BSA TODAY eNewsletter January 2012

2012 FRIENDS OF SCOUTING
Please turn in your postcard with your unit’s Friends of Scouting presentation date, location, and contact information. Submit postcards to your District FOS Chair or District Executive.
The postcard can be found at the following link: 2012 Presentation Postcard

ZYCLONES HAVE ARRIVED
If you earned a zyclone during the popcorn season and have not received it yet, please call the Scout Office at 715-832-6671 so we know in advance to have it ready to be picked up.

WEBELOS LOCK-IN
Make plans now to attend another fun-filled night of swimming, rock climbing, games and learning about activities and programs of Boy Scout Troops in your area.  The Webelos Lock-In will be at the Chippewa Falls Middle School on Friday, February 10, 2012. This event is for all 1st and 2nd year Webelos.  Pre-registration is required!  Fees increase after February 7th. 
Please go to the following link for more information and a registration form: 2012 Webelos Lock-In

JAMBOREE RALLY
All Chippewa Valley Boy Scouts are invited to attend a Jamboree Rally, a great opportunity to learn more about the experience that will be offered at the 2013 National Jamboree. At this meeting you’ll have a chance to learn more about the program offered and costs to attend, view exciting materials and videos about The Summit High Adventure base in West Virginia, and meet other youth and leaders who will be attending.  This is an informational meeting for you and your adult Scouters and an opportunity to find if the 2013 National Jamboree is the Scouting program for you.  Spots to attend will fill up soon, so if you have an interest in attending the 2013 Jamboree, this meeting is for you!
Join us on Saturday, February 4th, from 9am – 11am at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 1222 Main Street, Bloomer, WI. Please contact Joe Carlson at the Scout Service Center with any questions (715-832-6671, joe.carlson@scouting.org ) 
To find out more information about the 2013 National Jamboree, check out The Summit website: www.bsajamboree.org
To register NOW for the 2013 Jamboree, use the “National Jamboree Sign Up” form which can be found here: 2013 National Jamboree

2013 NATIONAL JAMBOREE ADULT STAFF
There are many openings to serve on adult staff at the 2013 National Jamboree in July 2013. Staff commitments are structured differently this year with shorter time frames, which may make being a staff member an option for some who have not been able to commit to the full Jamboree in the past. For more information, check out the staff portion of the Summit website: https://summit.scouting.org/en/Jamboree2013/Pages/Staff.aspx

MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR ORIENTATION TRAINING
A new training will be offered on Saturday, January 14th, 8:30am – 12:30pm, at the Scout Service Center in Eau Claire. This training gives an individual all the skills necessary to train others to be Merit Badge Counselors. This is an important training if you recruit merit badge counselors for your Troop or are helping to organize a District Merit Badge clinic. All attendees should be Youth Protection Trained; be a registered merit badge counselor; and be active in their District as members of the Advancement or Training teams.
Please pre-register with the Scout Service Center prior to January 11th.

LEAVE NO TRACE TRAINING
Leave No Trace (L.N.T.) training will be offered in February and March. Both training sessions are identical and qualify the participant to offer L.N.T. awareness courses to Troops or other groups of youth or adults. L.N.T. provides principles for use in the outdoors that allow users to minimize their impact.  This training is open to all BSA registered adults as well as to any youth over the age of 14 and first class.  Cost to attend is $10 which includes lunch and all materials.
The two trainings will be held from 8am – 5pm on Saturday, February 4, at the Cameron American Legion, 614 Main Street, Cameron WI, and on Saturday, March 10 at the Chippewa Valley Council Scout Service Center, 710 S. Hastings Way, Eau Claire WI.
Please pre-register for each training by contacting the Scout Service Center (715-832-6671). Registration deadline for the February 4th training is Wednesday, February 1st.  The deadline to register for the March 10th training is Wednesday, March 7th.

E.D.G.E. TRAINING: IMPROVE YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS
All adult volunteers and Boy Scouts age 14 and up are invited to join us on Saturday, January 28th, for E.D.G.E. Training – a day of material designed to help improve and enhance your speaking and presentation skills.  Cost to attend is $10 which includes lunch and all materials. Pre-register by January 23rd. For more information and a registration form, please go to the following flyer: E.D.G.E. Training Flyer

SERVICE: AN IMPORTANT PART OF SCOUTING
All Packs, Troops, and Crews are asked to submit their hours of community service into the Good Turn for America Website throughout the 2012 year. This website tracks service projects and hours of service in each of our communities.
Troops and Packs with a high level of service hours in each District are recognized here:
2011 Service Hour Summary

