Good Citizen Recognition Evet is February 3rd!

The annual District Awards Ceremony will be held Wednesday, February 3, 2010, starting at 7:30pm. The event will be held at the Chester County Court House, in West Chester. Please arrive by 7:15pm and wear your uniform. Friends and families are welcome. Parking is available in the parking garages near the Court House. During the ceremony, both Webelos and Scouts will be recognized with an official certificate, representing their commitment to maintaining the standards of good citizenship. Scouts can be working on or have completed any of the Citizenship Merit badges, and Webelos can be working towards or have completed a good turn.

All the necessary forms that need to be completed for this event can be obtained electronically by visiting the Lenni Lenape District page of the Council Page, under the forms library heading. Please visit www.cccbsa.org to obtain these forms.

This year we will be again offering the Boy Scouts who have completed one of the Citizenship Merit Badges, the opportunity to spend a day with a local public official. Attached are the required forms for Boy Scouts to participate in the Shadowing Day. The forms must be sent to the Council Service Center by Friday, January 15, 2010. Scoutmasters, please make sure all scouts have a parent’s signature on the attached Shadowing Form. Please make extra copies of this form for each participant within your troop.

**Please remind the scouts to attend their shadowing day. The public officials involved work their schedules around the time the scout is in attendance. If there is a conflict due to day, time, or illness, the scout must contact the official directly to make further arrangements. The scout will be sent a confirmation, as to who they will be spending the day with, as will the public official.
*This award is given only once as a Webelos Scout and only once as a Boy Scout.
If you have any questions, please contact Ann Marie Moore at 610-431-7957.

Thanks!

Give the gift of Scouting this holiday season!

Tis the season for giving... Let's give a youth the gift of Scouting!

After a quick review of our progress as a District towards our goal of program growth in 2009, we have come to realize that, after the youth we have identified as unregistered are finally all tallied, we sit tantalizingly close to program growth for the year (as a service area!)

Lenni Lenape District ended 2008 with 1936 registered youth in Scouting, which breaks down to 1191 Cub Scouts, 709 Boy Scouts and 36 Venturers. As of today, we have over 1830 registered youth in total, with another 70 or so on their way in (either from Fall Recruitment efforts, roster checks or Scoutreach recruitment.)

We are only about 35 youth away from serving more youth in Scouting than last year!

In order to inject some fun into the holiday season and to share the value of our programs with our community, we have decided to promote a challenge to our Scouting family: EVERY NEWLY REGISTERED YOUTH IN NOVEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER 5TH IS A CHANCE TO WIN A DECEMBER PIZZA PARTY!

This is an excellent opportunity for Troops and Crews to add youth who are interested, but perhaps have not committed. Also, for Packs with new Dens, this can be an opportunity to fill a partial den by having youth recruit a friend to join!

We will accept and track application in all youth programs for Lenni Lenape District that have come in with a joining date later than November 1st, and for every application received (with payment) the unit will have a chance in a live drawing at the December 10th Roundtable for a holiday Pizza Party. 5 applications = 5 chances to win! In order to have an effective drawing, we must receive the application with payment no later than Saturday, December 5th (at Charter day.)

Please direct any questions to Jim Langer at jlanger@bsamail.org.

Annual Meeting Change!

We have changed the date and location of the Annual District Business Meeting and Election. Please note that the meeting is now scheduled for 6:30-7 PM at Pocopson Elementary School, in the cafeteria on Thursday, December 10th.

The District Committee and Commissioner staff will have brief meetings immediately following the Annual Business. Roundtable will begin promptly at 7:30 PM.
Any questions can be directed to the Lenni Lenape District Key Three by email at lldistrict@cccbsa.org.

The December Roundtable theme is, appropriately, Meet the District! The Cub Roundtable will cover topics ranging from January's theme to Pinewood derby races and Blue and Gold Banquets.

There will be light refreshments for the December Roundtable program. If you would like to bring something baked or homemade, please inform Jim Caron of your intentions!

We hope to see you there!

Council Camporee is Postponed!

With cold wind and rain and a high incident of flu currently in our schools, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our council camporee until the spring of 2010.

We apologize to all the campers who are prepared for the challenge of cold rainy weather.
We will follow up with more details on how we unwind the registration process once we finish sharing the postponement information with all leaders, staff and exhibitors.

