Golden Eagle District
Crossroads of America Council
Boy Scouts of America

 

GOLDEN EAGLE DISTRICT

( DELAWARE , HENRY, & RANDOLPH COUNTIES )

CROSSROADS OF AMERICA COUNCIL

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

 

APRIL – MAY 2007

VOLUME XIV No. 2

 

 

 

 

 

DATES & PLACES:

April 2007

1 –       OA Chapter Meeting

6 –       Good Friday, Scout Offices and Shops Closed

7 –       Cub District Pinewood Derby at Muncie Field House, check-in begins at 8:30am

8 –       Happy Easter!

10 –     District Committee Meeting at Muncie CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LDS, 7pm

12 –     District Commissioner Meeting at First Presbyterian Church Riverside & New York , Muncie , 6:30pm

12 –     Cub Scout Roundtable at First Presbyterian Church Riverside & New York , Muncie , 7pm

12 –     Boy Scout Roundtable at First Presbyterian Church Riverside & New York , Muncie , 7pm

12 –     Ideal Year of Scouting Training at First Presbyterian Church Riverside & New York , Muncie , 7pm

13 –     Cub Scout and Webelos Scout Early Bird Summer Camp Due !

14 –     Circuit of Fun Day at Indiana State Museum and IMAX

17 –     Council Coordinated at Camp Belzer , 6 pm

21 –     Do-It-To-It Day at Camp Red Wing, 9 – 4 Lunch by Firecrafter

26 –     FOS Report

 

May 2007

1 –       2008 Boy Scout Summer Camp Reservations Begin

4 –       Boy Scout Summer Camp Early Bird Due!

4-6 –   GE Spring Camporee

The Red Zone: Target Boy Scouts

Webelos to Scout

Campmaster Karen Goth

  Camp Red Wing

5 –       Firecrafter Meeting

5 –       BALOO Training at Camp Red Wing

6 –       OA Chapter Meeting

8 –       District Committee Meeting at Muncie CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LDS, 7pm

10 –     District Commissioner Meeting at CAMP RED WING , 6:30pm

10 –     Cub Scout Roundtable at CAMP RED WING , 7pm

10 –     Boy Scout Roundtable at CAMP RED WING  , 7pm

12            EAGLE’s QUILL Newsletter articles.       Send to:  M. Dowd, E-mail:  eaglesquill@comcast.net

13 –         Happy Mother’s Day!

23 –     FOS Report in Indianapolis

26 –     Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade

27 –     Indianapolis 500

28 –     Memorial Day, Offices Closed. Thanks so much to our veterans!

 

Boy Scout Roundtables

April 12                      TBD                                                                                                                       First Aid

May 10                       Summer Kickoff at Camp Redwing              District Staff                                      NEW                              Boy Scouts Auction!

 

Welcome to the following people for joining the District Committee!

Golden Eagle District Training Chair:                           Bobby Roberts

Golden Eagle District Boy Scout Camping Chair:         Travis Stephens

Golden Eagle District Boy Scout Recruiting Chair:      Gary Bolderson

Golden Eagle District Family FOS Chair:                       Cheryl Brewer

 


 

ACTIVITIES AND CIVIC SERVICE CHAIR Mike Dowd

See you at:

GOLDEN EAGLE DISTRICT SPRING CAMPOREE 2007

WEBELOS TRANSITION

May 4 - 6, 2007

Camp Red Wing

The Red Zone: Target Boy Scouts

                                                                                               

Spring Camporee for 2007 is to be a Webelos to Scout transition geared camporee.  The Red Zone will be a game of sorts, with different stations being gaming areas, points to be earned at each, some consisting of scout skills while a few will be fun real game type stations.  Cub Packs (Webelos especially) will be camped/assigned with troops and make up patrols.  Patrol names will be given to each and materials to create a patrol flag, resources for patrol yells and marching cadences.  Extra points may be earned by making a flag, yell, cadence, entryway, showing scout spirit, and by participating in all patrol meetings and the campfire.  A prize will be given to the troop and pack with the highest number of points.

The campfire program will consist of songs and skits, a flag retirement, and finally a district-wide crossover ceremony.  My goal is for this to be one that leaves a deep impression on both the scouts (old and young) and their parents.  Packs and Troops (Cubmasters and Scoutmasters) will all need to participate in order for this to work as it should, so entire district level involvement will be necessary.  I want input from both packs and troops as to things they would like to see in this camporee – if we make it what “they” want, “they” might be more likely to attend.  AND we can make every effort to keep our cubs in scouting.

