Westchester-Putnam Council, BSA - Algonquin District

Official Notice of the 2010 Annual District Meetings
The Annual Meeting in each of the 5 geographic Districts of the Westchester-Putnam Council, Boy Scouts of America is scheduled to be held as follows during the month of April 2010:

Algonquin	April 16, 2010, 7:30 PM	St. James the Less Church, 10 Church Lane, Scarsdale, NY
Four Rivers	April 15, 2010, 7:30 PM	Wartburg Center, Wartburg St., Mt. Vernon, NY
Manitoga	April 20, 2010, 7:30 PM	Van Cortlandtville Elementary School, Route 6, Van Cortlandtville, NY
Mohican	April 21, 2010, 7:00PM	Hawthorne Scout Service Center, 41 Saw Mill River Road, Hawthorne, NY
Muscoot	April 20, 2010, 7:30 PM	Somers Intermediate School, 240 Rt. 202, Somers, NY

The purpose of the meeting is to:
1. Receive reports from District Committees
2. Receive the report of the Nominating Committee
3. Elect District Members–at-Large, District Chair, Vice Chair
4. Conduct new business

Suggestions for Members-at-Large and District Committee Members should be made in writing by March 15, 2010. Suggestions may be mailed to:
Westchester-Putnam Council, BSA
41 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY 10532
Attention: Name of District - Nomination Committee

Nominations from the floor are not permitted. All are welcome to attend, however, only Chartered Organization Representatives, District Members-at-Large, and Council Members-at-Large (who live in the District) are eligible to vote.

Sixth Annual Two Guys Character Building Invitational
Supporters of Algonquin's Community FOS Campaign recently enjoyed an evening of fun and fellowship at the Sixth Annual Two Guys Character Building Invitational in Rye. Special thanks to Bill Langham (pictured with Scout Executive Marc Andreo) and Paul Knudsvig for coordinating the event which was attended by 48 participants who helped raise more than $4,000 in contributions for the 2010 FOS campaign.

Chairperson's Corner
Dear Pack, Troop, Venture Crew, and District Leaders,

Below is link to a summary of the January 20, 2010 District Meeting. The summary presents the reports of the various Chairpersons and our discussions on the direction and developments of Algonquin District plans. Hopefully you will find it useful in understanding "what the District Committee" does, and in planning your Unit's calendar.

Yours in Scouting,
Ed Mann
Algonquin District Chairperson

District Committee January 20, 2010 Minutes [PDF, 37K]

Four Rivers & Algonquin District Klondike Derby
20 troops from the Algonquin and Four Rivers districts gathered at Camp Bullowa on Saturday January 23rd for a fun fill day of Klondike derby activities. 175 scouts and their leaders participated in a number of events testing the Scout skills. These skills included fire building, knots and lashing, snow snakes, and team building exercises. A special thank you to both District Program Chairs, Donna Ragusa and Mike Amico along with their committees that organized this event.

View Photos of the Four Rivers & Algonquin District Klondike Derby 2010

Pack 11 Rye Does a Good Turn!
Church of the Resurrection of Rye, Cub Scout pack 11 Rye was busy last month, collecting used sneaker for Kids with Sole, which sends donated shoes to children in Liberia. When the drive was over, the scouts rubber banded and boxed each pair- 580 in all!

If you have a story from your Pack, Troop or Crew doing a “Good Turn” or an event that happen and would like to have it posted here please contact dconniff

Unit Service is Provided by the District Commissioner Staff
Volunteers called Unit Commissioners provide direct coaching and consultation for unit adults to help ensure the success of every Scouting unit. The most important thing a commissioner does for a unit is to develop a close relationship with unit leaders to prove that somebody cares about him or her. This person is the connecting link between the Boy Scouts of America and the unit leader. This person does at least three things each month for each unit:

1. He or she visits a unit meeting or the unit committee meeting and stays long enough to give and take information about the unit program.

2. He or she phones each unit leader between unit meeting visits to see if help is needed.

3. The commissioner makes a thorough appraisal of each unit’s needs for successful operation and seeks out the resources of the district to meet those needs.

