LEC 3 Minute Update – November 11, 2021

Brrrr, it's a cold one down here in Antarctica! I'm here because I saw a swingin' deal for a plane ticket to the north pole to see Santa, but I misread the ticket. And now I'm here at the wrong pole. But don't mind me and my bad bearings: here's what you need to know this week:

Award Nominations, Recharter Help Sessions, In-person YPT updates, Roundtables, Scout Shop Sales, Online Advancement Updates, Quiet Time at the office, and merit badge class monitors.

Our office will close at 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 19th, and won't reopen until 9:00 a.m. Monday, November 29th. Additionally, the staff will be unavailable to answer emails, calls, or take any meetings, during this time. It's not because we don't love you all and want to talk Scouting: it's that we need to be able to connect with our families and decompress.

This also applies from 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 22nd, and goes thru 9:00 a.m. Monday, January 3rd, 2022.

Now, if there is an emergency issue, something that truly cannot wait, there will be an "officer of the day," if you will, who will be available via email. Specifically, the lecmembercare@scouting.org email. And only that email.

We ask if you do have questions or concerns, to bring them to our attention before these quiet periods. And, remember: charters are still due by December 10th. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you, also, to spend as much time as you can with your family and loved ones during this holiday season. This year, we hope you can actually get back together and host a big family dinner, unlike last year.

 There's a new session of in-person Youth Protection Training offered this coming Monday, the 15th, in Painesville from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. This is in addition to the training offered in Chesterland on Saturday. Go to the council calendar and register today! Contact Paula Puchajda with questions.

 Speaking of Paula, Knives are 25% off at the Cleveland Scout Shop now through November 17th: prove just how sharp you are and save!

 Did you know: Internet Advancement and Scoutbook users don't need to send advancement reports to the Cleveland office or Scout Shop? (That includes the Firelands store as well.) The system automatically syncs the advancements the Scouts have earned, and we can see that in real-ish time. (Perhaps the system 24 hours to update before stopping in.) Make sure all of your Scouts are synced onto your roster, it's that easy!

 Silver Beaver, Unit Scouter Award, and Division Award of Merit nominations are due to Paula Swiner by December 15th. Nominate a Scouter who has given their all in 2021 to keep this movement moving!

Merit Badge Class monitors are wanted for 2022 Merit Badge programming. Folks willing to assist merit badge counselors in the room by providing 2-deep leadership, order with the Scouts, and other general help, is much appreciated! Let Noah Boksansky know if you'd like to share your time as a Merit Badge Monitor.

Roundtable continues tonight at Beaumont! Virtual roundtables are next week, check out the council calendarfor those links.

Recharter help sessions are available for folks in Northfield this Saturday from 1-3pm, in Norwalk this coming Monday, and North Olmstead this coming Thursday. Both of those sessions run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Check the council calendar for details, and don't hesitate to stop by and see your friendly neighborhood commissioners if you have any questions about recharter.

Lastly, as of yesterday afternoon, the Lake Erie Council welcomed 756 new Scouts to our ranks! It's an exciting feat, and our field staff is still working to bring that number to 1,200. Why? Because why stop at 1,000? Be a part of this amazing success, and make sure your unit has turned in all the youth and adult applications you have. (And don't forget: adding members before your recharter process makes your life WAY easier!)

And that's a frozen breakfast wrap for this week! Thanks for all you do and thanks for being you! I'm Jake Brown, and I'll update you next week on my quest to find Santa!

 Santa!? Santa?! Santa, are you there?

LEC 3 Minute Update – November 4, 2021

Que the Christmas Music and pull out your ugliest sweater folks: Halloween is past and therefore its time for one of many winter holiday themed 3 minute updates!

I’m Jake Brown, and here’s what’s on the docket this week:

The Scout Shop giving tree, the faith and citizenship open house at Firelands, recharter help sessions, and the Cub Scout programming survey.