EAGLE SCOUT PIZZA PARTY
At our first Chippewa Valley Eagles organizational meeting, one of the main interests was for established Eagle Scouts to have the opportunity to mentor younger Eagle Scouts.
All Eagle Scouts age 18 and over are invited to a pizza party on Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The party will be held at the Chippewa Valley Technical College - Clairemont Campus, 620 W. Clairemont Avenue, Eau Claire.  We will be located in the Big Rivers Conference Room (Room 30) of the Business Education Center.  Join us for a fun evening of food and socializing!  Please RSVP to Andrea Blaeser, (715) 832-6671 or ablaeser@bsamail.org  by February 1, 2012

EAGLE SCOUT SEARCHING
We are continually trying to update our mailing list so that we have the most current information for all of our Eagle Scouts.
Please help us keep in touch with you by emailing your current contact information to ablaeser@bsamail.org .
If you know of an Eagle Scout in our area who does not receive information from the Chippewa Valley Council, please encourage him to send his updated contact information to Andrea Blaeser, ablaeser@bsamail.org .
Chippewa Valley Eagles have several ways to connect with each other online.
Please join our Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/297854450238718  
You can also join our group on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4183857

2012 LIFE TO EAGLE WORKBOOK
A new Life to Eagle Workbook has been produced by National BSA for the usage of Scouts and families.
The new workbook is available here: Life to Eagle Workbook
All projects started in 2012 should be using the new workbook.
See here for a special message about 2012 programming from the Advancement Committee:
Letter from Advancement Committee Chair

NEW GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT
Along with the new Life to Eagle workbook, a new guidebook for Advancement in Packs, Troops, and Crews has been developed. This new resource is available at the Scout Shop for $9.99 a copy. A digital copy is also available here: Guide to Advancement

EAGLES' NEST
Congratulations to all of our Scouts who have achieved the Eagle Award in 2011. Please take a look at our Eagles' Nest page by going to the following link: 2011 Eagles' Nest

EMPLOYEE GIVING PROGRAMS
Many area employers support non-profits through matching gifts and some will make donations to non-profits based on the number of hours that their employees volunteer. Below is a list of area companies that we know participate in these types of programs. Please take a few moments to check with your own employer to see if they offer Matching Gift or Employee Volunteerism programs. This is a great way to maximize the support that you are already giving to the Scouting program.
-3M (Matching Gifts Program, Volunteer Match Program)
-Allstate (Agency Hands in the Community Program)
-BP (Matching Gifts Program)
-ConAgra Foods (Matching Gifts Program)
-Gap, Inc. (Money for Time Program, Matching Gifts Program)
-Macy’s (Matching Gifts Program)
-MetLife (Volunteer Ventures Program)
-Nestle USA (Matching Gifts Program)
-PepsiCo (Matching Gifts Program)
-Shopko (Teammate Community Service Grant Program, Matching Gifts Program)
-State Farm (Good Neighbor Volunteer Grant Program)
-Thrivent Financial (Matching Gifts Program)
-Toys “R” Us (Matching Gifts Program)
-United Health Group (Dollars for Doers Program)
-U.S. Bancorp (Matching Gifts Program)
-Verizon (Matching Gifts Program)
-Walmart (Volunteer Match Program)
-Xcel Energy (Matching Gifts Program, Dollars for Doing Program)

SCOUTSTRONG PALA CHALLENGE
The SCOUTStrong PALA Challenge is a Scout-specific PALA challenge. PALA stands for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award, an activity challenge of the President's Challenge program. To earn the SCOUTStrong PALA Challenge Award, you are required to meet a daily activity goal of 30 minutes a day for adults and 60 minutes a day for kids under 18 for at least five days a week, for six out of eight weeks. Stick with the program and you'll earn an award in less than two months! You can enroll and track your progress either online or on the paper Active Lifestyle Activity Log, both found at the following link: www.scouting.org/SCOUTStrongPALA

LEAVE YOUR MARK AT CAMP L.E. PHILLIPS
Purchase your personalized brick on the Camp Phillips Walkway. Your participation in this fundraiser allows you to commemorate an individual Scouter or a Scout unit with an engraved brick, on display at Camp L.E. Phillips. Your gift will be used for campsite improvements so that we can continue to offer high-quality facilities to our youth.
Please click on the following to view the brochure: Brick Brochure
You can also make donations on our new e-funding website found here: Give to Local Scouting

CVC SCOUT SHOP
Chippewa Valley Council Scout Shop
710 S. Hastings Way, Eau Claire, WI 54701 715-832-6671
Open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.


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