For more details, please visit the Council Website:

District and Council Training - FAQ

What training do you need
to be a TRAINED LEADER?

Download this PDF which provides a complete list of training opportunities.
To be considered TRAINED, you must complete the Adult Basic Training for the
scout program you are providing leadership to. Most of the training at this
level can be completed online. There are 2 recurring trainings to take note
of:


1) Youth Protection MUST be taken every 2 years to keep your training status
current.

2) Leader Specifics MUST be retaken whenever you change to a significant leader
position. For example, moving from a Den Leader to Cub Master, or an Asst. Scoutmaster
to Scoutmaster or Committee Chairman.

Where can I go to get the
training I need?

All Online Training is found at The Scouting Online Learning Center (olc.scouting.org) You will need to setup an account if you don't already have one. You may be asked for your membership ID which is found on your membership card which should have been provided to you after you rechartered or joined scouting. If you do not have this number, that is OK, you can still take the training. Just be sure to print out your certificate and send a copy to your District Training Chairmen (Lenni Lenape is Eric Barnes)

Instructor Lead Training provided
by the all the districts in the council as well as Lenni Lenape can be found
at the council web site at www.cccbsa.org.
You can also click on this link to go directly to the Double Knot Link to get a list of schedules.

What Training Is Available
This Fall 2009?

Go to Double Knot Link to get a full list of all training currently schedule for this
Fall.

Reminder: Roundtable next Thursday!

Reminder: Lenni Lenape Roundtable meeting for September is next Thursday, September the 10th. We will be at Oakbourne Park at the Picnic pavilion and fire circle. Please arrive at or before 7:30 PM... (We decided against 7 PM, as the Commissioner staff needed to meet prior and many units are navigating popcorn pick-up.)

Our program will include a visit and "fireside chat" with the key three leadership of the Chester County Council! Our Scout Executive, Eric Magendantz will be joined by Russ Neubauer, Council President and Bill Taylor, Council Commissioner. We will also have promotion for Webelos Woods, the Good Citizen event in February and discussion of the December 5th charter renewal day!

As this is NOT the Steak-o-ree, there will be no food, but please do not let that dissuade you from attending a full program!

See you there!

2010 Fall Camporee Survey: Please respond by 9/11!

Please scroll to the bottom of this blog to respond to our new E-survey for the 2010 LL District Camporee. WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

Preliminary results will be reviewed by the Activities Committee and your feedback will be shared along with initial plans for the 2010 event at the October District Roundtable.

Thanks for helping us to deliver a program of value and benefit to our District!

Dave Koepke and the LL District Committee

2009-2010 Lenni Lenape Roundtable Meetings

Lenni Lenape roundtable meetings for 2009-2010 will be held at the Pocopson Elementary School cafeteria (NOTE NEW LOCATION). Meeting times are from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

The scheduled dates are (all Thursdays):
10/08/09
12/10/09
01/08/10
03/11/10
04/08/10

The school's address is:
1105 Pocopson Road
West Chester, PA 19382

Chester County Council 2009 Camporee

The 2009 Camporee is scheduled for the weekend of October 16 - 18, 2009 at Hibernia Park. More details will follow as they become available.

Meet your District Committee!

Hi everyone,

So, we have been pretty busy over the past few months... In the Fall of 2008, we went through a nominating committee process which led to our Annual Business meeting in December, where we elected Greg Walters to the position of District Chairman. Jim Caron returns as our District Commissioner, completing the Key leadership of Lenni Lenape District. We have additionally added several key positions to our committee:

Eric Barnes joins us as Training Committee Chairman. Ron Medykiewicz is serving us as FOS chairman for our District family campaign. Mike Steinberger, already a member of the Council Executive board, has taken on the role of chairing the finance committee. Dave Koepke is serving as Activities and Civic Service Chairman and is building a committee to plan/organize District Activities and manage Good Turn for America. Connor Harrison returns as our District Popcorn Kernel, managing and leading our Fall sales campaign and supporting LL unit sales. Tom Stalnaker continues to provide suport as our Chairman of the Advancement Committee.

Please extend a warm Lenni Lenape welcome to these key volunteers and contact us if we can assist you in your Scouting!

