cajuncody

I hear your suggestions loud and clear, keep them coming, this is great. So, we all agree that Twilight Camp sounds like something for over the hill campers. What should we call it then? Give me some fantastic names to choose from! Kristi

Wow! That is exactly the kind of advise that keeps me coming back for more. I didn't think about the email like that. Well, good thing I haven't sent it yet. Keep those ideas coming! Kristi

How could I sell my camp to you if you had been there before and really was not impressed. New leadership will only sell so much. What would it take to personally win YOU over? Kristi Email sent to other packs in my district today: Greetings to everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your summers. I am sending this email to all of you regarding next years Twilight Camp for our district. As most of you know I will be the Camp Director. As most of you also know our camp is not what it could be. With about 300 registered Cubs in our district we are looking at maybe having 30 attend camp this year. This says to me that there is a problem with our camp. I hope to rectify this problem with your help. First off we will have several positions that need to be filled to get an early start on camp planning for the upcoming year. I hope to fill the positions with leaders from other packs to help divirsify core staff members. If you would like to volunteer for one of the positions please let me know. Also, I would like get your feedback on past camps and suggestions for future camps to help rebuild our camp. Rebuilding our camp will not be an easy task as boys tend to remember past disappointments for a long time. Please email your replys to me and hopefully I will see you at camp.

Greetings, I am going to become the Camp Director for our District Twilight Camp next year. This camp is dying. Out of 300+ Cubs in the district there are only 20 registered to attend and the camp is next week. I will be working the camp this year as a volunteer. My question is to all of you, what can I do in the upcoming year to develop interest and increase numbers. I have planned on a blanket email to all Packs introducing myself and asking what they want to see in the camp and trying to bring about those changes. I have also visited a very well run and popular camp in another district and have some wonderful ideas from them to incorporate. I know that this camp is suffering because of past mistakes and poor leadership and I really need to work hard to turn this around. Have any of you done this before? Kristi

You have found the magic number. I also got my card immediatly. I asked at our Day camp why I did when others didn't and was shown the council print out. If you don't have your membership number when you take it online a printout is sent to your council where who ever is in charge of the charters and such has to match up your name and info with what is in the system to find your number. Then she can print you a card or in the case of our daycamp the print out was sent over and the "Queen of all things paper" had to match names with the list when verifying the course was taken. Simple answer, if you don't have your number call your council to get it before taking YPT online. It makes it easier all around. Kristi

There is a troop from the area of one of the other missing cars that is willing to make phone calls to try to locate the cars. I am going to call National back with this info today. I just wonder if they would want the help. Kristi

I have posted photos at www.photobucket.com of his car. Just type cajuncody in the search line and it will pull up photos of the car. Thanks for getting the word out on this. Kristi

The only info I have right now on who might have attended is that the cars were supposed to be brought in by the SE's. I really appreciate all of you asking for me. The Scout folks in Irving are trying to complile a list of who was there and send out email's to those that have email and snail mail to those that don't. I think that with all the divirsity on this forum that maybe you all are my best hope for speeding this up. I really hope that someone will find that maybe a box of cars has been overlooked somewhere because only my council or the museum folks should have had any right at all to our Council's car. The fact that neither of them have it is really sad. They showed the photo of the winning cars on the overhead at the breakfast so who ever took it new it was one of the winners. Still keeping hope Kristi

Carry a small bag of treasure (beads, coins, stars) and reward good behavior. I also award different things during the day such as anything off the wall (but still appropriate) that one of the campers would say that would make everyone laugh. Search the web for quick jokes that are theme related and use them as a pick me up for the boys (ie: this year we have Cubs of the Caribbian (sp) so I used "Why couldn't the cub scouts go to the pirate movie? It was rated ARRRGH!") Also make sure you know what is needed in the handbook as it can be used as a plan b in case of bad weather. Most inportantly, Have fun, if you are having fun and your son is having fun I would bet that the other boys are too. Kristi Camp Director

I was told that most every council was represented at the breakfast so if any of you could check with your council it would be a help to my son and the others. The really sad part is that my council has gotten my son a "LARGE" trophy for his accomplishment. He was so upset yesterday that they had me go ahead and tell him it was on the way. His response was "So What? My car is gone and nobody will ever get to see it." Now he knew from the start that his car wouldn't come back and it also seems that he knew the biggest reward in this was his car going to the museum. It is hard to think how the others with missing cars feel when I see him. We can't even just make another one (if you have seen the photos you know why) as it was a one of a kind not the quick wedge car that seems the preference to most. Please check with your council to help all of the cars be found. My thanks to all of you. Kristi

FScouter, Thanks for that tip, I hope that is what it means. It is hard to think too clearly with an upset cubby in the background expecting you to find his car somewhere in the US using only your good manners and typing skills. Fuzzy, I hope you understand my misunderstanding of your post. The whole situation is getting to me. Kristi

Gee Fuzzy, I am sorry to say that I am put off by your post. I surely hope you are not refering to my son who is only 8. If he is big dumb and silly for being upset that someone (an adult mind you) took his car that was supposed to be on display in the National Scout Museum (which he was very proud of and wanted to go see) then I am not really sure that you need to even respond. Please clarify your post for me so that I will know if my anger needs to be redirected. I thought Scouts were supposed to be Trustworthy. "RajunCajun"