Additionally, the unit commissioner helps units prepare for charter renewal and leads them through the process and the Quality Unit application process.

Currently there are 12 people who are registered Commissioners in the district. If your unit needs some help or guidance, District Commissioner Tom Robb may be contacted and he will get one of these unit commissioners to help support you.

The District Committee Carries Out Four Functions of District Operations
The Algonquin District has a group of over 20 people assigned to carry out the following four operational functions to support the program of the units in the district. These are Membership, Finance, Program, and Unit Service. Each of these functions has sub committees that carry out tasks and activities designed to ensure the growth and success of Scouting units within the district territory. A quick summary of each function is:

Membership: The Membership function strives for growth through the organization of new Scouting units and growth through new members joining existing units.

Finance: The Finance function sees that the district provides its share of funds to the total council operating budget through the Friends of Scouting campaign.

Program: The Program function concentrates on helping Scouting units with camp promotion, special activities including community service, training adult volunteers, and youth advancement and recognition.

Unit Service: The Unit Service function provides direct support to each unit within the district.

Conservation Resource Guide
Conservation is a basic part of the BSA mission. Scouting embraces Leave No Trace, requires conservation-related activities for rank advancement, and encourages conservation service projects to the community. The new Conservation Resource Guide identifies Westchester-Putnam agencies engaged in nature and conservation activities. Organized by District, the Guide is intended to enable ‘one-stop’ access for any Westchester-Putnam Scouts and Scouters seeking sites for troop conservation projects, nature-related advancements, or outdoor activities (including William Hornaday Award, Leave No Trace Award, Boy Scout Rank Advancement Nature Requirements, and Eagle Service Projects).

Webelos to Scout Transition
It should be the goal of the Cubmaster and Webelos Leaders to graduate every Webelos Scout into a Boy Scout troop. The key to accomplishing this is to begin promoting Boy Scouting when Cub Scouts are still in their Tiger, Wolf and Bear dens, and to sell the sizzle of the great outdoors. Scouting should be viewed as an ongoing adventure, and the progression should be as normal as moving from elementary school to middle school.

Boy Scout troops should assign an Assistant Scoutmaster or a troop committee member to be responsible for new Scouts, which would include developing a relationship with the Cubmaster and the Webelos Leaders. This person serves as a resource during Webelos overnight activities and builds enthusiasm among boys and their parents for the exciting challenges that await them in Boy Scouting.

Training
Would you send your son to school on a bus whose driver was not trained? Would you feel comfortable knowing that your child's teacher wasn't trained? Of course not! Why don't we hold our Den Leaders, Cubmasters, and Scoutmasters to the same standard. While there are literally hundreds of possible training courses that you can take in Scouting, to be considered a TRAINED leader you must complete two courses, New Leader Essentials and the Specific training for your position. Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) training is for any Cub Scout leader with a desire to plan and carry out any outdoor experience for the pack.

Roundtables
The Algonquin District Roundtables are held the first Monday of the month at Sts. John and Paul RCC School, Weaver Street in Larchmont, 8:00 p.m. Each Pack and Troop is asked to have one or more leaders in attendance. Why?? Because the Roundtable is when the theme for the next month is going to be discussed, ideas exchanged, announcements made about future District and Council activities, leader training courses, and recruiting ideas for units. Adult leaders and parents are always welcome.

Commissioner Corps
The District Commissioner's staff meets the first Wednesday of the month at St. James the Less in Scarsdale at 7:30 p.m.

A unit commissioner is a friend to the Scout unit - troop, pack or crew - and provides information and assistance to the Unit Committee. Often, a unit commissioner is someone who was once involved in a unit, and now has time to share their experience with other Scouters in their communities. Commissioners provide many services to the units they serve. Their primary responsibility is to be the liaison between the unit and the district. They will occasionally attend committee meetings, and also attend unit meetings at other times. They will always make themselves available for ideas and will be a resource for help and guidance.

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