Year 2013, No. 9  --  May 1, 2013
 

Ron Walsh Out of Office for Several Months

Ron WalshCouncil Program Director Ron Walsh is recovering at a Santa Barbara area convalescent care center. In the middle of May, assuming all goes well, he will reenter Cottage Hospital for surgery on his knee. After a few days recovery, he should be able to return home for recovery for several months.

Ron is busy working from his hospital bed and keeping up with the well wishes of Scouts, leaders, and friends. If you wish to send Ron get-well wishes, send them to him, c/o Rancho Alegre, 2680 Highway 154, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

 

Bryan on Scouting

More and more Scout Leaders are subscribing to the blog of the Editor of Scouting Magazine, Bryan Wendell, for up-to-date information on the Scouting world. Bryan recently published these articles which might be of interest to many of our Los Padres Council readers:

In addition to these articles such as Ask the expert or special offers for Scouts, there are articles and contests with interests for all.  To make this blog part of your personal reader go to this url and sign up for some very interesting and informative reading - http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/author/scoutingmagazine/

Cal Poly offers special Chemistry Merit Badge workshop

Alpha Chi Sigma is holding a Chemistry Merit Badge Day at Cal Poly, Saturday May 11 (yes, the same day as the Animal Science Merit Badge) from 9 am to noon. There is no cost for this event.

If you want more information about this event and to register, please contact Troop 308 Scoutmaster Nate Maas at http://natemaas@sbcglobal.net.

For this event, you should obtain and read the Chemistry Merit Badge pamphlet and download these three documents:

NRA Dinner and Auction

The Santa Barbara Chapter of the NRA (National Rifle Association) has been most supportive of Los Padres Council and Scouting. Through annual grants the last few years we have been able to open a new Shotgun Range at Larsen Meadow (includes night lighting and a security container), donated new equipment, and provided materials for gun safety. As a Council we are most thankful for these gifts.

The NRA is able to do this through their Annual Dinner and Auction. This year's dinner will be at the Santa Barbara Elks Lodge, 150 No. Kellogg Ave, on Saturday, June 1st, beginning at 5:30 pm. There will be a live auction, silent auction, and special drawings. Dinner tickets are $50 each. There are also special package deals for group participation. For more information about this event, click here for a brochure.

Friends of Scouting

It's the beginning of a new calendar year and once again we begin anew our annual Friends of Scouting campaign.

This year's theme is "Scouting Builds Future Leaders."

To schedule your FOS presentation at an upcoming Blue-Gold Dinner or Court of Honor, please call your District Executive.

How is your District doing? How much did your unit give to this year's campaign? When will the Appeal be made at my units. These questions and others will be answered by clicking on your District's FOS web page.

Del Norte - Camino Real

Live Oak - Cachuma - South Coast

The statistics on the District FOS pages are prepared by your District Executive. If there is a problem, please let him or her know.

To download a special brochure about FOS, click here. For the special LDS unit FOS brochure, click here.

In addition to any money that you pay to your unit, it takes at least $150 annually to support your Scout and keep our facilities open. FOS makes this all possible. Your donation is tax deductible, and we will work with you if your employer has a matching contributing program.

Please be prepared to give to FOS, or go online at the Council's website and make your pledge.

Camp French Sustaining Committee

Camp French LogoIt's not too late to support the drive to keep Camp French open. Contributions may be mailed to the Council Office at 4000 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110, or online the Council's website:  (https://www.doubleknot.com/Registration/CampaignDetail.asp?activitykey=1323401). For years the Council has been operating this camp at a financial loss which is now established to be at $65,000 annually. This is impacting other program areas of the Council's operations. Please make your contribution soon as the Executive Board needs to make a decision soon.

Cub Scout Day Camps

Three of the Districts plan on holding Cub Scout Day Camp during June this year. Below are the locations and dates.  This year's theme is Galactic Trek. So get your rocket ship fired up and blast over to the site near you. Please click on the link to obtain more information and registration forms.