James Langer
District Director
Lenni Lenape District

December Roundtable

At our Annual Christmas themed Roundtable, being held at Peirce Middle school on December 11th, 7:30-9 PM, we will be serving holiday refreshment. Please let us know what you are able/willing to bring with you! Better still, please post a comment here so others may be aware of your plans as well. For more information, please contact Ray Coe at smtrp31@comcast.net or Jim Caron at JCaron1376@comcast.net.

Please plan on joining in on the fun and meeting the key leadership of the Lenni Lenape District! Roundtable is a great place to rub shoulders with your peer scout leadership, to get information about upcoming events and to share in the successes of fellow Scouters. We offer a monthly program for Cub Scouts (based on the monthly themes) and for Boy Scouts and venturers (based on program elements.)

For more information about Lenni Lenape's Roundtable, please visit our District page on the Chester County Council Website.

Hope to see you there!

NOTICE: Good Citizen Event February 4,5 2009

Have you recognized your scout lately??? We have an annual event in Lenni Lenape District where we acknowledge our Webelos Cub scouts and Boy Scouts age 14 or older who have earned recognition as good citizens. Boys become eligible for this recognition by doing a "good turn" as required by the Webelos Program. As older Boy Scouts, they can complete their Citizenship merit badges (Community, Nation and World.) Secondly, they should model behaviors and attitudes of "good citizenship," found in our Scouting program. This is a one-time recognition. If your scout has already received this recognition they are no longer eligible.

There is a $2 cost associated with this event, which defrays the expense of recognizing our youth and presenting awards.

This recognition event is held over two evenings in February, coinciding with the anniversary week of Scouting. It will be held starting at 7:30 PM on February 4th and 5th, Wednesday and Thursday of scout week. The event is hosted by the Chester County Court House, presided over by Judge Paula Ott (or her office.) youth are to attend in Full Class "A" uniform to receive their recognition. Please plan on arriving by 7:15 Pm, as parking may be a challenge.

There are forms on our Council website that parents or Unit leaders should download and complete. We need to receive these forms returned to the Chester County Council office on or before January 12th. This enables us to prepare and provide the recognition items for our youth. For the older Boy scouts, we additionally provide a Job shadowing experience.

The process for participating in the shadowing program begins with completing the "shadowing day" form, located on our website. Once we receive this form, we will then work to match up the forms with public officials who volunteer to arrange for the Scout to spend a day with them, learning about their work environment and the processes they follow.

If you have never heard of this event or want to participate, please contact Ann Marie Moore by phone at 610-431-7957 or by email at annfletchermoore@verizon.net. You can also contact our BSA office for more details.

Fall Recruitment Update!

Good Evening!

As I am writing this, with one week left in the month of October, Lenni Lenape District is closing in fast on having more Cub Scouts registered than in 2007 at this same point in time. Collectively, we need 27 Cub Scouts to be registered this week to be even with last year. At that point, we would also be showing overall growth, as we have drawn even with 2007 year end in Venturing and shown growth in Boy Scouts already over last year.

For the record, we only need about 100 Cub scouts to finish 2008 ahead of 2007 in total membership. Another 15-20 would put us in a balanced growth situation. YAY! Now, I know there are Packs that are still recruiting in November... I also have a strong suspicion that just about every Pack has kids that have joined lately but haven't turned in all their paperwork. Yet a few others are still rounding up their paperwork from their initial sign-up efforts.

The time is now! Two of our Packs have already qualified for the Drive-for-Five growth goal in advance of the November 17th deadline. Congratulations go out to Pack 108 and Pack 199, who both met the standard in September, after their initial sign- ups! There are at least four more Packs, including Packs 31 and 122, (who are both over last year's totals) that are within easy reach of this goal. Remember: if your Pack makes this growth goal, then your ENTIRE Pack qualifies for FREE Pinewood derby Cars at the December Roundtable!!!

A few of you (***and you know who you are***) have a large number of Cub Scouts to bring into our office! It would be greatly appreciated if you could make a special effort to bring those in before the end of October (this Friday.) We are having a successful Fall recruitment effort, and if we work as a team, I believe we will be successful in offering our top-of-the-line youth program to more youth than ever before! Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to do this year, as we build towards our 100th anniversary?

Thanks in advance for all your efforts to extend Scouting to our community youth!

Reminder: Roundtable Tonight!

Leaders of Lenni Lenape: The October Roundtable meeting scheduled for tonight is being held from 7:30 PM until 9 PM at the Chester County Council office, in the Main Board Room, downstairs. Please do NOT go to Peirce Middle School, as we will not be there until December's meeting.