The Cleveland Scout Shop is hosting it’s annual giving tree charity drive. Scouts from families who could use assistance in completing their uniform, getting new rank books, or with any other Scouting gear-related expenses are encouraged to get in touch with any Scout Shop employee and fill out the information sheet at this link before November 11th. These items will then go onto the giving tree, in the Scout Shop, where good Samaritans can pay a piece of Scouting forward to said Scouts. All recipients of the giving tree remain anonymous, as do donors. Questions should go to Paula Puchajda at the Scout Shop. Paula.Puchajda@scouting.org.

Speaking of gifts, you may be wondering, “Golly, I wonder what that nice man with the loud voice on the 3 minute update wants this holiday season?” Well, I’m happy you asked! The answer is easy: a complete, issue-free charter, turned in by the on-time deadline on December 10th.

And there are holiday deals to help you get there! On November 13th, 15th, and 18th will be recharter help sessions in Northfield, Norwalk, and North Olmstead, respectively. Please see the Council calendar for details. The premise is simple: commissioners and/or Michelle Cali and/or myself will be present to walk you through the new recharter system. Can’t make it to these sessions but want help? Please reach out to me, and we can schedule a private zoom session at almost any time.

Firelands Scout Reservation is hosting an open house for faith and civic community leaders from across the Lake Erie Council on Tuesday, November 9th, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. This is open to organizations who currently host Scouting groups, as well as those without Scouting ties. Please spread the word, and let Jason Setser know if you have any questions. RSVP’s are due to Jason.Setser@scouting.org by Monday the 8th.

Do you care about what Cub Scout Programming we offer at our camps next year? Take our survey to share your thoughts! The link is here.

And that’s a wrap for this week’s 3 minute update! Thanks for all you do, and thanks for being you! We’ll see you next week!

LEC 3 Minute Update – October 28, 2021

Hello, and welcome to this week’s three-minute update! I’m Jake Brown.

It’s Halloween this weekend, and there’s nothing on the calendar! We hope you’ll enjoy the break and participate fully in the trick-or-treating fun, I promise we will!

This week on the docket, we have popcorn, and Silver Beaver/Unit Scouter Award nominations, upcoming Cub Events, Stewards of Beaumont, in-person youth protection training, the upcoming St. George trek, and this week’s fun fact!

Let’s dive right into the fun fact: what kind of mistakes do ghosts make? BOO-BOO’s!

And speaking of boo-boo’s, Wilderness First Aid is happening at Beaumont November 12th thru 14th. Send Noah Boksansky any questions you have!

Cub Haunted season is over, and we thank the over 1000 Scouts and Scouters who came out and enjoyed a fun-filled weekend! But that doesn’t mean Cub activities are over for the year, not at all! Next weekend we have the Ultimate Webelos Woods Showdown at Firelands, followed by STEAM Cub Overnighter at Beaumont November 13th-14th, and the Spy Adventure Cub Fun Day at Firelands November 20th. In December, there’ll be two Holidays at Camp Opportunities at Firelands, December 4th and 11th.

Popcorn take orders are due to Heather McMillan by next Wednesday, November 3rd, so please don’t delay in sending them her way. Payments are due November 12th, and pick—ups for those orders are the 18th and 19th. Please let Heather know if you have any questions, or need more product!

The Stewards of Beaumont is November 16th, held virtually. Registration is $100 per person: please send your questions over to Phil Williams.

Silver Beaver Award and Unit Scouter Award Nominations are due to Paula Swiner by December 15th, let Paula know if you have any questions.

The next in-person Youth Protection training opportunity is on November 11th at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Norwalk, OH. There’s another opportunity on November 13th in Chesterland as well. Please register now, and let Paula Puchajda know if you have any questions.

The St. George trek to Philmont is coming up July 6-21, 2022, and the Cleveland Diocese’s Committee on Catholic Scouting wants to nominate 1 high-school aged male and 1 female to attend. Both attendees will receive a $500 scholarship to attend this vocations-based retreat with other high school-aged Scouting youth and Catholic religious from around the country! Nominations and questions should go to Jim Hickey at FourGreenfields70@gmail.com.