Greetings all, I need your help. AS most of you know my son won best of design for the National Derby held at the annual meeting this past month. We took him to see his car in the museum and they have a spot for it to go on permanent display. However, someone from the breakfast held the day after took his car as the cars were being used for table displays. His car and about 24 other cars were taken even after it was announced that they were to go to the museum. The hope is that it was a simple miscommunication. My son is heartbroken and in tears. My family is upset. If anyone knows anyone who attended the breakfast could you please pass the word that cars are missing and if they know anyone who may have taken them could you please ask them to return them to the museum. I am attaching a copy of the email that I received from the museum regarding this below. I have already checked with my council and they do not have it. Please help. Kristi Cantor Mrs. Cantor: I received a message from (name removed for privacy) that you called to inquire about your son's winning Pinewood Derby car. I apologize that you stayed in the area to view the car. The museum did not receive the cars in time to display them that weekend. After the Pinewood Derby competition was over, the cars were used as table decorations at a Breakfast. The crowd was asked not to remove the cars and were told that they would be going to the museum following the breakfast. Apparently some people misunderstood and over 25 cars were taken. Your son's car was one of these. I have notified Jerry Dehoney of Cub Scout Division that several cars are missing. We are hopeful that they were taken by Council representatives who did not understand that they weren't to remove the cars. You might want to contact your local council and see if they have it in their possession. So far we have had no luck tracking them down. If you would like to discuss this with Cub Scout division, you can call 972-580-2000. I will keep you informed if we locate the missing cars. Thank you, (name removed for privacy) Curator of Collections National Scouting Museum

http://photobucket.com/albums/y278/cajuncody/ Photos of the car can be seen here. It is amazing that he can be so artistic but his handwriting is horrible. Kristi

Um, I didn't notice that, but there is a problem. That isn't me in the photo but it has my name. It is my son, just not me. It is my assistant. Gee, I was showing that paper around all day at church sunday and nobody told me it said that. Hm, maybe we can get a correction.(This message has been edited by cajuncody)

I would be happy to email a photo of his car to anyone who wants to see it. Simply pm me with your email addy and I will send it out. Kristi

It seems they were admitting a mistake, and those sometimes happen. It even says the ones in the "Boy Scout Requirements 2005" are correct. As many pages of different things that are published by national I would have guessed worse mistakes than this have happened. Quote from web page : "Please Note: The Boy Scouts of America accidentally published the wrong requirements in the 2005 Scholarship merit badge pamphlet. The requirements listed below are from Boy Scout Requirements 2005 which is correct." Kristi

I have heard that some of you consider the national pinewood derby to be bad form. This was the article that my local news paper did on my sons car. It was one whole side of the front page of the Faith and Family section and the other side was facts about Boy Scouts. It was considered to be very well done by everyone at our first ever district Fishing Derby. Here is the body of the article: >>(Edited part) I meant to add that I think the article will generate alot of interest in cub scouting in our area. It never hurts to have some good press and we have already received a few calls from interested parents in how to enroll.

Yes, but in all fairness some of us come here to learn the rules we have overlooked and if we can get a simple "It is against rule xyz on page 123 of book a" it really helps to move things along quickly. But I do agree that sometimes it really stinks to hear that something we think would be great fun is not allowed. Kristi

I have no experience at all in this but when I read it a thought popped into my head. Have you checked with the NRA in your area? They donate to local school hunter safety programs in my area. Kristi

Frogger921 wrote: " We let her through because another leader who had been w/us for 3 years lives two doors down and was friends w/her. Unfortunately there was more to her story then any of us knew. " I don't quite get this. How can you have let her through? I didn't think that background checks were done at the pack level and I don't think that National would let you second guess their background check. Is this a registered leader? Kristi

Welcome and pull up a log to the fire. We love to talk Scouting here also. Just watch out for politics, folks here can talk your ear off. Kristi

Also, check with your local churches and after school programs. We run two spun off dens at local Boys and Girls clubs who would otherwise not get to attend meetings due to parents working late. Kristi

We love camping. We take the boys to a local KOA camp that is only a couple of miles from where they live. It gives them a taste of camping but with the ability to go home. Cub scout camping is not extreme, it is about the cubs being introduced to it within limits. Make it short and sweet and do it often. Kristi

As a former Wolf Leader, now CM, I have to say that this may not even be a problem. Maybe the parents just need to attend the den meetings and see what is going on. For example, in our den we covered the Feats of Skill requirement fully in one meeting. It was a blast and the kids loved it. when it was all said and done, none remembered exactly what we had done but fortunatly for us most of the parents stay for meetings. We have done other requirements just a quickly including Duty to God where our den had a guest speaker. My boys didn't want to slow down, they wanted to earn, earn, and earn their awards. So, that said, my suggestion would be to have a few of the concerned parents attend the den meetings in question. Then if they see him signing off on items not complete they can call him on it then, not a few weeks down the line, with the simple question of "How exactly did we complete this with the boys tonight?" Kristi