Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Trapper Trails Council Scoutmaster Honored at 2009 National BSA Meetings

Elton Sutherland was selected by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America from a large list of nominees as one of 17 "Distinguished Scoutmasters". Elton and his wife Kathy were honored at the National Meetings held in Orlando, Florida held in 2009.

Elton started as an Assistant Scoutmaster with troop 17 (Chartered with Our Savior's Lutheran Church) in 1996. He became the Scoutmaster 6 months later and held that position for 13 years. Meanwhile, he has served as District Committee member, on numerous training staffs including Wood Badge, and is currently the District Food Drive coordinator. He has received the District Award of Merit, Scoutmaster Award of Merit, and is a Silver Beaver recipient. Recently, Elton helped in the formation of a Venture Crew through Our Savior's Lutheran Church and serves as Crew Assistant Advisor.

Elton takes every Scout request seriously and prayerfully. If the Unit, District, or Council asks Elton to help with something, his first consideration is how Scouts can be better served if he takes on the task. He seeks out opportunities for youth in the co-ed crew he works with to serve and to grow. He has spent 14 years encouraging new Scouts and Eagle Scouts.

He has touched lives of youth, parents, and other Leaders in significant ways.

Elton enjoys scouting and the people it has led him to know. Who can ask for better people to be friends with than Scouters?

Congratulations to Elton Sutherland for receiving the prestigious honor as one of 17 NATIONALLY recognized Scoutmasters to receive the Distinguished Scoutmaster Award.

2010 Philmont Training Center Schedule Announced

Ever had the desire to attend the Philmont Training Center? This is your year! Follow the link to find out more information about course dates and pricing. Do not miss the opportunity to attend state-of-the art training.

Go to: http://www.philmonttrainingcenter.org/courses/index.html

Have You Heard About Kodiak?

The Kodiak Venturing leadership course is unique in that it is offered in an exciting and challenging atmosphere using whatever high-adventure resources you have available. Your crew or council could offer a course backpacking or rafting down a river away from your council or in your local area. Kodiak teaches leadership skills in a fun way that is internalized by the Venturers who take the course. In other words, it is a challenging high-adventure trek with a simple and fun leadership course included. Kodiak is not taught indoors or in a classroom; it is done completely outdoors using nature’s examples of leadership.
It is …
1. Fun!
2. Relevant to each participant’s life.
3. Internalized by participants.
4. Based on nature.
5. Based on the servant leader concept.
6. Course Methods

It is taught by two instructors (one adult and one youth if possible) in an "instructor team."

Only five skills are taught. They are called "commissions." The five commissions are:
1. Effective Teams
2. Values/Vision
3. Communications
4. Decision Making
5. Planning

It is based on symbolism using the Kodiak bear. Commissions are introduced with a hands-on exercise followed by a short presentation, then reinforced with one or more exercises. It uses constant reinforcement. It creates an older teen leadership fraternity.

Check out more about Kodiak at: www.kodiak-bsa.org

Effective January 4, 2010. . .

Trapper Trails Council recently announced personnel changes affecting several districts in the council, effective Monday, January 4, 2010.

Kim Hardcastle will serve as District Executive for the Lakeview district
Gary Weeks will serve as District Executive for the Mt. Ogden district
Graham Allen will serve as District Executive for the Island View district
Tom Hunsaker will serve as a Exploring Executive seeking new partnerships with groups and organizations throughout the council to sponsor Exploring units.

Please refer any questions to Director of Field Service Michael Jenkins at 801-479-5460.

Council Announces the Hiring of New District Executive

The Trapper Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America recently hired Graham Allen to serve as a District Executive for the Island View District. The Island View District annually serves more than 2,500 registered youth and 1,000 volunteer leaders in Sunset, Clinton, West Point and Clearfield.

Allen started work for the Trapper Trails Council November 2nd. He is responsible to oversee District program development, youth recruitment and involvement, Unit leadership training and District fundraising. Additionally, Allen has been assigned to direct the Council’s local Cub-day camp, Camp Fife, located outside of Tremonton.

“We are excited to have Graham join our team,” Michael Marchese, Trapper Trails Council’s CEO and Executive Director of Scouting said. “His professional skills, personal drive and motivational energy move people and accomplish tasks that benefit boys and volunteers.”

Prior to working for the Trapper Trails Council, Allen worked as a Public Relations professional.

Allen recently graduated from Weber State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.

We welcome Graham to the Trapper Trails Council team! Expect GREAT things from him. He brings charisma and talent to serve you!

