Lake Agassiz District HiLites

Lake Agassiz District Leadership

District Chairman           Lonny Schweitzer  (701) 775-6259
District Commissioner    Bill Vacek            (701) 780-8830
District Director              Myron Barnes      (701) 775-3189

Local Calendar Events and Meeting

January 2010

01     New Years Day -- Office Closed
07     District Meeting and Commissioners Meeting,  6:00 PM,   Holy Family Catholic Church, Grand Forks, ND
12     Devils Lake Roundtable and Popcorn Kick-off, (Change of date due to New Years Day),   7:00 PM, St. Olaf's
         Lutheran Church, Devils Lake, ND
14     Grand Forks Roundtable,   7:00 PM, Holy Family Catholic Church, Grand Forks, ND
21     Friends of Scouting Kick-off

Febuary 2010

02     District and Commissioners Meeting,   6:00 PM,   Holy Family Catholic Church, Grand Forks, ND
04     Devils Lake Roundtable,   7:00 PM, St. Olaf's Lutheran Church
05-07   Glenwood, Minnesota Scout Fishing Derby
07     Scout Sunday and Scout Week begins
08     Scouting Anniversary Day
11     Grand Forks Roundtable,   7:00 PM, Holy Family Catholic Church, Grand Forks, ND
15     Presidents Day (Office Closed)
28     Scouter of the Year-District Award of Merit Nominations due.

Lake Agassiz District News

JANUARY ROUNDTABLE

Cub Scouts and their leaders will also prepare for the Blue and Gold Banquet to celebrate the 100 TH Birthday of Scouting. Come to the January Roundtable and get Blue and Gold ideas for your Pack. Roundtables are for all Cub Scout Leaders. The theme for February is Happy Birthday BSA. It is time to celebrate with a big birthday bash: the Boy Scouts of America is 100 years old this year. Learn the history of how Scouting came to the United States. Find out about those who given us this great Scouting legacy, such as Daniel Carter Beard, James E. West, Ernest Thompson Seton, Waite Phillips, and W. D. Boyce. Have a birthday cake at your Blue and Gold. Invite your pastor or pastors of your community and their families, past and current Eagle Scouts, past scout leaders, grandparents, principals and superintendants of your school, mayor etc. Make your Blue and Gold the best.

The Boy Scout Roundtable will be the Life to Eagle process and Board of Reviews. All Life Scouts about to be Life Scouts and their leaders and parents are encouraged to attend this informational meeting. Every time we have a problem with a boy working on his Eagle we find they haven’t attended this important meeting. We will also be discussing the Troop involvement in the Cub Scout Blue and Gold, and 100th Anniversary of the BSA.

FAMILY FRIENDS OF SCOUTING
(Call the Grand Forks Office now with your Family Friends of Scouting Dates 775-3189)

Family Friends of Scouting gives every family the opportunity to give to the Northern Lights Council, Boy Scouts of America. The $15.00 registration fees that boys and adults pay each years goes directly to the National Boy Scouts of America. The $15.00 registration fee allows all boys to belong to Scouting. The Council through its annual Friends of Scouting Drive, at Blue and Gold Dinners, Troops Courts of Honors gives parents the opportunity to give to the Scouting program based on what they can afford. Every unit that participates and achieves Centennial Quality Unit and gets their Charter in on time gets free rank advancement through the Council. Scouting has the same expenses as your church or a business. Someone has to answer phones, fill awards, turn on office lights, maintain Scout Camps, pay the electric bill, heating bill, help youth that can’t afford to join the Scouting program. The list could go on and on. The Scouting program in the Northern Lights Council costs the council about a $160 per boy per year to deliver the Scouting Program to you. Call us now and give us your Friends of Scouting date 775-3189.

ARROW OF LIGHT AWARDS

This is just a reminder that to get an Arrow of Light Award through the Grand Forks Office, you must turn in a filled out Boy Scout application for each boy in with the advancement report. One of the requirements for a Webelos Scout to receive the Arrow of Light Award is to visit a troop, plus fill out a Boy Scout application if he intends to join or not.

Scout Sunday- A scout is reverent Duty to God

Scout Sunday is Sunday, February 7, 2010. This is a great opportunity to help boys do their Duty to God. All scouts should attend church in uniform, and every Pack, Troop, or Venture Crew chartered by a church should be part of the church service this Sunday. Scouts can be part of the church service, hand out programs, collect the offerings, do the readings, usher, etc. Contact your church and minister now and ask how you can help scouts observe Scout Sunday. This is a great time to present your church with their charter.

DISTRICT AWARD OF MERIT

The District Award of Merit is the highest award a volunteer can receive on the District Level. The Lake Agassiz District can present four of these special awards. Come to the January and February Roundtables and get an application for that special volunteer that spends countless hours serving the youth of our communities. This is a great way to recognize that outstanding volunteer for their many years of serving their community and youth. Nominations are due in the Grand Forks Scout Office by February 26, 2010

SCOUTER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

This award is given to Scouters who have given exceptional service to Scouting this past year. The Applications will be January and Februarys roundtables. Please take the time to nominate that outstand scouter who helps you the most. Nominations are due in the Grand Forks Scout Office by February 26, 2010.

