Definitions
- Pack – We are Pack 1910 chartered to the Golden Triangle Rotary Club Foundation, and meet at Keller United Methodist Church.
- “Chartered” – Each unit is established by a charter agreement between a charter organization and the local BSA council.
- “Local BSA council” or “council” – The national
structure of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is broken up into smaller,
localized councils. Pack 1910 is part of the Longhorn Council, based
out of Hurst, TX which serves the youth from 23 counties in north central
Texas.
- Den(s) – Dens are smaller groups that meet more regularly and work on various activities toward earning their Rank.
- Ranks - The cub scout program is broken up by school grade, each named for the award/rank they are working to earn that year. Kindergarteners are Lion Scouts, 1st grade – Tiger, 2nd – Wolf, 3rd – Bear, 4th – Webelos (We'll Be Loyal Scouts), 5th – Arrow of Light (AOL).
Youth Protection
You are aware that there are some not-so-great people in our world. To help you understand the steps the Boy Scouts of America have and continue to take to ensure the safety of every scout, we encourage all parents to view the current version of the Youth Protection Training. You can create a profile and take this free on-line course here: www://my.scouting.org. This is required of any adult to participate in a campout or event.
Costs
We think Scouting is a
valuable program, and with value comes costs. To keep things brief, I’ll
explain these costs in four categories: BSA, Pack, Activities, and
uniform. After this initial year, the first three can be paid in sweat, by
fundraising (explained later).
BSA: The fee you paid during the
online application process were sent directly to the local council for
membership in the Boy Scouts of America, this paid for “big picture” items,
such as the council staff and facilities, leader training, insurance, etc. For 2024 this is $92.
Pack: Our Pack charges an annual
registration fee that pays for your scout’s individual awards, patches,
program materials, etc. The payment page can be assessed through our website. For 2024, this is $65 / year.
Activities: Occasionally the unit hosts activities
such as tours or campouts that have additional costs, for only those that
choose to participate. Also, there are events hosted by the council and
other groups that have costs associated with them (ex. District day
camp). Costs can range upwards from $20 for a typical weekend campout (assuming you have personal camping gear).
Uniforms:
Our pack encourages
each scout to have a uniform shirt, neckerchief, slide and belt. Uniform
socks, shorts, pants, and hats are optional. Lions optionally can wear just the
lion t-shirt and belt. A blue uniform shirt is worn by Tiger, Wolf, Bear
scouts, while a tan shirt is worn by the older Webelos and AOL scouts.
Awards, ranks, and activity patches are typically included in fees discussed
above, as a new member the pack will provide one “1910” unit number
patch. Our unit maintains a “pack closet” of used items, for those that
prefer to avoid buying the sometimes-expensive uniforms directly from BSA,
either at the office in Hurst or online at http://bsauniforms.org
Meetings
Most dens meet a couple of
times a month with just the scouts of their same age (and a Den leader) at a
den meeting, this is when the bulk of the learning and earning of awards takes
place. Once a month all the dens come together (usually on the 2nd
Tuesday) for a Pack meeting. The monthly Pack meetings are typically
themed, and have some special activity, but are also where scouts receive
awards, and sometimes get to compete against other dens.
Hiking / Outdoor Activities / Camping
Fundraising
To help offset costs, the
unit holds two main fundraisers each year. In the Fall, the Popcorn
fundraiser runs from August to October and helps to cover a majority of the
large general expenses of running the unit, your scout can earn annual registration, participation in campouts and some activities just by selling for a
few shifts in front of a local store. In the spring, selling “Camp Cards”
helps to reduce your costs of your individual scout’s participation even
further.
Volunteering
All the Pack leaders you see in uniform are parents of scouts in the Pack, who have volunteered, been trained, and put in the effort to help make all of our children’s time in Cub Scouts valuable and fun. By creating an enjoyable program, they want to participate in, we can “sneak” in valuable lessons about why they should follow the principles of the Scout Oath and Law, and maybe expose them to something new and unexpected that could spark an interest in a hobby or career later on in life. Each year we have turn-over in the pack leadership when those same parents watch their scouts move on to a Scouts BSA Troop. The more parents that volunteer to help, the less each volunteer has to do. So I ask, What are you willing to help with to make your child’s experience in scouting better? No one know it all, no one can do it all, we just ask everyone to do what you can.
