Thursday, March 3, 2016

District Awards Dinner Deadline

DEADLINE MARCH 8: Nominations for the District Award of Merit must be submitted during or prior to the March 8 Roundtable meeting.

The District Awards Dinner will take place on April 17:
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1765373

In addition to the District Award of Merit, there will also be "Service to Scouting" awards presented to a deserving member of your troop or pack -- someone who always volunteers or always performs over and above.


Click here to download a copy of the application.
E-mail to webelos@verizon.net
Click here to download a copy of the application.
E-mail to webelos@verizon.net

Prepared for Life Dinner: $212,188

Robert Gates was the keynote speaker at the NNJC's second annual Prepared for Life fund-raiser dinner. His credentials as a former Director of the CIA and former Secretary of Defense drew a nice crowd of 558 Scouters and guests to hear Gates pass on some humorous anecdotes and some serious talk about the Scouting organization that he now heads as President of BSA National.

Membership: Gates was happy to pass on the good news that overall membership is starting to climb for the first time in decades, and praised Northern NJ Council for its efforts especially with Scoutreach, which Gates said was one of his own main areas of interest. He also praised NNJC for the 397 boys who earned Eagle Scout in 2015.

Best anecdote: While at the CIA, Gates took a weekend off to join his son's Boy Scout troop on a father/son camping trip to the Chesapeake Bay area. He noted that the wilderness experience was marred a bit by two large black trucks with satellite links that was part of their entourage. Also the entire encampment was ringed by security guards armed with Uzi machine guns. The Sunday program was for Scouts to learn how to shoot skeet, and Gates told how concerned his security detail was while he was surrounded by a bunch of 12- and 13-year olds all armed with shotguns.

"Nobody asked me to help" Gates explained the lapse in time between leaving government service and once again becoming active in the Scouting program, saying simply, "Nobody asked me to help." He called that a lesson learned and then addressed the people present by asking them to help. He asked them to devote their resources, talents, and energy to attract more youth and to deliver better programs.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Scouts Will Tour the Five Boros (May 1)

You are invited to join the 2016 TD Five Boro Bike Tour Scout Team

Click here for a Boy Scout Team Request For Application:
https://www.bsa-gnyc.org/bikenyc


Join Team Boy Scouts of America, Greater New York Councils at the 2016 TD Five Boro Bike Tour - a 40-mile, car-free, bicycle ride experience spanning all five boroughs - AND help support the more than 46,000 youth we serve throughout New York City!
Team Boy Scouts of America, Greater New York Councils Members Receive:
  • Free registration and guaranteed entrance to the 2016 TD Five Boro Bike Tour
  • Team Boy Scouts of America, Greater New York Councils duffel bag stuffed with goodies Custom 2016 Boy Scouts of America, Greater New York Councils Team cycling jersey
  • A CrowdRise page so that your friends and family can easily make donations Fundraising tips delivered to your email
  • Complimentary light breakfast before the ride
  • Early start on Ride Day
  • Complimentary lunch at the Finish Festival

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

List of Events in March 2016

Three Rivers Events During March 2016

Mar 3 - TRD District Committee Meeting
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/17671400
Mar 8 - TRD Roundtable for Scout and Cub leaders
  Also: Meeting of the TRD Venturing Officers Association
  Also: High Exposures Adventure Club info session
  Also: Deadline for District Award of Merit nominations
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1875693
Mar 8 - OA Chapter Meeting for Three Rivers
  http://oalodgeix.doubleknot.com/event/1790006
Mar 11-13 - TRD M*A*S*H Camporee
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1765284
Mar 15 - TRD Assistant District Commissioners
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1765348

Training Sessions During March 2016

Mar 8 - Youth Protection Training by Ramapo Valley
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1744586
Mar 12 - NNJC Merit Badge Counselor Training
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1850431
Mar 16 - Outdoor Skills for Female Leaders
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1842560
Mar 26 - Cub Leader-Specific Training
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1802198

Other Council-Recommended Events During March 2016

Mar 2 - Prepared for Life FOS Dinner
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1787976
Mar 18 - Last day for NNJC Campership applications
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1787879
Mar 19 - OA Trade-o-Ree
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1823632
Mar 29 - Venturing Officers Association
  http://www.nnjbsa.org/event/1787920

Monday, February 29, 2016

A Death - Don Sanschagrin (Feb 16)



Donald Leon SANSCHAGRIN of Westwood NJ, formerly of Woodcliff Lake NJ, died on Tuesday, February 16, 2016.