Crossover vision:  crossover should be done at the wooden bridge that is on the scout trail at camp redwing and before the campfire.  This should provide enough sunlight so as to be visible but dark and quiet enough to merit the solemnity of the occasion.  We should have United States , State, Troop and Pack flags posted along the bridge for the boys to walk through, with appropriate troops accepting them at the far end.  There should be enough room for the boys to be escorted by their parents and cubmaster/den leader up to the bridge.  I think that the scout handshake is sufficient for acceptance in this venue.  If they have other items normally given to boys they should plan to do that afterwards in their camp sites or at the first troop meeting.  I would like for the Order of the Arrow to do an exceptional crossover ceremony for this, perhaps prior to the actual crossing.  It may also be appropriate for Firecrafter to have a mini fire-trail set up along the walk to the bridge as well.  We are wanting to show these boys and their parents that scouting has far reaching vision, and there is much to do and explore.

 

FRIDAY                 5:00 – 8:00               Registration/Check In/Set Up

Karen Goth , Golden Eagle District Commissioner, Campmaster


DISTRICT COMMISSIONER Karen Goth

Where are you going this summer?

You have all registered to attend the summer camp of your choice, right?  What?  You just haven’t gotten to the Scout Shop yet to do that?  Well, there is still time.  The important thing is that you go.  Boys join scouting for the outdoor experience, and that is also the reason they stay in scouting.  Summer camps provide opportunities that may be hard to find elsewhere, besides the fact that they are just plain fun.  Day Camp at Camp Redwing has program for Cubs of all ranks and is in our own backyard.  You can’t go that week?  How about attending day camp at Camp Kikthawenund in July, which is right next door in Sakima District.  Or if that doesn’t fit the bill either, day camp is conducted at Camp Bear Creek near Connersville during a different week and at Camp Belzer in Indianapolis all summer long.  Webelos can attend a day camp or go to Webelos Adventure Camp at Camp Kikthawenund for a Webelos specific camp experience (leaders – ask about adult leader training while you are at Webelos Adventure Camp with your dens this year).  Boy Scouts have their choice of council camps at Camp Ransburg near Bloomington or at Camp Krietenstein near Terre Haute .  Or go out of council.  You may also have planned a high adventure trip this summer instead of attending a resident camp.  Irregardless of where you have your summer outdoor experience, please make sure that the Scout Office knows of your plans.  We want to have 100% of our units participating in a summer camp experience of some kind. 

What does it take to make Quality Unit?  While turning in a Quality Commitment Sheet is a requirement for all units, achieving Quality status is simply doing those things that we do routinely without realizing that we can be recognized for our efforts.  We strive to make our units better by retaining boys, recruiting new youth and new adults, having a summer outdoor experience, conducting annual unit planning, participating in Friends of Scouting and council fundraising efforts, and by completing your Recharter on time.  Most of us do all this without thinking that it affects Quality status.  Filling out your Quality Unit commitment is usually just a matter of putting your plans on paper.  Use it as a tool to look at your unit strengths and weaknesses and to help build your pack, troop, crew, team, or post.  We will always be happy to help if needed.

ROUNDTABLE in May (May 9th, 7:00pm ) is our summer kick off and is held at Camp Redwing .  Food and fun for all – DON’T MISS IT!

Karen Goth

Golden Eagle District Commissioner

kgoth@iquest.net

765-282-4759

 

DISTRICT EXECUTIVE Megan Luecke

It’s that time of year again! The annual Friends of Scouting Campaign! The Family portion of the campaign plays a very vital part in the overall success of the campaign, and keeps Scouting alive and well in Golden Eagle! If your unit has not been visited by a Friends of Scouting worker, please contact Megan Luecke at the office at 765-288-0223. Thank you to those units who have participated!

 

-         

The Wahpekahmekunk Chapter of the Order of the Arrow is gearing up for the Spring Ordeal May 11-13 at Camp Red Wing.  Troop elections are done and the newly elected candidates need to attend their Ordeal either this spring at Camp Red Wing or this fall at Camp Ransburg , October 19-21.  Candidates should receive a letter in the mail explaining what they need to bring.  Arrowmen who have been members for 10 months are eligible to tie their OA bond by fulfilling their Brotherhood requirements listed in the OA Handbook. All current OA  members are encouraged to attend this spring to do service at Camp  Red Wing and help on registration, set up, ceremony teams, cook crew,  and brotherhood conversion.  If there are any questions, please contact me at 765-288-9051 or jefischer@iquest.net.  