Lastly, I’d like to take a moment to honor a great colleague and friend here at the Lake Erie Council, Brittany Dunne. Brittany has decided to pursue her other dreams in life outside of Scouting, and she leaves after 11 years working for the BSA, beginning with her CIT staff week at Beaumont Scout Reservation in 2009. She’s been a bedrock of programming in the Council for years, has been a great mentor to many of us, and whose work ethic inspires many. Please join me in congratulating Brittany for her many years of service, and I mean it when I say you will be missed.

And that’s a wrap for this week’s 3 minute update! Thanks for all you do, and thanks for being you! We’ll see ya next week!

LEC 3 Minute Update – October 21, 2021

Hello, and welcome to this week’s three-minute update! I’m Jake Brown.

This week, we’ve got updates to NYLT, summer camp, recharter, and Silver Beaver/Unit Scouter Award nominations, roundtable, Stewards of Beaumont, in-person youth protection training, and this week’s fun fact!

Let’s dive right into the fun fact: what do churches and laser guns have in common? PEWS!

Now you’re not going to find any laser guns or churches here, but if you’re interested in being a Range Safety Officer in the Scouting shooting sports program, you should attend the training November 10th at the Unit Service Center. NOT Beaumont, I lied last week! It’s in Cleveland from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Lunch is provided during the training. Questions? Shoot ‘em over to Julia!

First, here’s an update regarding NYLT: the dates have changed! The course will now be held June 12-17, 2022. Put it on your calendars, and encourage Scouts to attend!

Recharter is open. Remember folks: the system is new, and you do NOT need an access code. Instead, you’ll follow this link and enter with your username and password for my.scouting.org. It’s only available to Key 3 leaders, or their official delegates. And be sure to go to lecbsa.org/resources/charter-renewal to see training videos and step-by-step instructions. Questions should to your commissioner, or Michelle and myself.

It’s not too late to register for in-person Youth Protection training this weekend: do that now so you can attend our Elyria session, hosted at St. Jude’s Church at 590 poplar St. It starts at 1:30 p.m., please send Paula Puchajda any questions you have.

Virtual roundtable is tonight at 7:00 p.m., and the next round of in-person Roundtables will be November 10th, in Berea and at Firelands, and November 11th at Beaumont.

The Stewards of Firelands virtual event was a rousing success, funding over $27,000 in camp projects to keep the camp beautiful and useful. Thank you to all who attended and donated to such a noble cause!

Of course, those with a soft spot for Beaumont in their hearts should also know about the Stewards of Beaumont event, November 16th, held at the Unit Service Center in Cleveland. Registration fees are also $100, please send your questions over to Phil Williams.

And lastly but not leastly, Silver Beaver Award and Unit Scouter Award Nominations are due to Paula Swiner by December 15th. It’s not that far away considering the nominating process, so please begin those nominations now, and let Paula know if you have any questions.

And that’s a wrap for this week’s 3 minute update! Thanks for all you do, and thanks for being you! We’ll see ya next week!

LEC 3 Minute Update – October 14, 2021

Thanks for tuning in to 3 minutes. I'm Jake Brown. 

Camps remain busy through the fall, with many activities for Scouts and Scouters of all ages. At Beaumont, there is Wilderness First Aid Training November 12-13, a Cub Scout Fall Overnighter November 13-14, and a Range Safety Officer Training on November 13th.Contact Noah Boksansky, Brittany Dunne, and Julia Hearne, respectively, for questions about these upcoming events. Roundtable at Beaumont is this evening at 7:00p.m. sharp, as it always is on the 2nd Thursday of each month.

Klondikes at both camps are also coming up right around the corner, so stay tuned to the Council calendar for further updates.

At Firelands, these are the upcoming events: the Fall Camporee October 22-24, a Webelos Woods Ultimate Showdown November 5-7, and a fall Cub Fun Day on November 20th. Also important is the upcoming Stewards of Firelands fundraising dinner this coming Monday, October 18th, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Registration is $100.00 this is a virtual event. Contact Genny Espinoza, Brittany Dunne, and Phil Williams or Danny Thomas, respectively, with questions for these events.

I am Anthony Dworning,

Scouting happens everywhere, and everywhere folks are getting ready for the recharter season. The recharter sandbox period ends tomorrow. Note that your recharter experience will be the easiest if new youth and adults have registered, either online or with paper applications. It is best if that is done soon, before opening the recharter portal. A video tutorial, along with written resources and how to's, are all available on the council website, lecbsa.org/resources/charter-renewal. Contact Jake Brown or Michelle Cali with any questions.