POPCORN SALES (Thanks for the great Popcorn Sales this year)

Pop Corn Chairman Teresa Letexier thanks the Scouts, leaders, and parents for making this years sales successful. This year we sold a little less popcorn mainly because of the flu, colder weather, and economy. The profits units made from their popcorn should go a long way in providing a quality program to the boys and their families. Remember to do something special to thank the boys for their efforts in selling popcorn. Teresa also thanks Alpha Phi Omega and other Scouting volunteers in helping with the distribution and sale of popcorn.

Shooting Merit Badge

Tom Reiten with the Grand Forks Gun Club is willing to teach the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge. Please call Tom Reiten 775-0008 for more information.

Start a Venturing Crew in your church or community

Venturing is a great program to serve young men and women 14-20 years of age. It is a great supplement to a churches youth ministries program, by providing high adventure activities, religious activities, horse back riding, canoeing, hiking, camping, sailing, scuba diving, downhill sking, snow shoeing etc. the list goes on. Venturing is youth driven, not adult driven. The youth plan their meetings, programs, and activities, and the adult advisors trains them in leadership and help them reach their goals. Young adults strive for social activities with their peers. By being an adult advisor to a Venturing Crew you can go on activities with your teenage son or daughter, and help them and their friends develop values that will last a lifetime. Type in Venture Crews in your search engine and see what other Venture Crews are doing. You will be amazed.

Lake Agassiz District and Voyageur,s Trails District Silver Beaver Colony

The last newsletter I made a mistake about who hosted the Silver Beaver Colony corn feed. Bill and Sue Vacek were this years host for the Silver Beaver Colony, which they had on their patio on their front lawn. The corn and ribs were great. This year the Silver Beaver Colony decided to contribute a power point projecter to help the two districts conduct training sessions since most of the training is done with power point, the internet, and DVD’s etc. The Lake Agassiz District and Voyageur Trails District thanks the Silver Beavers for their contribution.

WHAT YOUR PACK, TROOP, AND VENTURE CREW SHOULD BE PLANNING FOR?

CUB SCOUT PACKS

PUT FAMILY FRIENDS OF SCOUTING PRESENTATION ON YOUR BLUE AND GOLD DINNER PROGRAM
GRADUATE YOUR FIFTH GRADE WEBELOS INTO BOY SCOUTS IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY
PUT UP WINDOW DISPLAY ON SCOUTING IN A BUSINESS IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR SCHOOL
ATTEND THE JANUARY ROUNDTABLE
THINK SCOUT SHOW AND CANDY SALES IN FEBRUARY
NOMINATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR PACK FOR DISTRICT AWARD OF MERIT OR SCOUTER OF THE YEAR AWARDS.
PLAN YOUR BLUE AND GOLD BANQUET FOR FEBRUARY

BOY SCOUT TROOPS

HAVE ORDER OF THE ARROW ELECTIONS, INVITE WEBELOS AND HAVE ORDER OF ARROW MEMBERS CONDUCT A CAMP PROMOTION BEFORE THE ELECTIONS>
CONTACT LOCAL CUB PACKS AND PLAN A WEBELOS GRADUATION IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY.
PUT FAMILY FRIENDS OF SCOUTING ON YOUR TROOPS COURT OF HONOR IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY, OR MARCH.
TALK TO FIFTH GRADE BOYS IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND INVITE THEM TO JOIN SCOUTS>
NOMINATE ONE OF YOUR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE DISTRICT AWARD OF MERIT OR SCOUTER OF THE YEAR AWARD.

Candy sales Kick-off is at the February Roundtable, start recruiting your Candy Sales Chairperson now. This is a great way to earn your way to Day Camp and Boy Scout Camp, plus help support the Northern Lights Council programs. Candy sales and Popcorn sales help keep the cost of our camps down. So we need your support to deliver a great, fun filled program for your boys.

District Annual Meeting and Election Announcement

Lonnie Schweitzer District Chairman announces that the Annual Business Meeting and Election of Members for the Lake Agassiz District is set for February 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. Holy Family Catholic Church. If you want to nominate someone to be considered for a district position your can contact Lonny Schweitzer. Charter organization Representatives, Executive Board Members, and District Members at Large are eligible to vote and welcome to attend the meeting.

To: Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, and Committee Chairman

Subject: Family Friends of Scouting Presentation Date

Our 2009 Family Friends of Scouting Drive is fast approaching. Family Friends of Scouting gives every family the opportunity to give to the Scouting Program, to support the Northern Lights Council. We have the same bills that your church and schools have, including camps etc., newsletters, Day Camps plus a whole lot more. The Family Friends of Scouting Drive is done at a Cub Scout Pack’s Blue and Gold Dinner or Troop Court of Honor sometime between now and the end of March. By conducting a Family Friends of Scouting drive in your unit and achieving quality unit status your unit will receive free cloth rank advancements. Please fill out the form below and send it to the Grand Forks Scout Office before January 16, 2009 and let us know when your Blue and Gold Dinner or Court of Honor is. We will send a storyteller to do your Friends of Scouting Presentation. For more information of Friends of Scouting please contact Myron Barnes at the Grand Forks Scout Office 775-3189.

Unit Number_________ Pack Troop Venture (Please circle one)
Date of Blue and Gold or Court of Honor ______________
Time of Blue and Gold or Court of Honor______________
Place of Blue and Gold or Court of Honor__________________________
Contact Person name and phone number____________________________

Due by January 16, 2009
Mail to Grand Forks Scout Service Center
1701 Cherry St.
Grand Forks, North Dakota 58201

LAKE AGASSIZ DISTRICT, NLC