Cheerfully,  

Jon Fischer, Chapter Advisor.

 

PUBLIC RELATION Tim Underhill

As the new public relations chair for the district I am working to get the scouting story out to the public. One of the most effective ways is to use news coverage. While I can’t put stories in the paper or broadcast them on radio and television, I can work with reporters to help them identify stories.

I learned long ago how most journalists determine what stories to cover.

It can be summarized in three words, relevance, usefulness and interest. A reporter weighs story ideas against these guidelines to judge the news value of any event, issue or personality.

Within those guidelines are important elements of a news story.  The six most important are: impact, conflict, novelty, prominence, proximity and timeliness.

It’s kind of like when we tell the boys to “run it by the twelve,” reminding them that the Scout Law can help them decide what to do in difficult situations. If you think you have a newsworthy idea, check it against these six elements of a news story:

Impact; How many people are affected by an event? The more impact, the better.

Conflict; Every good story has conflict and the best have resolution to the conflict. Ideally for our purposes, it’s a Scout or scouting program that helps to resolve the conflict.

Novelty; It’s my favorite and an easy sell, especially to radio and television. The unusual or oddity can make for a fun feature and most reporters enjoy quirky stories.

Prominence; The rich and famous somehow capture the attention of the general public. It even brought a Hollywood crew and stars to Muncie recently for the show, “Armed & Famous.”  If we have a notable person working with or visiting our scouts, that might attract a reporter as well.

Proximity; Typically people are more interested in events close to home. Reporters like to cover stories in their own back yard too.

Timeliness; News is just that, new and timely. We need to know about an event before it happens so we can entice coverage when it takes place. A picture is worth a thousand words so it’s a big win if we can get a photographer on the scene.

So when your troop, crew or post has something newsworthy, let me know. I can pitch the idea to a journalist and we can spread the good news of the BSA to everyone.

Tim Underhill

tunderhill@bsu.edu

 

DISTRICT ADVANCEMENT Mike Bullock

Have you filled out an advancement report lately?  Advancement is vital for a boy to work his way to Eagle.  It’s a habit you should form when the boy enters the Tiger program.  Filling out the form is fast and easy.  Did you know that you can sit at the comfort of your own home and fill out the advancement report?  If you have internet access at home or the office, you can fill out the report.  The web site is https://scoutnet.scouting.org/iadv/UI/home/default.aspx    This person must have Internet connectivity and Microsoft Internet Explorer.   Obtain a unit ID code from the Scout Office.   Gather information for advancement, including merit badge applications and advancement records with dates.  Follow the instructions in Internet Advancement to process advancements and print an advancement report.   Have the appropriate people sign the printed unit advancement report and submit it to the Scout Office. Save a copy for your files.  Of course if you do not have internet access they still will accept the hand written reports.  Units should submit monthly before the end of each month, or more often if needed. In December, submit a report before the end of the month to update unit and council and district statistics.   

Advancing Scouting

Mike

SCOUTING IN THE EARLY DAYS

 

BE PREPARED – it’s the Boy Scout Motto!

 


Various groups have used Camp Red Wing over the years.  In this photo, taken in the early 1960’s, Girl Scouts from this area share their program with local Roman Catholic Nuns. In the background is the first Kiwanis Lodge that was finished in 1958.  An electrical fire gutted the building in 1974.  The current Kiwanis Lodge was built in 1976.

   

In this photo, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts gather to shuck corn for their evening meal.  This is the kitchen of the old Kiwanis Lodge. 

   

 Here the Sisters gather with local Police Officers and other Scouts and Scouters to view a movie relating to the program.  The location is in the basement of the old Kiwanis Lodge. This old lodge was located at the site of the current Camp Fire Ring.

   

 The Nuns were shown around Camp Red Wing in high style and being both courteous and kind; this Scouter makes it easy to get out of the jeep. 


 

CAMP RED WING COMMITTEE CHAIR Mike Dowd

The Spring Do-It To-It Workday is Saturday, April 21, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm .  Come and help us get the camp ready for the spring and summer programs.  We guarantee you will go home feeling tired and feeling very good that you helped make a difference at Camp Red Wing.  So make us part of your annual calendar.  The Fall Do-It To-It Workday is Saturday, October 13.