In-person YPT is still available as a supplement if it is needed for charter renewal. Elyria, Norwalk, and Chesterland have locations and dates on the Council calendar, with more upcoming. Note these sessions will be cancelled if no one is registered for them.

The Cleveland Scout shop's camping sale ends this Saturday. Buy $75 in camping gear, and receive 10% off. $100 in gear, get 15% off. And $150 or more in gear earns you 20% off. Stop in and see Paula, Riley, or Liam for details.

And popcorn take orders are due to Heather McMillan on November 3rd.

I am Noah Boksansky,

The future is promising for many Scouts, with so many fun and exciting adventures on the horizon. The Council still has room for your troop at Resident Camp next summer, so book your week today! Contact Noah Boksansky with questions.

 The National Jamboree is set for July 19-23, 2023 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve. And the World Jamboree will be held in South Korea August 1-12, 2023. Send inquiries to Phil Williams. We'll see you next week here, on 3 minutes.

LEC 3 Minute Update – September 30, 2021

This is a new type of updated delivered in the same 3 minutes. I’m Jake Brown.

The sandbox trial period for the online recharter system is open, and Key 3 unit leaders or their delegates can test the system from now until it goes fully live and official on October 15th. Go to  https://advancementspp.scouting.org, and use the same login credentials you have for Scoutbook. There you’ll find the recharter tab and can begin learning how to use this online software. Contact myself or Michelle Cali in the unit service team if you have any questions, and stay tuned for further details surrounding recharter.

Recruitment is steadily moving in the right direction! The Lake Erie Council welcomed 453 new Scouts between August 1st and yesterday. 447 of those were Cub Scouts. That’s almost double the total of Scouts recruited in all of 2020. Yet the work of growing our ranks is non-stop, and now is a great time to focus on current plans for recruiting, and making new ones focused around fall activities and Halloween.

Unit leaders, make sure your leads in Invitation Manager, and online applications in Application manager, are followed up with and completed in a timely fashion. Reach out to the Unit Growth Team with any questions.

For popcorn, note the following three updates: the amnesty deadline is now October 11th. Any additional product you need, Heather has. And chocolate covered pretzels are now in stock. Call Heather to get the hookup. There are no returns for pretzels.

Our camps continue to host top-grade Scouting experiences for all age levels. The Wood Badge/NYLT Fall Fellowshipregistration closes tomorrow, so sign up now! Contact Linda Gray with questions. There is also SM Basic Training at Firelands that weekend of October 8th-10th. Wilderness Engineers is at Beaumont this weekend.  If you haven’t registered yet, please contact Chris Fortunato at the email below. Cub Haunted follows Wilderness Engineers for the next 2 weekends, and that 3rd weekend is an open event, the Fall Family Fun Festival, a day only experience that Saturday. Contact Brittany Dunne for more information.  There’s also a silver screen overnighter at Atlas Cinemas in Elyria on October 16th. Contact James Vanderpool for more.

In-person Youth Protection Trainings are October 24th in Elyria, November 11th in Norwalk, and November 13th in Chesterland. These YPT sessions will count toward the YPT requirement for leaders who need it. Stay tuned for another date and location. I’m Anthony Dworning.

Our final story, I am Grace Prorok. Shooting sports requires a lot of credentialed volunteers in order to ensure a safe range. Rangemasters offer age-appropriate instruction to Scouts, and are qualified to oversee BB gun, Air rifle, Archery, Wrist-Rocket, and Water-Rocket activities. Scouters interested in earning this certification must attend one zoom session on either October 5th, 12th, or 19th, and one in-person session on either October 9th, 15th, or 22nd. The zoom session must be taken before the in-person session, and costs $5. The in-person session costs $25. You’ll find these trainings on the Council calendar. Questions should go to Julia Hearne.

We’ll see you next week, either with a 3-minute update, or if we decide to write a script like this again, 3 minutes. Have a great day.

