Happy Thanksgiving

 

As families come together near and far to celebrate with food and fellowship while counting their many blessings, we would like to take this opportunity, too, to wish our Pack 1910 family a Happy Thanksgiving.

The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the culmination of a successful partnership and harvest between different groups of people and was a further testimony that people of all creeds can live in harmony.

So, this Thanksgiving, we give thanks to children of all beliefs who have joined into the brotherhood and sisterhood of Scouting for the purpose of the greater good. We are united in a common purpose to be a different breed of person... the leaders of the future.

Thankful are we for the opportunities presented to us through the Scouting movement and the ability to serve our chartered organization, our community, our family, our unit and our country.

Thankful are we for the opportunity to Do A Good Turn Daily by acts of selfless service to those in our family, school and community.

Thankful are we for the blessings of leaders and volunteers who give of their time and their many talents to lead these Scouts with purpose.

Thankful are we for the bright-eyed enthusiasm as we witness young boys and girls take on greater responsibilities and meet challenges they didn't know they could overcome.

Thankful are we for the freedom afforded to all Americans and for those who are willing to fight for it... whatever the cost.

Thankful are we to not get everything we want, but to continue to be grateful for what we have.

Thankful are we for the partnership with nature and the outdoors as we learn to live in harmony with our earth and protect it for the generations that will follow.

Thankful are we for the gift of a merciful and gracious God that hears our prayers. Oh great Scoutmaster of all, please be with all of our Pack families until we can join together again.

Until that time... Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

Register for CUB-O 2022 Now!

Save the date and make plans to join us January 8, 2022 at CUB-O, the annual Cub Scout orienteering event held at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch.

Cub-O is probably the most popular Cub Scout orienteering event in North America. A fun day of hiking and friendly competition for Cub Scouts, parents, and leaders. Orienteering (the use of map and compass to find locations) lets Scouts plan a journey and has been a vital skill for humans for thousands of years. Thousands of people participate in the sport each year in local clubs and competitions. Longhorn Council has two events annually for orienteering. One is for Cub Scouts (Cub O), and one is held for Scouts BSA (SCORE-O).

Early Bird Registration is $20 per scout and adult and includes a patch, liability insurance and a Cub-O keepsake map. T-shirts are available to purchase at registration. Additional attendees (attending, assisting or camping but not competing) can pay $8 for liability insurance only but must register and be paid.  

***We are required to have 2 registered adults for every den we have attending. If there is a doubt we will need you as a walking chaperone, please register!

Lunch is NOT included so please bring your lunch with you to eat before the race. Each team of 3-6 Cubs gets a Cub-O map half an hour before the race starts. Your goal is to hike in the woods and find as many of the orange and white orienteering flags as you can.  The more difficult they are to access, the higher the point value.

Plan your strategy to score the maximum point total possible in 2 hours!

Map training sessions for Cub Scouts and parents are held all morning. Not sure if they'll be virtual again this year. That will be communicated shortly.

This is a rain or shine event: extreme inclement weather (ice or snow) may cause a one week postponement. Weather announcements will be made on the Longhorn Council Website and on our blog as well.

Sound like something you want to do? REGISTER ONLINE HERE.  Early bird registration ends DEC 11. 

It’s fast, exciting, and FUN. And it’s all Cub Scouts. The locations of 40-50 orange and white orienteering flags are marked on the map and you and your team will go hiking in the woods to find them – or most of them! Each flag has a hole punch that you use to mark your scorecard. Flags are worth 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 points, depending on how hard they are to find. Your Den team will get a Cub-O competition map 20 minutes before the race starts. Then you plan a hiking strategy to find the most flags and score the most points in just 2 hours! You’ll stay warm ‘cause you’ll stay moving!

Cub-O is a team event for teams (Dens) of 3-6 Cub Scouts and at least 2 adults. Each team must have at least two adults registered for Cub-O. Be sure to dress warmly in layers and bring lots of water! Bring a compass and a watch so you’ll finish on time. All registered participants will get a Cub-O patch, our latest 5-color competition map, and a great day of orienteering.

Plan on about a 15-20 min drive from where Google shows the entrance to be.