100 year Celebration Activity #1: 100 year Birthday Dinner

Be honest with yourself . . . the kid in you LOVES birthday parties. The first official centennial celebration activity will be a birthday bash fit only for a centenarian! The 100-year birthday party will not only serve as the kick-off to the year-long celebration, but will be an event never to be forgotten!

The setting for the event will be at the eclectic Eccles Conference Center in downtown Ogden. Phenomenal displays, entertainment from local musician Jon Schmidt, outstanding guest speakers Tico Perez (BSA National Commissioner) and Utah Governor Gary Herbert, flag ceremonies, and an elegant dinner will all be a part of the evening.

What would a Scouting event be without singing? You will not want to miss the gathering of 700+ Civic, Community, Religious, and Scouting leaders singing “Happy Birthday” to an organization deserving of such recognition!

There could be no better way to celebrate – with scouting friends old and new! Talk to your friends, neighbors, and family members. MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS EARLY! Tickets for this event will be available December 1, 2009, and will not last long!

Who participates: Adults old and new, young or old!

Location: George S. Eccles Conference Center
2415 Washington Blvd. Ogden, UT 84401

Date: Friday, February 12, 2010

Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Cost: $30.00/person
$300.00/table

Registration: Online at www.trappertrails.org

Leave A Legacy – Centennial Awards Requirements: Fulfills elective Character Award
requirement

Trapper Trails Council Now on Facebook

The Trapper Trails Council proudly announces that it now has a page on Facebook. We encourage ALL members (adult and youth) of the council to become a "fan" of the Trapper Trails Council to receive frequent information and updates on the happenings, events, and news of the BSA and the Trapper Trails Council. Information will also be posted on the council blog; but in the event of 21st century communication facebook is a great way for the council to communicate with you!

Check the council out on Facebook! Become a "fan" today!

Council Order of the Arrow Lodge Awaxxaawe Awachia Leadership Changes Announced

Ken Jeppesen, local volunteer and vigil member of the Order of the Arrow has been selected to serve as the next lodge advisor for the council's Order of the Arrow lodge. Ken will succeed Dennis Stockberger, who has served as Lodge Advisor since 2007. Ken grew up in the Cache Valley, and now lives in Davis County. He brings with him a wealth of leadership experience and knowledge to lead the Order of the Arrow Lodge to the next step. We are excited to welcome Ken to this new position. Ken has most recently served as Section Advisor for the Order of the Arrow, a position he has held for nearly 3 years.

Appreciation is expressed to Dennis Stockberger for his leadership to the Lodge for the last several years.

Ken's appointment will be in effect at the 2010 Founders Festival in February. For more details about the order of the arrow, how to join, and when key dates for the lodge are, visit the lodge website at: http://www.lodge535.org/

2010 Patch Program Available in Council Service Centers on January 4, 2010

As a part of the 2010 Celebration, the 2010 "Leave A Legacy" Puzzle Patch program was introduced to unit, district, and council leadership at the October 2009 Council All-Hands conference. The puzzle patch set is a six piece patch set that seeks to engage youth and adults in the centennial celebration of the Boy Scouts of America in the Trapper Trails Council.

There will be a lot of fun memories made in Scouting in 2010. This year of celebration will afford the once-in-a –lifetime opportunity for all who participate to fulfill the vision of the centennial theme: celebrating the adventure, continuing the journey.

The centennial patch awards program has been carefully designed to augment the theme;

Every unit should participate in the 2010 centennial patch awards program! The patch program is a puzzle patch, made up of 6 segment patches that when put together complete a meaningful, larger patch. A picture of the patch and requirements can be accessed from www.trappertrails.org at the centennial website

Purpose:

The purpose of completing this patch will help Scout units by:
Increasing participation
Encouraging trained unit leaders
Teaching scouting ideals
Building group unity
Teaching boys to serve others.

Throughout 2010, it is hoped that unit leaders will take the opportunity to talk about 3 things:
1. The five individuals credited for playing a major role in the development of the Boy Scouts of America: William D. Boyce, Ernest Seton Thompson, Daniel Carter Beard, James E. West, and Lord Robert Baden-Powell. Brief Descriptions of the lives of these five men are found at the centennial website in the 2010 award patch program section.
2. The five ideals listed on the patches: Character, Leadership, Service, Outdoors (Respect for, and participation in), and Achievement.
3. What it means to Leave a Legacy.

Acquiring Patches:

There will be no formal way of certifying completion of requirements; it has been structured to be “on my honor.” Patch segments are available for purchase after January 1, 2010 at all council service centers.

The cost is $1.00 for each segment ($6.00 for each set).