LEC 3 Minute Update – September 23, 2021

 Mornin’, all! And welcome to this week’s 3-minute update. I’m Jake Brown.

Hey, this week we’ve got a lot to cover: there’s the Wood Badge and NYLT Fall Fellowship, Cub Haunted, beascout.org, roundtable, in-person YPT, BBAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

Sweet jeepers, holy cannoli! Why??!! Ugh, recharter just popped up out of the corner of my teleprompter and scared the daylights outta me. Oy vey, is it really that time? Yeah, I guess it is. I must be having fun, because time’s flying this year.

Alright well, recharter is around the corner. Here’s the biggest news you need to know: recharter is now completely, entirely, fully online. From roster checking to payment, the whole process will now be done on the computer.

Of course, that means there’s a new online recharter system from national. And I haven’t seen any more of it than you have. But on Tuesday, September 28th at 9:00 p.m., national will be hosting a webinar training for the use of this online system.

Anyone can register for this training, and the link to do so is here: Webinar Registration - Zoom. We especially want Committee Chairs and Commissioners to attend this virtual meeting. More local trainings will be announced in the coming weeks.

The portal to begin recharter opens on October 15th. If you have any questions about recharter, please reach out to your commissioner, Michelle Cali, or myself.

Ok, now that nightmare is covered, let’s move into other scary stuff: Cub Haunted! There was some confusion last week about the third weekend, so allow me to clarify: weekend 3 of Cub Haunted is open to all, not just Scouts, and is referred to as the Family Fall Fun Festival. Programming is Saturday only; Packs or Troops can choose to stay overnight, and work through the weekend portal on 24/7 to reserve such accommodations. Ask Noah Boksansky your overnight questions, and send Brittany your program-related questions. Volunteers from Troops are still needed for the first and 3rd weekends!

And during that first weekend of Cub Haunted, there will be the Wood Badge & NYLT Fall Fellowship in Camp Gray on October 9th. Registration closes soon, so please do so now!

Roundtable is virtual this week and starts at 7 tonight. Get your zoom links by registering on the council calendar. In-person roundtables resume next month: please check the Council calendar.

In-person youth protection training is offered this Saturday at the Unit Service Center downtown at 9:00 am. It’s not too late to sign up if you need it, please see the online portal for details. On the west side, we have confirmed dates and times for in-person YPT. as well: Sunday, October 24th at 1:30 at St. Jude’s Church in Elyria, and Thursday, November 11th at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Norwalk at 6:30pm. Dates, times, and locations on the East side are still getting confirmed, so stay tuned.

SM Basic is upcoming at Firelands from October 8-10. Scoutmasters: get trained! Please send questions to Pat O’Leary.

Lastly, check your email for beascout.org leads! New families are looking online to get more information, so pull your phone out for Scouting and Check your Email!

That’s a wrap, thanks so much for keeping the Scouting flame burning, and we’ll see you next week.

LEC 3 Minute Update – September 17, 2021

 Mornin’ all! Thanks for tuning in to the 3-minute update. I’m Jake Brown, and this week: we’ve got a simple lineup for y’all: Cub Haunted, popcorn, Scout shop updates, the Fall Firelands Camporee, the WB/NYLT Fall Fellowship, and this week’s fun fact.

But first, here’s a great joke for you: what’s an owl’s favorite drink? HOOT-beer! Oh, oh I do love a good knee-slapper!

And speaking of owls, you should attend the NYLT/Wood Badge fall fellowship event on October 9th. Registration is open for two and a half more weeks, please send Linda Gray your questions.

Speaking of Beaumont, keep these on your calendar also:

Wilderness Engineers weekend, the first weekend in October, for adults to come out and help beautify camp and/or make it more functional. Bring your friends out and enjoy a steak dinner at the end of a hard day’s work! Questions should go to Chris Fortunato.

Cub Haunted follows up in October for the next 3 weekends! Cub Scouts: what weekend are you going? You’ll get to do all the fun things you’ve heard about at school talks and join nights!

Also, calling all Troops: weekends 1 and 3 are still in need of Scouts BSA youth to help staff the event. Contact Brittany Dunne for questions.