South Coast District - June 17 - 21 - Bishop Garcia Diego High School, 4000 La Colina Road, Santa Barbara
Camino Real District  - June 24 - 29 - Camp Mable French, Lake Lopez
Del Norte District - - June 17 - 21 - Paso Robles LDS Church (Creston Road)

New Year Program Kick-offs Scheduled

ATTENTION ALL UNITS!!

IT’S TIME TO START PLANNING YOUR UNIT’S UPCOMING PROGRAM YEAR!

JOIN YOUR DISTRICT FOR THE 2013-2014 PROGRAM KICKOFF!

FREE – Program Planning Packets for Each Attending Unit!

Prizes! Fun! Fellowship! Fun! Up to Date Resources! Fun!

Interactive Information Booths on Training, Camping, Advancement, Unit Fundraising, Activities, and Finance!  You will be able to pick up your unit’s free copies of the following: program helps; pocket calendars; training dates; membership materials; district calendar; and information on upcoming council/district activities and events for the coming year.

The Los Padres Council will be holding Annual Program Kick-Off meetings in each district. This is a very special event that all Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Advisors, and Committee Chairs should plan on attending. Items to be covered at the event include upcoming activities and events, program planning, 2013-2014 calendars, and much more! All brought to you by Friends of Scouting donations! The calendar for next year can be viewed on the Council website. Calendar

Please take the time to attend this event. If your unit leader cannot attend please send a representative on your unit's behalf. A light dinner will be provided for $5 each person!

So, Join Your District for the Fun Beginning at 6:00 P.M. at the Site Listed Below.

District Program KickoffDEL NORTE DISTRICT
WHEN:  Thursday, June 6, 2013
WHERE:   Atascadero Scout Hut
Hot Dogs, Chips, Drink Meal available for $5.00
RSVP TO:  Jillian Shumate; jishumat@bsamail.org

CAMINO REAL DISTRICT
WHEN:  Thursday, May 22, 2013
WHERE:  San Luis Obispo Elks Lodge
Hot Dogs, Chips, Drink Meal available for $5.00
RSVP TO:  Jillian Shumate; jishumat@bsamail.org

LIVE OAK DISTRICT
WHEN:  Thursday, June 20, 2013
WHERE:  Santa Maria LDS Stake Center, 908 E. Sierra Madre, Santa Maria
RSVP TO:  Angel Ortega; angorteg@bsamail.org

CACHUMA DISTRICT
WHEN:  Tuesday, June 4, 2013
WHERE:  Mother Hubbard’s, 373 Avenue of the Flags, Buellton
RSVP TO:  Justin Jepsen; jjepsen@bsamail.org

SOUTH COAST DISTRICT
WHEN:  Thursday, May 9, 2013
WHERE:  Santa Barbara LDS Church; 2107 Santa Barbara St.
Hot Dogs, Chips, Drink Meal available for $5.00
RSVP TO:  Andrew Royster; aroyster@bsamail.org

Cub Scout Recruitment Nights Planned in San Luis Obispo County

Do you know of a young man who would benefit from being a Cub Scout? Two Come See Recruitment Nights are planned in SLO County. The first is May 22nd in Paso Robles from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Central Park. The second is May 30th at a place to be determined. Cub Packs should contact District Executive Jillian Shumate to arrange for an activity and a table for recruiting new members into the unit.

Catholic Committee on Scouting

There are two active Catholic Committees on Scouting within the Los Padres Council.  In San Luis Obispo County which is part of the Monterey Diocese, Troop 60 Scoutmaster Steve von Dohlen is the chair, and Deacon Ed Callahan, also from Troop 60, is the Chaplain.  For Santa Barbara County (Archdiocese of Los Angeles), Zea Bauer (who is also the Council Registrar) is the Chair and Deacon Wayne Rascati is the Chaplain.

Activities for Religious Emblem programs are beginning in each area. Cub Scouts can begin working on the Light of Christ (Tiger, Wolf, and Bear) and Parvuli Dei (Bear and Webelos) at any time. For recognition at the Scout Sunday Mass (February 2nd), requirements should be completed by January 15. You can contact your Chair or Deacon for more information. Sessions for Ad Altare Dei (Jr. High and High School) begin in September. For Pope Pius XII (Venturers and High School age Scouts) can be done at a three weekend program in the fall and winter. The first session is at Rancho Alegre (overnight) on October 26-27. The next two sessions are day sessions in Simi Valley and Ventura respectively on January 11 and February 8.

