"Help Other People...." Thanks Jambo Staffers.

[Eamonn]

Very often I hear myself saying that I enjoy Scouting and that when it stops being fun that I'll move on and do something else.

I really enjoy being with the youth members. All of them from our little Tigers to our older youth members in Troops, Crews and Ship's.

I enjoy spending time with the adults, be it at some sort of Training or just helping out cooking for an event.

I have been blessed to have been able to serve as a Jamboree SM twice.

Being a Jambo SM is great fun. Being there and being able to share with a Troop of Lads who are having the best of times is indeed a wonderful experience.

I know that deep down I'm still very much an overgrown kid.

I am however both mindful and thankful to the people who staff the Jamboree.

Back in 2001, I went with some of the Scouts to see how the disposal of waste water was being managed.

Scouts were lined up with buckets of nasty looking and evil smelling yucky waste water.

There was some kind of giant waste disposal system, with a really good natured fellow supervising the entire operation.

Every so often a fork or some other object would get into the machine and he would have to clear it.

I stopped to have a chat with this guy.

He informed me that things were so much better than in the past, the machine had more horsepower!!

If this guy had been paid, I don't think we could pay him enough! But to think that he had paid about $600.00 to do what he was doing??

It's easy when your the Jambo SM, not to notice that there are no trucks delivering food during the day and not to notice that a team of volunteers have worked through the night unloading the food and stuff that will take care of the Scouts during the day.

It's a little too easy to not notice that everything that is there was put there by someone.

I still see young men who went to the 2001 Jambo. They at times tell me about what a great time they had and say thanks.

Still without the people who do the dirty work and pay for the privilege, things just wouldn't go as well.

They give true meaning to the "Help other people at all times".

We at times take them for granted.

But they do deserve our thanks.

Thanks!

Eamonn.

[Vicki]

Eamonn, I've noticed that whenever I go to a district or council event (haven't been to a Jambo)- whether it's NYLT, Wood Badge, Leader Training, pick one, there stands a dedicated corps of folks who are usually up later than I am (not hard) or earlier than I am (that's a little harder).

 

I always stand in awe of the QM Corps.

 

Vicki

[kb6jra]

I was able to staff on the last Jamboree. My son attended with a council contingent. I was stationed in the Arts and Sciences Expo, just next to the OA Shows tent. The day the lights went out is when the troop showed up. The 4 adults from Alaska had just been killed, a freak traffic collision stopped power in our area, and rumors of the electrocution were running rampant. My staff mates and I hurried to board a buss that was bound for our barracks, near where my son's sub camp was. He was one sub camp from the accident.

 

The info was so spotty, I was in a panic and needed to see him in a hurry. The bus driver did all she could to get us back to our barracks, and finally did an hour or so later. I hurried to his campsite to see him. They had no idea of what happened just a few hundred feet to the East of their campsite.

 

I have this great picture from that night. I'm standing next to my son, it's raining, and I'm soaked to the bone, but I'm standing next to him with my arm around his shoulders. I'll never forget that trip, neither will he.

 

I was lucky as a staffer. I was able to stay in the barracks on Long Street. We had showers, electricity, so everyone had their own personal fan blowing on them all night long. Luxurious to say the least. We even had a washer and dryer, although the only time it was not in use was 3 am.

 

The day the show was canceled there was a group of us headed to the amphitheater. We heard the sirens and emergency vehicles, saw dozens heading toward the amphitheater. We then heard the show was canceled. We waited where we were and not too long after we saw the kids and adults walking our way. They looked shell shocked, depleted, aimless. On young man was wobbling down the path. He was in bad shape. A few of us grabbed him, layed him down and doused him with water. Many others followed that afternoon. We made them all sit in the wet grass in the shade of a tree and get watered down. That was a scene out of a war movie.

 

All in all my experience as a member of the staff was great. I throughly enjoyed my time there, with the exception of having to render aid to the heat oppressed. Eamonn, I would think your job as SM of a contingent would be more difficult in many ways.