Meeting Notes from Troop 874,

December 11, 2008

Supreme Sports Club December Outing. The annual outing to the Supreme Sports Club, 7080 Deepage Drive, Columbia, will take place on Saturday, Dec 13. The event will begin at 10:30 pm and will end promptly at 6:00 am on Sunday. Mr. Benz has scheduled an action-packed event which includes individual and team challenges such as the Iron Man Challenge, the 10 Ton Team Challenge, and relay races and other activities in the pool. Scouts should wear appropriate athletic attire. A musical jam session is also rumored to be in the planning for the late hours of the event. Parents MUST pick up their scout at 6:00 am on Sunday morning. Scout leaders who attend this event and who do not return home before sunrise are known to become moody, sullen, withdrawn, subject to unscout-like behavior and humorless for long periods of time. Help them get home before sunrise!

Patrol Equipment. All tents and patrol boxes MUST be returned to the regular troop meeting on Thursday, December 18. All cooking equipment must have been cleaned since the last camping trip. Tents should have been set up to dry and have been cleaned since the last camping trip.

Senior Patrol Leader Elections. SPL elections are scheduled to take place at the January 2009 trip (January 16-18). Candidates must hold the rank of First Class Scout and be a member of the second year Ranger Program or the Venturing Program. Scouts must also meet with the Scoutmaster before the election takes place. This is an incredible opportunity to mold the scouting program and to implement the SPLs vision of scouting in Troop 874. Answer the sound of the Troop knocking at your door!!!

January 2009 Trip. Scouts and adults who intend to attend the January trip to Camp Tomahawk in West Virginia should provide $20 per person. Scouts should provide funds to their patrol leaders and adults may provide funds directly to Mr. Ken Springer. All funds must be received by Dec 18.

Flower Delivery for Glen Mar United Methodist Church. Our sponsor, Glen Mar UMC, has requested assistance in delivering poinsettia plants after the Christmas services. Volunteers will deliver plants to members of the Glen Mar community from December 27 through December 31. The immediate troop point of contact for this service effort is Scoutmaster Kevin McGovern (scoutmaster.troop874@gmail.com). The troop is looking for an adult to serve in this capacity for this very short period.

Skiing Trip in February 2009. Permissions slips are available for individuals interested in skiing in February. Initial payments of $75 are due. See Mr. Dave Eddy.

American Odyssey Relay Race. We are closing in on submitting a team for the American Odyssey Relay Race. Interested scouts should complete the attached registration form and return to Mr. Hunt ASAP. The fee is $100 and the check should be made to Troop 874. Permission slips and funds should be submitted by Dec 31. Many have expressed interest but no formal commitment has been received. The Troop hopes to field a team of at least 8 scouts and 4 adults. See the attached flyer and permission slip. For more information contact Mr. Bud Hunt or Mr. Todd Pearsal

Service to US Armed Forces Service Members. Scouts who participated in the BSA 2008 Fall Popcorn Sale are invited to participate in homecoming events organized by Operation Welcome Home for approximately 250 U.S. soldiers returning home through BWI Airport each week. Below are dates of homecoming events for returning troops in December. A Popcorn table will be made available at all Operation Welcome Home events from December 17th - January 31st. All Scouts, volunteers and parents that participated in the 2008 Fall Popcorn Sale are invited to attend to hand out popcorn to the returning Troops. It does not matter if you personally made a military sale. Everyone who participated in the Fall Popcorn Sale has made this effort possible. To date, nearly $30,000 worth of popcorn has already been distributed or is on its way to soldiers in all branches of the service including our National Guard members who are deployed to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Bosnia as well as thousands working here in Maryland.

Below are homecoming events scheduled for December. Additional dated for January will be provided as they become available. Eligible scouts and parents may also sign up at the Operation Welcome Home website to receive dates directly and to receive the year-round schedule.

Participants must register for the events directly with the contact listed next to thepreferred date. Additional instructions will be provided directly from Operation Welcome Home. Details can also be found at: http://www.operationwelcomehomemd.org/

Dates and organizers:

Wed, 12/17 @ 8:15 pm - John Flynn (operationwelcomehome@comcast.net)

Thurs, 12/18 @ 1:00 pm – Kathy Thorp (navyfam6@comcast.net)

Sat, 12/20 @ 8:15 pm – John Flynn (operationwelcomehome@comcast.net)

Mon, 12/22 @ 2:30 pm - Kathy Thorp (navyfam6@comcast.net)

Tues, 12/23 @ 7:30 pm - Ken and Lisa Funk (klfunk@comcast.net)

Sun, 12/28 @ 9:30 pm – Larry Shipley (lwsaturn@gmail.com)

Mon, 12/29 @ 8:45 pm - Ken and Lisa Funk (klfunk@comcast.net)

Tues, 12/30 @ 1:45 pm – Larry Shipley / Barbara Flanagan (lwsaturn@gmail.com / baflanagan@verizon.net)

Information worth repeating:

Den Chiefs Needed. There is a critical need for Den Chiefs in local Cub Scout Packs. Being a Den Chief is a great way to fulfill leadership requirements for rank advancement. It is also a great way to influence Cub Scouts to join Troop 874. See Mr. Will Land for more information.

Eagle Projects. Mr. Bob Scarburgh has information on possible Eagle Scout Projects at Patapsco Valley State Park. See Mr. Scarburgh during a troop meeting or e-mail.