Beloved husband of the late Eunice (nee Baker) Sanschagrin. Devoted father of Raymond Iseldyke, the late Darryl Iseldyke, Dawn Cupo and her husband Vinny, Dominick Conte and his wife Christine, and the late Donald Sanschagrin II. Loving Pop Pop of Kayla and R.J. Iseldyke, and Joseph Conte. Dear Brother of Merry Baker and Francis Sanschagrin.

He was the owner of Don's Mobile Auto Service, Westwood, NJ for many years. He was Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 321, Washington Township, NJ, he coached the Montvale Rink Speed Team, and was a classic car enthusiast.

The family will receive their friends at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ on Monday February 22, 2016 10:00 AM - noon with a service at noon. Interment to follow at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, NJ

www.Becker-FuneralHome.com


This Note from Rich Curran on Feb 20:
Wake for a Silver Beaver Scouter

To Silver Beaver Scouters:

The wake for Don Sanschagrin will take place on Monday 10:00 AM - noon. Come when you can and wear your Silver Beaver ribbon and beaver.

We have been fortunate that it has been a long time since there has been a need for this ceremony:

As many Silver Beaver recipients as possible attend the wake. Two at time they stand at either end of the casket for a 10-15 minute shift.

Their relief pair then approaches the casket and all 4 face the casket, salute,
do an about face, the old two exit, and new two take up their positions.

This is repeated for the duration of the wake.

Regards, Rich Curran
201-819-6850

Lots of Good Sources for Scouters

There are a bunch of great places to get Scout-related information and resources. A good place for Cub leaders to start is the "Cub Hub" blog:
  https://cubscouts.org/blog/

And, very thoughtfully, last March Cub Hub listed 10 more Scouting blogs that they liked. Below is a list of their 10, but detailed descriptions of each can be found at: https://cubscouts.org/10-scouting-blogs/
  • Bryan on Scouting
  • Cub Scout Ideas
  • Brite Idea Scouting
  • Heads Up (from Boys' Life)
  • Book Zone (from Boys' Life)
  • Ask the Gear Guy (from Boy's Life)
  • Scouter Mom
  • Chief's Corner (Scout Exec Wayne Brock)
  • Scouting Newsroom Blog
  • Scouting Wire

Scouting Promotes Positive Character Development

We knew that already!
What's new is that Tufts University agrees!

The Cradle of Liberty Council commissioned a respected psychologist at Tufts University to give some scientific basis to what we already know. He conducted a 2½ year study complete with control groups and tracking data to come up with a number of heart-warming results.

The results were summarized in an article in the "ScoutingWire" newsletter by BSA Communications Specialist Hayley Cordaro, and can be found at: http://scoutingwire.org/how-scouting-promotes-positive-character-development/

The study was done by Richard M. Lerner, professor of psychology at Tufts University, who specializes in youth development. He compared Cub Scouts to a control group of same-age and same-everything-else. He compared Scouts who stuck with the program to boys who dropped out. He compared Scouts who were active to Scouts who rarely attended. He compared Eagle Scouts to non-Eagles. And so on.

As a sample of Lerner's findings, here's one paragraph from the ScoutingWire article:
  • Scouts who attend meetings regularly reported higher trustworthiness, helpfulness, kindness, and thriftiness, higher levels of hopeful future expectation and goal-setting, better grades, and a greater connection to nature as compared to Scouts who sometimes or rarely attend.