LPasn

I have a unique situation. At the end of each meeting, I move to my 2 meter rig and join the Monday night emergency net run by a local club. The boys and their dads hang around and ask questions. We have had great interest in the JOTA from the hams and the scouts. As a result, the SM and I have talked about learning Morse code as a project. This is also a good motivation for me to get my code and upgrade.

You would classify them as potential members of "...the elite paramilitary organization, Eagle Scouts." Remember Red Dawn? I would encourage anyone to get their passport. It is more useful than you think. I have used it when I have had to provide two forms of photo id. Eventhough I have never used it for travel outside the country, it has been handy.

We have always found that a good hike on Saturday afternoon will get the boys to bed early on Saturday. They love a night hike also.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and support. We had the Blue/Gold last Saturday. The CC and I talked Saturday about what needs to be done. Things got worse at the meeting this week. The WII DL has quit. The CM said everything was fine, that is what he wanted. The committee meeting is going to be delayed but it will be a hot topic next week. Attendance is extremely low. The CC has spoken out on the matter and has gotten some guidance from others. I trust him to make the right decisions. My son will graduate in May. When he crosses over to Boy Scouts, I will be the Assistant Scoutmaster who changes his scarf, ribbons and hat. I am not interested in staying with the pack as it is.

Thanks for the welcome, john daigler. Some things that I need to clarify. We collect Den Dues in the dens for den activities, supplies, etc. The pack is supported by revenue from popcorn sales. Special events like Blue-Gold are funded by ticket sales campouts are handled by fees assessed to those who attend. CM has a Webelos II so he and his wife are Webelos parents. The added DL has a son in Webelos II also. The problem has begun over the last three weeks. The committee meeting was held two weeks ago. None of the plans over dues collection was discussed at that meeting. Nothing was said about the new leader in the Webelos den. We had a Webelos campout two days after the committee meeting. Then at the next den meeting, the problems started. That was last week. This week my son complained about working with knots again. I have emailed the CC and asked about what is going on. He is new to his position but he is sharp and willing to do what it takes. His wife has been pressed into service as the PT. I am sure that they are trying to get a handle on what is going on also. I have never seen a Unit Commissioner or District Commissioner at one of our meetings. When we were down to fewer than twenty boys they did not come to a meeting. The attendance is good but the little petty fighting is starting to distract from why we are there. Some of this is happening in front of the parents. A lot is happening in front of the boys. I am trying to get a solution that the committee can handle and keep going for years. I have only a few months left but the boys need a strong pack next year and for years after that.

Knotty Fox, that sounds like a good idea. I think I can use that also.

I am an assistant cubmaster at a pack. My son is a Weblos II. This year was a rough start for the pack. There was a split with the founding leaders of the pack last year. They did everything they could to drain the resources of the pack. They even went as far as announcing that the pack was "folding" at the graduation last year. They told the cubmaster that he could not run the pack without them. We started this year with less than twenty boys and less that $500 in the bank. We have over ninety enrolled now. The pack is on a solid financial base. Attendance is about forty regulars and another twenty or so attend at least once a month. We are on a roll. Suddenly the cubmaster wants the den leaders to turn in a report of den dues paid each week and then turn in the dues. If the DL buys something for a meeting (supplies, etc.) they are to bring in a receipt and get reimbursed from the dues for their den. This was not discussed with the committee, it was the decision of the CM and his wife. Now the CM has recruited an additional den leader for the Weblos II. The boys are getting ready for graduation and are working to finish the Arrow of Light. The additional den leader is working on knot tying with no regard for the requirements of the boys. The old den leader keeps trying to get the den back on schedule for their awards but the new den leader has his own plan. The CM seems to be backing the new den leader that he selected. Now it seems that the CM had a project planned for the den dues and the money is not there. I know that the den leaders pooled their dues to get the CM a plaque in appreciation of the work he did this year. The plaque is to be awarded at our Blue-Gold in a couple of weeks. Tonight, I was told the CM is refusing to award an Artist pin to a Weblos who has not earned his Weblos patch. I am at a loss to explain what is happening to the pack. We are in great shape for a pack that is dying. I think that I have the answers to these questions already but I want to be sure. Can the CM require the den leaders to run their dens as he dictates? Can the den have two leaders? Who determines who is the den leader? What about the Artist pin? Is it only awarded when the boy has earned his Weblos patch? I realize that I should be contacting the DE but he is so new that I have not met him. I also realize that someone is going to be hurt no matter what happens. So what would you do?

"Or am i just expecting to much out of scouting?" Scouting can deliver whatever you put into it. You may be expecting more of the "leaders" than they will give.

Take heart! We had the same situation in our pack several years ago. Dad became Cubmaster then den leader, Mom became den leader, Step-Dad became Committee Chair. The oldest son is now a scout and doing well. The second son is one of twelve Weblos I, Dad is his den leader. Next year he will be with Mom. She is leading the fourteen Weblos II den. If they do not settle this in private, settle it for them by asking that they all step aside for the good of the pack.