JaRae876

I am so sorry sctmom about all that happened this past weekend. I will keep all of you, the boys, the families and the boy who died family in my prayers. JaRae

Hi everyone, Ok I am new year just signed up today for the Scouter Network, but I was looking for ideas on what to do next year for my son's pack. I was on the committee this past year and next year going to be or maybe I already am an Asst. Webelos leader. However this string was so interesting that I have read thru every post and just wanted to add my two cents. Personally I believe that we as a society have come down to "protecting" everyone's feelings against this and that. Yes the BSA program is to teach our boys how to be many things and to be understanding and compassionate is one of those things. However I also believe that they need to be able to laugh at themselves as well. To give you an example on how we all see things differently, I have a disability that makes me fall quite often (more when camping). When I fall I laugh for I usually fall over the dumbest things. Now should I call it harassment or hazing when the cubs and/or parents are concerned over my fall because it puts me on the spot? That is basically what we are talking about is people (adults and kids alike) being put on the spot in front of friends and such. It sounds like to me that there is a common ground here among everyone that we need to treat the kids as people and understand their faults and strengths. It seems to me that the kids who are just too embarrassed to sing to get something back there is another way to do it. It doesn't sound like there is anyone who is support of singing (myself included) saying that every single kid regardless of their feelings must sing. It seems to me that the alt. ways of getting the lost items back can be looked as harassing or hazing it just depends on your point of view. Getting up to claim your forgotten/misplaced/lost items at a troop meeting seems to be just as bad as singing but yet it is not looked from that point of view. That is just a point of view. Having to be singled out to speak with the Scoutmaster can also be viewed as harassing or hazing; again the scout is being singled out. And then there is the, the scout that found the property of so and so getting the praise, just this time two scouts are being singled out. Is there anyway that the kid could get his stuff back with out being singled out, I cant think of any way. I mean if a kid lost something and another Scouter found it and merely gave it back with nothing more, is it a fair assumption that it will be end of that? I doubt it for kids are just as likely to talk about it behind the other Scouters back after all so and so just lost this or that again. Now what is more demeaning to a kid having a bit of fun publicly or doing something to get an item back or being talked about, behind their back. I guess what I am trying to say here is that this seems to be a point of view that they will be people who look at this as a big NO NO and some people who look at this as well what is wrong with it. Nothing in life is black and white just colors of gray and in my opinion this a multi color gray subject. Sorry for the long post JaRae Pack 37

Hi, I have been active in my son's pack for a year now although he has been there two years. The first year there were no show and sell dates (going to stores and selling popcorn) and no door to door selling. The pack didn't do well with nearly 30% of the boys selling. However this past year we did the show and sells as well as door to door. We tripled just about our sells with less than 15% of the boys selling. Believe it or not three boys did the door to door selling and they together earned over 800$ in two weekends. The money raised in popcorn goes for the pack. Around the holidays we have a baked good auction. The kids bake the goodies and then they get to bid on them (of course with the parents permission). Last year we had nearly 20 goodies and made over 350$. Nothing went under 10$ and I believe one went for nearly 65$. Then around Jan-March we sell candy. The boys are not allowed to wear their Class A uniforms in selling the products as it is against the rules however they do were their camp shirts from day camp or their pack shirts. The money profit from the candy goes into an boys account to be used for camp. However if the money is not used for camp then the pack keeps the money for pack activities. Again with the candy there are show and sells as well as door to door selling and all have gone well. The best show and sell that we had with the candy was Superbowl Sunday. Got more in donations from people than them buying the candy. When ever we do the door to door selling it is in the 2-deep leadership. JaRae Pack 37

Hi ScoutParent, I would like to know more about the Safety Break that you mentioned. Could you please give me some more details for that seems interesting. You see this year we could not do out annual car wash due to water restrictions. Some of the fundraiser that we do as a pack is with the pinewood derby the parents and siblings can enter as well at 5$ per car. Also we do a bake sell and last year with about 20 baked good we brought in nearly 350$. Nothing sold under 10 and one went up to 65. The kids baked them and the kids bid on them with the parents permission. My two bits JaRae Pack 37

Hi I have been active in my sons pack this year when I dediced to create a web site for the pack. I started out as a committee member and now an Asst. Webelos Leader. We have quietly asked for help from parents all this past year but nothing came from it. However at the May pack meeting we decided to put it frankly to the parents that without the help there wasn't going to be much of a pack at all next year and just not enough dens for all the boys if the parents didn't step up to the bat. When we put it that way that without there help their boys more in likely wouldn't have a place to go to next year we had several parents step up to the plate that evening. I mean we need a Tiger, 2 Wolf Leaders and a Bear Leader as well as there were 5 committee postitions that needed to be filled as well as the asst. leaders to the above dens mentioned. We now have over half of those postitions filled firmly and the other half almost there. It seemed when it comes down to it I guess it depends where you are in the need of volunteers on how to go. As a pack we couldn't ask nicely anymore we had to put it out there as it was. Hope this helps JaRae876 Pack 37