We did not plan on this being a camping event but if the need exists, we can make it happen. Be sure to contact April.

T-Shirts Orders are LIVE!

We are ready to take orders for our new Pack 1910 t-shirts.  

These shirts are great for Pack events, camping or just wearing out to show your Pack pride. Anytime an outing calls for "activity shirt" or a "scout shirt" (especially at camp outs) or even  a "Class B" shirt -- this is what we are talking about. 

Shown above, the official Pack 1910 t-shirts are royal blue with red and white ink. Scouts are provided one t-shirt when joining the Pack from whatever inventory is on hand for their desired size (which could be different designs from whatever inventory we have in stock). Additional t-shirts for your scout, siblings or parents are priced as marked on the order page. Note -- larger sizes and moisture wicking shirts do have an upcharge. 

For new families - if your scout has NOT received their shirt yet, send an email to Stephanie Earnhardt at Smb1218@gmail.com . She is coordinating our Unit t-shirts.  She will make sure that your Scout gets a shirt ordered no charge to you.  However, if you want ADDITIONAL shirts, you will need to order those yourself.

Our official design is ALSO available in long sleeved, sweatshirt AND hoodies!  If you want to purchase one of these as a Christmas gift for your scout, be sure to indicate that on your order and she will insure that it's packaged so that your Scout won't see.  (Photos below)

  

Please note -- we do not order anything other than the 50/50 to keep in inventory. Additionally, we only place one order every couple of years due to minimum order requirements, so be sure to order your shirts now and maybe an additional one to size up to for when they grow. 

We are also offering for the Scouts the option of a moisture wicking NEON shirt!  Great way to find those Scouts at a campsite or Scouting event!  

And it gets better -- we have a NEW PARENT SHIRT!

DEADLINE TO ORDER IS NOVEMBER 28.

T-SHIRTS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PICK UP AT THE DECEMBER PACK MEETING.

 ****PLEASE NOTE:  At the current time on the website there is the option for a white tribal design on a cammo shirt. Due to supply issues, we were unable to source YOUTH SIZED shirts and this was a design FOR the Scouts. As such, we are going to be removing this option since most of our scouts don't wear adult sizes. If this option become available at a later date, we may do a special order for anyone that wants those. However, even if the design is still up as an option on the site -- DO NOT PURCHASE THOSE AS THEY ARE NOT YOUTH SHIRTS.

Place your order by clicking the icon below. You will be taken to our storefront on Kim's Kloset.

Recharter - Deadline December 1

 

It’s time again to recharter our Pack with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). As part of this process, each Scout and registered leader must renew their membership for the upcoming year (which includes payment of registration dues and ensuring your Health Form (Part A and B) is current). While our Pack operates on a SCHOOL calendar of June - May, registration dues for everyone are paid on a January-December basis.

Recharter dues for returning scouts for the 2022 calendar year are:
$150 without Scout Life magazine; or 
$162.50 with Scout Life magazine  

Leaders are $60 and require a new Background Authorization Form

FEE EXPLANATION

1) National Dues - This fee is paid directly to the Boy Scouts of America and registers your Cub Scout for the period January through December. Youth fees are $72, paid annually, prorated monthly ($6 per month) from month of joining.

2) Longhorn Council Insurance Fee - This $15 fee is paid directly to the Longhorn Council for the period of January through December. The annual Longhorn Council Insurance Fees are paid annually, prorated monthly ($1.25 per month) from the month of joining.

3) Scout Life Magazine - $12 per Scout, prorated monthly ($1 per month). Boys' Life is the monthly magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. It’s a fantastic read that reinforces Scouting and the good family values that are part of our program. This is totally optional.

4) Pack Fees - $63 (about $5 per month) The Pack charges an annual Pack Fee to help cover the cost of running the Pack. This fee includes all program costs and is set each year by the Pack Committee. At the very basic level, this covers your scout's rank specific neckerchief slide and neckerchief at bridging each May, advancement, awards, badges, patches, pins, adventure loops, hiking awards, ceremony supplies, and the like. As you can see, there are a great deal of tangible goods that each scout receives annually just for doing what they do! This doesn't even begin to cover the other costs... just what our scouts receive.