Don’t forget that the Cleveland Scout shop is open until 6p.m. on Thursdays from now until October 31st. And uniform tops are 25% when you buy the bottoms, also until the 31st! Stop in today!

The leaders’ guide for the Back on Target Camporee at Firelands is published on the event registration page: check it out, and we’re stoked to see you out there October 22-24!

And lastly, here’s the fun quiz of the day: At the end of a join night, what should you have? Is it A) a full sign in sheet with parent and child names, grades, emails and phone numbers? Is it B) An empty box of recruitment thocthkis, because they’ve all been given away, or C) a stack of filled out, signed, and paid youth and adult applications? Take a moment to ponder that.

(Jeopardy theme music)

If you’re answer was All of the Above, then you’re prepared for fall recruitment! Remember, everyone: folks who show up to join nights are already interested, they just need confirmation that their plan to join is a good idea. So be welcoming, be organized, and be ready to say “My kid’s experience in Scouts is great. And mine has been, too! I want you to share that same positive experience, and that begins tonight, right now, with a paid fully filled out youth application.”

After all, folks: leads are great, but leads don’t recharter. So get your attendees signed up at your join night! And whatever you need before your join night to be prepared for such things, please let Jim, Michelle, Matt, Julia, or myself know.

And that’s a wrap! Thanks for all you do, and thanks for being you! I’ll see you this weekend at Beaumont’s 75thCamporall!

LEC 3 Minute Update – September 9, 2021

 Mornin’ all! And here’s your 3-minute update!

We begin with a note from the Catholic Committee on Scouting: AD Altarae Dei and Pope Pius the Twelfth awards will be run out of St. Bede the Venerable church in Mentor from October to February. Register to earn these awards by contacting Steve Roos, whose email is below. Roos6@sbcglobal.net.

In the Cleveland Scout Shop, Thursday hours are extended to 6pm for your convenience. Also, uniform bottoms are 25% off when you buy the tops. This sale and extended hours apply through October 31st.

Don’t forget to chalk up the town this weekend during the LEC chalk-a-ton. Check out this link to find sample captions and posts to share your message virtually.

Roundtables are live again! Berea and Firelands were last night, and Beaumont’s is tonight. Virtual options exist and will begin on the 23rd. Email Chip Reed with questions. C3107lope@gmail.com.

The 75th Camporall at Beaumont is still free, and all are welcome, including from the public. Cub Haunted, the NYLT and Wood badge Fall Fellowship, BALOO training, Rangemaster Training, Webelos Woods, the OA Fall Fellowship, and Wilderness Engineers weekend are all approaching at Beaumont in the next couple weeks to months. Please see the Council calendar for handouts and contacts for questions.

At Firelands, we also have SM Specific training, the Back on Target Fall Camporee, and the Stewards of Firelands approaching at the same time. Again, see the council calendar for details.

Our virtual wealth planning seminars, beginning on Sept. 13th. See this link to register, and email Todd Gaydosh with questions.

Lastly, there will be an in-person Youth Protection Training hosted at the Unit Service Center Saturday, September 25th, from 9:00-1:00 p.m. Questions should go to Steve Ott, his email is below. There will be other in-person YPT opportunities in October and November across the council, stay tuned for details. And that’s a wrap! See you next week!

LEC 3 Minute Update – September 2, 2021

Mornin’, all! Welcome to the 3-ish minute update from the hardware store. But before we do anything, we have BREAKING NEWS! The Swingin’ Deal and Hot Steal of the Century, folks: The 75th Camporall is now FREE! That’s right, zero dollars and zero cents. Overnight camping, coming out for the day, DOESN’T MATTER! You’re attendance is FREE! We especially thank the Thomas Gray Foundation for their generous support and making this event the most accessible we’ve ever made it! If you’ve already paid, you can either receive a refund, or elect to leave your payment as a donation to the Council. You decide, but let Noah Boksansky know your decision via email!

Additionally, use this event to help you recruit new Scouts! Spread the word, share the news, and invite your friends/interested families/ any potential new Scouts to join us at Beaumont! People, it’s a FREE day event where you can experience all the cool stuff Beaumont has to offer. So if you don’t have a recruitment plan yet, you’ve been saved by the FREE bell! Here’s your chance to make this the recruitment event of a lifetime!

