Idaho-SM

We just returned from summer camp at Camp Meriwether, on the Oregon coast. We took two boys who had never seen the ocean. Most of our boys went with the usual goal of trying to earn 5-6 merit badges. At the end of the week, our scouts averaged only 2 merit badges per scout. There were too many things going on. And that was a good thing. All of our boys spent a lot of time on the beach, building sand castles, burying each other, etc. They also visited the other program areas, such as Black Powder, Frontiersman, and the Campcraft area. These boys had much more fun this year, than they did last year, when they averaged almost 5 merit badges per Scout. The point to remember is that if the Scouts earn a lot of badges, but did not take time to enjoy the experience, they will not be coming back many more times. Those boys who enjoy the experiences will remember those days fondly, and will make every effort to return, year after year.

We, like so many others, have not had good success at selling popcorn. It seems that the "value" is not as good as other types of popcorn we can buy in the stores, and they're much cheaper. We always sell Christmas wreaths in November, and that one fundraiser fuels our whole program. Most of the money goes into the boys' individual accounts to pay for summer camp, or weekend camps. This fundraiser is usually by word of mouth, and most of our boys do not have to go door-to-door to sell the wreaths. After a few years, we now have people call us, wanting to know when the wreaths will be offered. Our boys save their order forms from previous years, and simply contact the customers on their list. Nearly all buy, and some refer others who want to buy one too. This has been by far our most successful fundraiser.