The Boy Scout Roundtable plans to discuss next year's Fall Camporee as well as information leading up to the 2010 National Jamboree event. The Cub Scout side will cover program material for upcoming Cub Scout program. Units can also expect to see their Unit Commissioner, key District Leadership and to pick up their Troop Charter packets. There will be an update for Packs as well on their Drive for Five Goals.

Please make sure your Pack, Troop or Crew is represented at Roundtable!

Have you EVER been to Fort Mifflin?

Whoa! Check it out... The Chester County Council Boy Scouts are camping at Fort Mifflin!
On the weekend of October 3-5, 2008, Boy Scout Troops will be descending upon the historic fort for a weekend of historic good times. Webelos Cub scouts will be able to camp as visiting guests of Troops. All registered Scouts are welcome to attend on Saturday for the program events.

Our Fort Mifflin on the Delaware Camporee has many things to offer Units wishing to participate in an exciting, interactive camping event. The Fort may not be well known in Chester County but is single handedly responsible for allowing General Washington's troops retreat to Valley Forge for the winter. Valley Forge is considered the turning point of the Revolution, so without the gallant defenders of Fort Mifflin we might be speaking with an English accent today!

And history is just the beginning... Scouts will learn so much more about the fort that saved America and they'll get the opportunity to tour the Fort both during the day Saturday and Friday night for the authentic and well documented Ghost Tour.

That's right, Fort Mifflin on the Delaware is haunted!

In addition, there will be lots for the scouts to see and do including participating in musket firings and cannon demonstrations with live firings throughout the weekend. We'll cap the wknd with an exciting Saturday night Campfire program.
So come see the fort that saved America and join in the fun by registering on www.cccbsa.org!
Cub Scouts are encouraged to attend and should also pre-register (if possible) or , if pre-registering is not possible, just show up by 8:30 am Saturday at the Fort.

Directions to Fort Mifflin are available on the Chester County Council website at www.cccbsa.org.

September Roundtable - CANCELLED!

Hi everyone, the September Roundtable meeting, normally reserved for Thursday, September 11th, will NOT be held. Due to numerous conflicts with school calendars, the conflict of Unit Popcorn pickup at Tedco and Patriot's Day activities, we will not be offering any program in September. If your unit would benefit from commissioner guidance, please contact Jim Caron or myself by email and we will arrange a visit to support you!

Our first Roundtable this season will therefore be held on October 9th, at the Chester County Council headquarters, in the Board Room on the lower level. Part of the rationale behind this is that our major space conflict is with the schools (not able to meet there in sept., Oct., or April...)
All roundtables held in Lenni Lenape District begin at 7:30 PM, ending at 9 PM, and are scheduled to be held the second Thursday of every month, through June. Leaders are encouraged to gather at 7 PM for information, handouts and conversation with the Commissioner staff.

The November Roundtable, will be conducted as our first Council-wide Roundtable program, over at the Downingtown Presbyterian Church. Leaders are encouraged to gather at 7 PM for displays and information with a start time of 7:30 PM, ending by 9 PM. The program for this effort will be revealed on the Council Website soon, and directions to DPC will be available online.

We will return to Peirce Middle School for our December Roundtable, to he held on 12/11/08.
As it ever was, our Roundtable meetings are open to the "Scouting public", not just scoutmasters and Cubmasters. Please attend and bring your questions and ideas to share!

Where'd I go?

Hi everyone,

Yeah, it HAS been months without a post... but there will be a few coming soon.

I have been chasing other stuff for a while, but there's a lot coming up and the posts will be coming thick as thieves! I am in the middle of my move, but with the Fall season almost upon us and a little more free time, expect some updates shortly!

stay tuned...

Come, All Ye Faithful! Join The Team...

The Lenni Lenape District is reviving the tradition of holding monthly meetings of the district committee. Our meetings will be conveniently held on the first Thursday of every month. For now, we will hold them at the Chester County Council office, in the basement meeting room. They will start on time at 7:00 PM, and should end by 8:30 PM. We do not plan to meet as a committee in July, (and will meet in June for a brief meeting prior to the picnic at Oakbourne Park.)

