Golden Words

 Troops travel all over the country, and world to attend events like Jamborees or even to High Adventure Bases like Philmont, Summit, Sea Base or others. These are world renowned locations with challenging adventures providing memories never to be forgotten.  How far would you travel to go to a Scout Camp? We can presume that if you are going out of your local council that either, 1: your troop likes to visit lots of different camps, and so you don't really have a home camp that you regularly attend, or 2: you have found a really good one that exceeds your expectations. There could be other reasons, such as extenuating circumstances regarding your troop, or the local camp, but generally those that go out of council fall into these parameters, so... Again, how far would you travel, not as an individual, or a family to go to Scout Camp, but as a troop? What kind of radius? One hundred miles? Five hundred miles? Over five hundred requires an overnight, at least, if you are drivin...

 Tomorrow, Cub Camp at Camp Geiger ends, and the staff prepares for the first session of the Scouts BSA adventure on Sunday. While it is true that many on the Camp Staff are paid, including yours truly, it is equally true that most are lucky to break even for the season. Many of these staff members are true volunteers, meaning that they are working simply for room and board, and for those that don't live in camp during the summer, just the food. Many are retired or have jobs that allow them the summers to serve. Some are teachers, many others are college students, bypassing jobs that earn far more, so that they too can serve. So why do they do this? For the kids, of course. They have participated in the Scouting program for many years, perhaps since they were young boys. That was me. But many also joined Scouting as adults, as their youth were registered. They served as Den Leaders, Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Members of Committee, and so on. They are the rides that take not only the...

 Here we are at Feast. The annual tribal event that heralds the new camping season, gives opportunity for members to meet together, to honor those that have passed during the last year, and to elevate a new Chieftain. It is a time of brotherhood, as well as training for the various paint stations as Camp begins.  The various paint station retreats, as they are known, initially started as simply the Runner's Retreat, to include Tom-Tom Beaters, as they potentially may be made Runners during the course of the season. This training is done to teach these youth basic youth protection, including youth on youth protection, as well as other aspects necessary to be an excellent Runner.  Scouting BSA is serious on these kinds of safety issues, having learned lessons through the courts about how past practices weren't enough, which, sadly, has a commonality through all organizations that deal with youth.  The Boy Scouts of America has led the way for volunteer groups in advanc...