on time (or close to it)
Managing their time... getting to their classes and from one class to the next
Following their own schedule of activities
Managing their own money without a lot of oversight… will there be money left for a soda at the trading post by the last few days???
Eat three meals a day sitting down with their friends
Say grace before each meal
Keep his tent reasonably clean… well this might be asking a lot :- )
Can a boy as young as 10 years old go off to camp for a week and return a mature young man? You’re dreaming!
We can’t promise that, but parents often note that their son has returned from a week at camp having noticeably grown up a bit!
“Summer camp is great because, not only is it a time to earn merit badges, but it is a nice way to bond with Scouts in the Troop. Earning merits badges and rank is easy sat summer camp because, you go to a class a few hours a day and at the end of the week, bam, you are done. Because of summer camp, I have many new friendships that I will always have throughout my whole scouting experience. That is why I love summer camp.” – Eagle Scout and past Senior Patrol Leader
“Where can you go to shoot guns, arrows, make a belt, do woodworking, climb a rope course, fish, sleep under the stars, hike, hang out with your patrol..... Summer Camp! For my time in scouting, it all comes together every year at summer camp. I see scouts working together in organizing their camp and schedules, building friendships, meeting and working with scouts from other Troops, competing between other Troops in games, and sharing in successes as they completed Merit Badges and rank requirements. As Scouts grow, we grow stronger as a Troop and as friends. I wouldn't miss this year's camp for anything.” – Dave Klein, Troop 918 Scoutmaster
Veteran Parents: You may have noticed that the information above is the same email that I sent out a year ago. That’s on purpose. Think back to you Scout’s experience. Did he have a GREAT time last year? I know he did and I bet he can’t wait to go back for more. Last year we had six Scouts and two adults invited to join the Tahqutiz Community Honor Scout organization that runs the camp. This is an honor that was not afforded to all Troops in attendance. We have two Scouts who have been invited to interview to work at the camp this summer. Who will be invited to this year? Will it be your Scout? Send em’ to camp and let’s find out.
New Parents: Sending your son off to their first Summer Camp for a week will raise a lot of questions, ranging from is this a good idea to how many socks will he need. We’ll get more information out as we draw closer, but please don’t hesitate to ask along the way. After four years of attending Summer Camps with the Troop, I can tell you that these boys are just the right age and by mid-summer they will have the skills they need to for this great experience.
RSVP for Summer Camp 2022 NOW
to reserve your place now with only a $100 deposit!
Commitment and initial deposit due by April 4th.
Additional payments of $130 due on 5/2, 5/30 and 6/27.