Female Ventuers have always been eligible to earn the Pope Pius XII award.  Effective immediately female Venturers, Sea Scout, and American Heritage Girl may now earn the Ad Altare Dei Award.

For programs in your area, contact any one of the indivduals above.

For Scouts of other faith who want information about eligible religious emblem awards that they can earn can review the list on the Religious Activities page of this website, or by contacting Wayne Rascati.

Order of the Arrow

OA LogoOrdeal is coming up on May 17-19 at Rancho Alegre. We will be working on some major camp improvements at Rancho Alegre, such as trail safety, our Low COPE Course, and campsite renovation. Hope you can be there to work side-by-side with our Ordeal Candidates. Online registration is now available.  Registration Form.

Have you paid your 2013 Dues yet? Still only $15. Click here to go online for a form or make the payment.

Rancho Alegre Summer Camp Registration Opened April 1st

Rancho Alegre Boy Scout Summer Camp Merit Badge and Program Registration opened up on April 1st as promised. It was amazing to see all the registrations come pouring in during that first week. Advance registration is essential if you want Scouts to get their first choice in program selection. Advance registration of classes allows the camp to plan by adding additional sessions of a program where possible and to order the correct number of supplies for each program area. If your unit is attending Rancho Alegre this summer, get your registrations in now (this is good advice for any camp you may be attending). To get registration forms and schedules from the Council website, click here.

Schedule the Date

Rancho Alegre Camp Work Day - May 11th. Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity and Council volunteers will be in camp assisting with the projects. APhiO is the National College Scouting Fraternity.

Memorial Day FOS Weekend - Rancho Alegre is open on the Memorial Day weekend for overnight camping and day activities for FOS Contributing families. It is our way of saying thank you to those individuals and families that contribute a minimum of $150 to our Friends of Scouting campaign. Come enjoy the pool, handicrafts, shooting sports, archery, nature, and all the other great areas that make for an enjoyable weekend. Your Friday night dinner will be served by our staff as well as a cracker barrel after the campfires and movie night. For more information contact Justin Jepsen, BSA Director of Field Services at 967-0105.

Woodbadge - September 26-28 and October 17-19. The first weekend is at Rancho Alegre; the second is at Camp Three Falls in this course hosted by Los Padres and Ventura County Councils. Woodbadge is the ultimate Scout training leadership program. Fee is $240 if paid in full at least 30 days prior to the start of the sessions.

Summer Camp and Programs - Check out our different Summer Camps and Training Activities coming up later this year. Click here to go our camp web page for any of these events.

  • Lifeguard Academy - June 24-28
  • Staff Training Week - June 30 - July 6
  • Boy Scout Camp (Traditional) - July 7 - 13
    • Applications now being accepted for Provisional Scouts and Day Campers
  • Boy Scout Camp (LDS) - July 15-20
    • Venturing Days (LDS) - July18-20
    • Cub Scout/Primary Day (LDS) - July 19
  • Cub Scout Resident Camp - July 21-24

National Youth Leadership Training - August 5 - 10 at Rancho Alegre (coed course). Applications for participants are now being accepted. For more information and to enroll your youth leadership, click here.

Below you will find a list of some upcoming Council-wide events for Los Padres Council. To register and/or pay for any of these events, click on the line and it will take you directly to the registration page. Included in the calendar are major civic and religious activity dates as well as dates of college testing for college students. This enables units to plan activities around these events. For events beyond the last date, click on the link to the calendar.

Subscribe to this feed

To find out about upcoming Scouting events, log on to the Council website at www.lpcbsa.org. 

This newsletter to our valued Scouters in the Los Padres Council is issued twice monthly on or about the 1st and 15th of each month. Deadline for articles is four days prior. Send all articles, pictures, etc. to the webmaster at RanchoAlegre@cox.net.