Troop 799 - Richmond, Virginia

Parents & Scouts,

I hope your summer has begun on a positive note!

Many of you might already know that next summer I will be attending the 2010 National Jamboree as a 1st Asst. Scoutmaster. The Heart of Virginia Council originally reserved spots for 8 troops of 36 Scouts each. Recently, the council bumped that number up to 9 troops – for a total of 324 Scouts….. Each Jamboree troop is comprised of Scouts from all over the council – no one troop or district has its own Jamboree Troop. The Jamboree is a great way for your son to experience the “macro” of Scouting and to interact with Scouts from all over the Heart of Virginia Council, the United States and the world!

JUST ANNOUNCED!

New requirements have been added to the new Boy Scout Handbook effective January 1, 2010. These new requirements stress the EDGE (skill teaching) model, Leave No Trace, living the Scout Oath and Law, and the invaluable skill of saving money.... All are great improvements to the BSA advancement program!! What is really great about these changes is that it will force the older, Life Scouts to teach skills to younger Scouts (which is a requirement to advance in Venturing). And, younger Scouts will learn at an early age how to teach skills to others.

The BSA has also added 2 official positions – Troop webmaster and Leave No Trace Trainer....

A Preview of Advancement Changes

Just making sure everyone realizes that the Boy Scouts of America has a NEW medical form. Its use becomes mandatory on January 1, 2010. And when it becomes mandatory, the Class 1, 2 and 3 forms will not be honored. It is YOUR CALL as parents to decide how you would like to proceed with your son’s physicals.

Scouts & Parents,

We will have an information & planning session pertinent to our outing of June 18-20 and June 18 – 24. The meeting will be in the usual scout room at 7:00 pm, Monday, June 8.

Troop 799 Scouts and Parents,

Thank you so much for your participation in my Eagle Scout service project, the book drive for Carver Promise. Thanks to your combined efforts, I was able to compile over 2,000 children’s books to be donated to the Carver Promise organization! Needless to say, the coordinator of the program was absolutely thrilled to see such a deluge of books from the scouts and friends of the Troop. In addition, I personally was shocked and amazed at the level of participation on the troop level. You guys really helped out and I can’t thank you enough for that. Furthermore, your effort also ensured a positive change in the lives of the 400 or so students at Carver Elementary School who participate in the Carver Promise mentoring program. The effect on the life of a child that we have isn’t something we can quantitatively measure, but there is absolutely no doubt that the books will change lives for the better.

**One thing that I neglected to mention previously is that your time participating in my project (gathering, sorting, and/or transporting the books you donated) can be used towards community service hours for school or rank advancement in Scouting. In addition, I need a tally of hours spent by everyone who helped out, including parents. Think back to a few weeks ago and let me know via e-mail (at tas236@gmail.com) how much time you or your Scout put into collecting your books for donation. This does me a huge favor, and as I said before, you can use that time towards community service hours for rank or school.