Requirements:

Available at council service centers or online at www.trappertrails.org at the centennial website

Group Makes Art Presentation to Trapper Trails Council


The Century of Values tour team made a stop at the Trapper Trails Council headquarters on October 15, 2009 as a part of their nationwide tour of all 300+ councils in the United States of America. The Century of Values tour originated in Detroit, Michigan.


The 30 minute presentation was concluded by presenting a numbered copy of the a commissioned piece of art work to the Trapper Trails Council. Mike Marchese, council Scout Executive accepted the artwork from the Century of Values team for the Trapper Trails Council.


The brief presentation was accompanied by an impressive Motor Home which was decorated with Scouting logos and pictures.


The presented piece of artwork hangs in the Ogden Service Center foyer. Copies of the artwork will soon hang in the Green River Trading Post and at the Boyd and Merlene Ivie Service Center in Logan. Check it the next time you are in the one of the service centers.

Why not make Bike the Bear One of your Scout Units MUST DO Activities of 2010?

2009 was a record year for annual Bike the Bear event held at Camp Hunt in Garden City! Nearly 700 Scouts and leaders rode around Bear Lake; up from 500 the year before. Why not make the 2010 event a part your year.

The event will begin at Camp Hunt on August 13, 2010 with a spaghetti dinner. Several hundred Scouts and leaders will camp at Hunt in preparation for an early start the next morning. The "official" ride will begin early on Saturday with hundreds of Scouts and leaders lined up to start at 7:30. In addition to Scouts and leaders, there will be cyclists participate in the event as a part of their training for larger events like LOTOJA, which is held 2 weeks after Bike the Bear. The ride around Bear Lake is fully supported with rest stations every ten miles. The Order of the Arrow provides key logistical support for the event.

Biking around Bear Lake proves to be an easy way to complete the 50 mile leg of the cycling merit badge. In addition, the weather is perfect for a jont around the lake; and let face it, the scenery is wonderful.

For 2010, Bike the Bear is one of six major events set to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Scouting. Visit http://www.trappertrails.org/ for more details and information regarding Bike the Bear in 2010!

Scout Troop Enjoys Memorable Trip Across The Pond

By Stu Parkinson, Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop One, Logan, Utah

Troop 1 Leaders & Scouts visit the birthplace of scouting - Brownsea Island

Boy Scout Troop One from Logan, Utah (Sponsored by the Logan Lions Club-Old Ephraim District) arrived July 17 in London, England to participate in their fifth international scouting exchange since 1996 with scouts from Ashford, Kent, England. The 2009 scouting exchange was scheduled from July 16-August 10, and involved six scouts and three adult leaders from Troop One; Scoutmaster Tom Hogan, and Assistant Scoutmasters Randy Martin and Nicholas Major.
Before departing for the United Kingdom, I planned with Assistant Scoutmaster Randy Martin to develop a news blog, so that relatives of those scouts and leaders going to England could keep up to date with their daily activities. In reality, this news blog turned out to be so much more. Cache Valley radio station KVNU-AM updated their listening audience on a regular basis of the noteworthy activities Troop One was involved in, via the news blog Randy and I had developed.
Presently, plans are in the works to have Troop One host fourteen leaders and scouts from Ashford, Kent, UK in the summer of 2010. Troop One host families will provide accommodations for our English friends, and will take them on excursions in the northern Utah area. Other plans involve taking English and Troop One scouts and leaders to a Trapper Trails Council summer camp, along with a week-long visit to the Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the surrounding area.
Rather than go into detail in this article of Troop One’s remarkable exploits during their nearly one month stay in the United Kingdom, I shall simply let you readers visit the online news blog, and read for yourselves about the incredible journey these nine scouters were fortunate to experience.
http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/ishare/?profile=TroopOneNews

Wood Badge A Memory Maker For ALL!


By Brian Hall


Do you remember what it was like when you were in Cub Scouts or when you were in Boy Scouts? Many of us have fond memories of our experiences in scouting as a youth; however, as leaders we sometimes forget just what it was like to be part of that pack or troop. The Wood Badge training course offers adult leaders the unique experience of being part of that pack and patrol once again. The fifth course of the year concluded in September and was a positive experience for the 53 participants and volunteer staff.


Wood Badge consists of a variety of activities to help adult leaders learn the skills that are necessary to make the youth we serve into great leaders. During the sixth day of course lessons in the area of communication, listening, diversity, and group-development are taught and many others. A highlight of each course is the conservation project that is planned and carried out by the various patrols involved in the course.

Wood Badge is a valuable training for any leader involved in the shaping our young people through the scouting movement. Each year 8 Wood Badge courses are offered by the Trapper Trails Council. Contact the council at (801) 479-5460 office to take part in this wonderful training.