Your most unusual "volunteer" story

[KoreaScouter]

What's your most unusual volunteer story? Here's one from my experience that could be a prize winner...

 

I was the Cub Pack Committee Chairman, and I had a hard time working with our Pack treasurer. I knew that he was a youth soccer coach, active in the church, and an overall high-character type, so I couldn't really understand why he wasn't coming to meetings, depositing checks, writing checks, being available, or doing any of the treasurer stuff one would expect from someone in the position. BTW, this is a single guy, no kids at all, let alone kids in the Pack.

 

After about a month, I finally contacted him (very busy guy), and arranged to meet him at his place of work. Very pleasant fella, but he did tell me that he was incredibly busy and feared he didn't have the time to devote to the Pack Treasurer job.

 

When I asked him why he volunteered to do it if he knew he wouldn't have the time, he gave me a strange look and said he never did volunteer. Now it's my turn to give him a strange look. He went on to explain that his predecessor at work was the Pack Treasurer, did have a boy in the Pack, and that the Pack Treasurer job was part of the "handoff" between the two of them. In other words, he was handed the checkbook, told to sign an application, and then told to have a nice day. He thought it was an additional duty that went along with his paid job.

 

Needless to say, I apologized for how that whole thing unfolded, took the checkbook from him, and we replaced him the old fashioned way.

 

I've seen heavy-handed methods, but the only thing that could be more extreme than this would be to physically beat someone into volunteering...

 

KS

[jbroganjr]

Funny story

I wonder how we could use these methods to increase FOS?

[OneHour]

I'm not sure if this qualifies as unusual "volunteer" story, but here it goes. About 3 years ago, at our B&G, our then cubmaster was stepping down. No one volunteered to take his place. He ripped off his cubmaster patch and stood up there on the stage and asked for a volunteer. No one stepped up no even dare to venture near the stage. The B&G went on. At the end, I guess that everyone in the Pack was thinking that we'll (the Pack) figure it out somehow. Well, I was heading to the cm to congratulate him (since he is a good friend of mine and all) on escaping the grips of Cub Scouting. Next thing I knew, he got on mic and announced that he had found a new cubmaster. He announced my name. He promptly came down the stage and handed me the CM patch, congratulated me, and walked off in one fell swooped. I was dumbfounded and was still in shock as everyone came by to congratulate me! Some of the folks even said, "Great, you are brave!"

 

It sort of reminds me of ... "If you are volunteering please step one step forward. After the room quiet down, I found myself alone in front without even moving a step!"

 

Looking back, I had a great time being a cubmaster and did not regret that I was involuntarily volunteered.

 

1Hour(This message has been edited by OneHour)

[KoreaScouter]

Excuse me for a moment while I pick my jaw up off the floor! That's amazing -- I hope someone video-taped it for posterity.

 

I was a Cubmaster, too, and the funny thing is, I always thought Den Leader was a much more difficult job...

 

KS

[acco40]

Although I'm sure it is not unusual, if fact very common, my wife had volunteered my services for Den Leader (yes, it is more difficult than Cubmaster). I found out later that she told all of the Tiger boys (back then, Tigers had no den leader just adult partners and a "secretary") that I would be their Wolf Den leader a few days before their crossover. Nothing like 10 first graders and their parents all congratulating you for a position you did not know you you had taken! (In hindsight, I'm glad she did.)

(This message has been edited by acco40)

[zippy]

My older son was in Tigers with 2 very enthusiastic coaches (as they were called then). Our first 2 meetings went very well, and then nothing happened. No November meeting. At the December Pack meeting, which neither coach attended, I asked the other parents what was going on... It was a job transfer for one coach, and a pending divorce for the other. Since I had asked about the den situation, I got nominated to "take over just for the rest of this year. We'll get a new leader next year." 4 1/2 years later "my" boys crossed over. I'm glad I stepped up.

 

Thom

 

[OneHour]

acco40, I think that Den Leadership is easier. Cubmastership is more fun! If you have a good CC then the Cubmastership is easier than Den Leadership because all you do is having fun with the kids, but as for me, I functioned somewhat as the CC as well! Dealing with parents is not what I called easy! We had a CC, but she decided that her main function was to be a treasurer (and yes, she went to training!). I was a den leader and now a den leader again. It's refreshing to be able to have lots of fun with my son and his friends, just to be a kid again!

 

KS, I would love to have the tape too, but by the time that the announcement came out, the B&G was over and all cameras were tucked away!

 

No regrets from me. Of course, I changed lots of things that I had wish that our Pack would do when I was a den leader! Sometimes, parents like me just need to get our feet wet and we are hooked. Now, I actually volunteered to be my oldest son's Troop ASM! Who knows, I'll be crazy enough to actually volunteer to be the CM again (if my wife is willing to let me) when my third son becomes of cub scouting age!

[ozemu]

Whilst serving the Queen in HM Armed Forces I was transferred from place to place and given alternate commands and staff appointments. Nothing strange there but I did enjoy looking up the phone book for the Scout Assoc in my local area (only when in a staff position) and asking them if they could use a trained leader.

 

Always assured of a pleasent welcome.

 

My last Scouting change happened when I returned the uniform and took up roots. Same result - happy welcome.

[Eagledad]

Good Day all

I got a call one late night from a friend. He said our Cub Pack that our wives were Den Leaders in was splitting and if I would Cub Master of one pack, he would take the other and we would work together to make sure we had even split of leaders since neither one of us had any experience. I said no but my wife told him yes. A week later another adult called and said he was the new CM of the other pack and he followed with the list of how the pack split. Out of the ten dens, I got one experienced leader.

 

Of course the story goes that I was dragged kicking and screaming into a wonderful program that I have reaped many wonderful rewards. But I was hurt by the trick from my friend. Wounds do heal and water does pass under the bridge. The wife of that so-called-friend is our Troop Committee Chair and we both love this scouting stuff. God does have a strange way of getting his way.

 

Barry

 

[Eagle69]

One day someone from the church I was visiting invited me to lunch to talk about a new Singles Sunday School Class. It turned out that that was the last thing they REALLY wanted to talk about. They knew that I was an Eagle Scouta and was helping as a ASM in another Troop. They were looking for a SM. I went and visited a meeting and was going to say No because I was only 26 and not much older than the kids when 2 of the other leaders backed me into a corner and promised me thay would help in any way if I would say yes. They were so persuasive that I agreed and now I am in my 24th year as SM of that Troop.