Thus, we rely heavily on fundraising to ensure an awesome program for our youth. Simply stated, our Pack is POWERED BY SCOUTS and it will take us all to ensure we can have a successful fundraiser!

Membership renewal commitments are due no later than DECEMBER 1.

Our charter expires December 31 and there is a GREAT DEAL of paper chasing to take place before then. 
PLEASE do not make us chase you for filing your paperwork.

Say it with me now... ya didn't file your paperwork... 

Checks should be made payable to Pack 1910. If you would like to pay via credit card, that can be done through Paypal on our Payment page.  If you choose to utilize the payment page which is processed through PayPal, the processing fees are passed onto you rounded up to the nearest $0.25.

Without registration commitments, we cannot recharter you (as a registered leader) your Scout. Awards and rank cannot be recorded for unregistered Scouts.

While we try to streamline this as much as process, there IS paper involved -- we need a new health form for anyone that hasn't submitted one within the last year. We need completed YPT certificates for all parents with their Scouts if you have not supplied those via e-mail.  All leaders must be trained for their positions prior to recharter. All registered leaders need to have their YPT renewed THIS YEAR. 

Please know we NEVER want finances to be a reason that a child cannot participate in Scouting. If you have a need for a scholarship, please reach out to April Driggers. She will have you complete a scholarship form. Our request of you is that you actively participate in our Unit and our fundraising programs.  If you are waiting on one for the 2022 Scouting year, they will be emailed this weekend. Thank you for your patience.

Thank you for your assistance in making this as painless and streamlined of a process as possible. I appreciate everyone's prompt attention to this matter. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact Alison Ford who handles all things Membership.

PAYMENT PAGE IS HERE

Scout Salute to our Veterans

 

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Today we pay homage and give thanks to all of those who have served this great nation of ours from the United States Navy to the United States Army to the United States Air Force to the United States Marine Corps to the United States Coast Guard and each branch of reserves.

Scouting has a history rich in military service as well.  Robert Baden-Powell, the father of Boy Scouts, was a British officer with a long military career.  Much he learned along the way in his military career directly correlated with how he established scouting.  As it stands, many of our current military academies are home to a considerable amount of Scouts - over 1/3 of the cadets at West Point were involved in scouts and 16% are eagles; over 20% of the Air Force cadets were in scouting and 12% are Eagles; and 25% of the Naval Academy midshipmen were in Scouts and 11% are Eagle Scouts.  Though it's not the only way, it's definitely a great path to being a part of something much bigger than yourself.

So, today, we humbly give thanks to those who have signed their name on the line and said, "Whatever it takes... I'm here for America."  Those are the kind of courageous men and women we honor today.

Some interesting facts from History.com about veterans:


The brave men and women who serve and protect the U.S. come from all walks of life; they are parents, children and grandparents. They are friends, neighbors and coworkers, and an important part of their communities. Here are some facts about the current veteran population of the United States.

There are approximately 21 million military veterans in the United States.

• 16.1 million living veterans served during at least one war.

• 5.2 million veterans served in peacetime.

• 2 million veterans are women.

• 7 million veterans served during the Vietnam War era (1964-1975).

• 5.5 million veterans served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present).

• Of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II (1941-1945), about 620,000 are still alive.

• 2 million veterans served during the Korean War (1950-1953).

• 6 million veterans served in peacetime.

• As of 2014, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.

• As of 2014, 3 states have more than 1 million veterans in among their population: California (1.8 million), Florida (1.6 million), Texas (1.7 million).

• The VA health care system had 54 hospitals in 1930, since then it has expanded to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 live-in care facilities for injured or disabled vets.

We remember your sacrifice. We honor your patriotism. To quote President Coolidge, "The Nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.”

You are all invited tonight at 7pm to the North Texas Field of Honor at Keller Town Hall for a flag retirement ceremony conducted by Troop 1910.  

Coat Drive Turn in TOMORROW

 

Don't forget TOMORROW is the turn in date for the One Warm Coat Coat Drive that we are doing for our Scouts to earn his or her Messengers of Peace. 

Please be sure if you've asked your neighbors for donations, you follow up with them for donations. Great time to clean out those closets!