Share it on social media, include the message in with your schools, shout it from your rooftop! A better opportunity to get new families to have a taste of Scouting like this is more rare than a blue moon, so seize the chance!

Ok, getting past the breaking news, let’s jump into the news that some of you are most concerned with: the state of my hardwood floors. Why you’re interested I’m not sure, but I’ve gotten a lot of messages about them: so here’s the before, once we pulled back the carpet and linoleum. And this is the after; that’s 9 total passes of a sander, plus a coat of stain and two coats of polyurethane.

Now folks, I love simile. If you don’t know what that is, ask your high school English teacher. But these floors are like Cub Scout Packs. How, you ask?

Well, just like being a brand new leader in a Cub Scout Pack, I had no idea how to see through my vision of these floors when I started the project. But once I saw the finished product in my head, I rented the tools and searched for the information necessary to help me get it done. I had to alter plans a few times, and it took a full team to see it through: shoutout to my parents for driving up from Akron every day after work to help with this. And at the end of it all, my floors are not perfect: but they look good, and they’re something I can be proud of.

Maybe your Cub Pack, in its post-2020 state, looks and feels like my floors did in the before picture. I promise you, it’s very possible to build up your Cub program again. Find a vision of what you want your Cubs to experience, achieve, and learn, and then reach out to friends and mentors to help you build a plan to make that vision a reality. If you don’t have friend or mentors, you can also call us here at Council, and we’ll be both for you!

And of course, now, it’s also important to spread the word and invite new families to join you in seeing through that vision. And there is a lot of promise for success out there right now: Pack 3333 in Sheffield Lake and Pack 150 in Chagrin Falls have both had join nights with 20+ families registering that night. So make full use of the flyer, video, yard sign, and tchotchke request form, and share how great an impact Scouting has had on your family with as many other parents as you can!

In other news, let’s cover: Roundtable, BALOO, SM specific, the NYLT/WB Fall Fellowship, Cub Haunted, the Firelands Fall Camporee, and a wealth planning session.

First: Roundtable’s BACK! Are you excited? Well settle down there, Jethro, its just Roundtable. In-person sessions will be at Firelands and Berea at 7pm on the 8th, at Beaumont in the Augustus on the 9th, and virtually on the 22nd and 23rd. Roundtable is a supplemental training opportunity, and a great way to network with other Scouters in the area. Topics covered at all will be the same, so if you can’t make one, stop on by to another! Questions? Email Chip Reid. C3107lope@gmail.com.

BALOO training for Cub Leaders is next upcoming on the weekend of Sept. 25 and 26 at Beaumont. It’s a chance to practice living like they do in the Jungle Book! Oh, no wait, no that’s not right. It’s actually a training for how to be prepared as a Cub Leader at a Pack overnight outing. Questions should go to Rebecca Setty. Rebecca.setty@gmail.com

Similarly, SM Basic training is next upcoming from October 8-10 at Firelands. Contact Pat O’Leary with questions here. phobsa@att.net

Friendly reminder the NYLT/WB Fall Fellowship is still upcoming at Beaumont in Camp Gray on October 9th: Early Bird Registration ends tomorrow at midnight, so sign up now! Email Linda Gray with questions. Linda.gray@scouting.org.

Cub Haunted registration is open and live: check out the Council calendar for dates and details. Email Brittany with questions. Brittany.Dunne@scouting.org

There’s a fall Camporee at Firelands also Oct. 22-24 for Troops; email Lisa Shrock for questions. lmshrock@gmail.com

Lastly, this goes out to anyone involved in estate planning: we are hosting a continuing education seminar for you virtually! Check out this link for more details on sessions and dates/times. And email Todd Gaydosh your questions. 16th Annual Estate Planning Seminar (etapestry.com) Todd.Gaydosh@gmail.com.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap for this 3-ish minute update! I hope you enjoy your Labor Day weekend: I know I will doing manual labor on the floors in the other rooms of my house. And until next time, Scout on!