We are actively pursuing willing and able Scouters to re-staff the committee in several vital areas, building towards our annual business meeting in December. Our goal is to fully staff the committee at the annual business meeting by electing a "slate of committee members" to serve in 2009, along with a District Chairman to lead the committee.

Our meeting this Thursday evening will focus on three areas of immediate impact to our district: First, we will be planning our wrap-up efforts for the Friends of Scouting campaign this year. Secondly, we will be addressing Spring recruitment efforts (and planning for a Tiger Day on July 11th, after Day Camp ends at noon.) Lastly, we will be setting up a New Leader Essentials Training for May 29th to meet some urgent training needs within the District.

Additionally, we will be discussing the criteria that we need to meet to achieve Centennial Quality District status. Our mission is to provide the service, structure and support that units in the Lenni Lenape District need to conduct a quality program for youth. If you would like to become a contributing volunteer on one of our operating committees, please share your interest with District Chairman Ken Domboski or District Director Jim Langer.

Please sign up today for the 2008 Sale!

Believe it or not, Council is mobilizing for the 2008 Popcorn Campaign!

To make this year’s campaign more satisfying for participating units and to entice others to participate, Council has raised the unit commission to 40 percent. Unlike in past years, where there were conditions to satisfy, the only caveat to this is that a unit increase their total sale from last year. Units that have not sold last year will immediately qualify for 40%! Units will do NO WORSE than 35%, but should have no trouble selling enough to get 40%.

However, to make adequate preparation for this year's sale, we still need our units to register online to sell popcorn. This can easily be accomplished by clicking on the link below.

http://www.cccbsa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=19&Itemid=135

The next step is to get organized. The “secret” that best selling units have is that they organize. In the days that follow, I will be following up with each unit to ensure that you have a volunteer recruited to lead your campaign.

I am excited to be back involved with the Popcorn Campaign this year. My objective is to help you reach the financial goals you set for your unit. Please feel free to contact me regarding your needs and concerns. I can be reached at Harrison@cpcuiia.org, Connor.Harrison@verizon.net, (610) 430-8607, or (610) 644-2100, 7557.

Eventually, Council will share everything you report to them with me. It would be helpful to me if you include me in your communications with Council regarding popcorn.

Yours in Scouting
Connor Harrison
Lenni Lenape Popcorn Kernel

Spring Tiger Program Opportunity

Hi everyone,

It's THAT time of year again...

Several of our more established Cub Scout Packs are conducting Spring recruitment drives for Tiger Cubs (both first graders and graduating Kindergarteners.)

In order to support their efforts, we are asking that they do a few specific things:
I. Have a recruitment/enrollment event in late May, early June...
II. Plan to have a minimum of 1 scheduled Tiger specific activity per month over the Summertime, on top of already scheduled Cub Scout programming...
III. Appoint a leader to serve as a guide for new Tiger cub families over the Summer.
IV. Make the commitment to offer Training to new leadership and interested parents. "Every youth deserves a trained leader."

If your Pack is interested in doing this or planning this already, please get in touch with us at CCC headquarters. We want you to be successful in this important growth opportunity.

How can we help you? Here's a few ways we can help:
I. We will be conducting at least one New Leader Essentials Course, along with Cub Specific, in late May or early June. Look for more specific details here, coming soon!
II. We will aid your efforts in flyering schools. Need to produce a flyer? Let us know!
III. We will come out and support your sign-up efforts. Let our Commissioner staff or myself know when you are planning your event. We'd be happy to lend a hand.

This leads to the other item I wished to discuss...

In 2007, on Friday (the last day of Day Camp at Oakbourne Park), an event was held for Tiger Cubs to attend. It appears to me that it was a "Tiger fun day" opportunity. The District is considering doing this again on the last day of Day Camp. The date would be 7/11/2008, the time likely from 10 AM until 2 or 3 PM, and the format similar to last year. What I want from all of you who may be interested is your feedback on suggested programs we could offer the boys. I plan to publicize the event (fun day) starting around May 1, but would like to develop more specifics first...

Please respond to this post either by email or by posting a "comment" to the Blog that you are willing to share with the group. This cuts to the heart of the purpose behind this tool... Collecting and sharing your feedback so others can benefit from your input as well as assisting in making program choices using large group input in a timely manner.

For direct assistance with planning your Summer fun and/or recruitment strategy, please email either Jim Caron at JCARON@travelers.com or myself at jlanger@bsamail.org.