Smiley News - March 2023

A monthly newsletter for families and leaders of Samoset Scouting - Where Camping is King

• March 24: Crystal Lake Construction Work Weekend

• March 25: Scouting For Food Flier Drop Off  (except Wisconsin Rapids area)

• March 26: Samoset Council Recogntion Event

• March 27: Spring Product Sale Starts - NUTS!

• April 1: Scouting For Food Donation Pickup (except Wisconsin Rapids area)

• April 1: Brotherhood Clinic 2023 Registration

• April 1: TKC Lock-In 2023 Registration 

• April 4: Stevens Point Roundtable

• April 6: Wausau Roundtable with guest speaker Cliff Jacobson

• April 7: Council Office & Scout Shop Closed for Good Friday

• April 10: Reading Merit Badge (registration full)

• April 13: Wisconsin Rapids Roundtable

• April 13: Marshfield Roundtable

• April 14: Section G10 Spring Council of Chiefs & ACT Conference

• April 15: Scouting For Food Flier Drop Off (Wisconsin Rapids Only)

• April 15: Council Pinewood Derby 

• April 15: Summer Camperships & Summer Camp Deposits Due

• April 22: Scouting For Food Donation Pickup (Wisconsin Rapids Only)

• April 22: Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation 2023 Registration

• April 22: Crime Prevention Merit Badge 

• April 23: Spring Product  Nut Sale Ends

• April 24: Deadline to Turn in Nut Sale Check to Council

• April 28: Scouts BSA, Spring Camporee (Registration Not Open Yet)

• April 29: Spring Merit Badge Workshop Hanna Venture Base

  
  

COUNCIL NEWS CORNER 

Samoset Returns to District Operations

The Samoset Council Executive Board voted at their February meeting to create geographic areas within the council known as districts using a modified district operations structure to further support and empower Scout units and strengthen community based Scouting. READ MORE. 

Youth Protection Updates

In February, the National BSA updated the Youth Protection and Barriers to Abuse FAQs page to be clear on certain topics. Please become acquainted with those updates with a diamond symbol near them at this link.

Additionally, there are youth protection changes that will be effective on September 1, 2023 related to

the current policy of all adults accompanying a Scouting unit who are present at the activity for 72 total hours or more must be registered as leaders. The 72 hours need not be consecutive.

This current “72-Hour Rule” will be eliminated on September 1, 2023.

• All adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity must be currently registered in an adult fee required position as listed or as an adult program participant. (limited exception for Cub Scout overnight programs)

• All 18+ adults attending a Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scout or Exploring OVERNIGHT event/activity must be currently registered. 18+ adults attending a Cub Scout OVERNIGHT event/activity who are not the parent or legal guardian of a Scout in attendance must be registered in an adult fee required position.

The details for this policy change can be found HERE. Although early adoption of this new policy is recommended for all Scout units. It DOES NOT go into effect until September 1, 2023. The changes DO NOT impact 2023 Akela’s World summer camp.

Your Safety Moment -Timely  Incident Reporting 

Timely and complete incident reporting provides the BSA with an opportunity for analysis of incidents that occur and promotes continuous improvement of our programs. In our experience, the sooner a clear, concise, and complete incident report is made, the sooner that an appropriate response to the incident can occur.

All leaders in Scouting should be aware of how and when to make incident reports. Any intervention of a medical provider beyond basic Scout-rendered first aid must be reported. Use the link below to learn more. If you have any questions, please direct them to Scott Domino at 715-490-2241.

Incident Reporting Helps

We Can’t Do It Without You! Please Help Us Hit Our Fundraising Goal

The Friends of Scouting Campaign is the lifeblood of Scouting’s fundraising efforts. Each year parents, volunteers, alumni, friends, and business patrons donate time, energy, and financial resources to this much needed yearly campaign. Annual Giving provides the budgetary support for numerous improvements to our properties, expansion of Scouting programs into new markets and increases the chance that every young person in our community will benefit from the impact of Scouting.

Congratulations to these Scouting units for achieving their Family Friends of Scouting unit goal as of March 20:

Packs: 110,123, 178, 222, 297, 388, 392, 400, 533, 548, 649, 660.

Troops: 118, 123, 171, 174, 9118, 9171, 293/9293, 297, 382, 321, 536, 601, 9427.

Cub packs that achieve goal are receiving a pinewood derby car per youth member. Troops that achieve goal are receiving a Dutch oven.

Your generous tax-deductible gift to the Samoset Scouting provides direct funding for educational initiatives and active learning that other funding sources do not cover – is a statement about your belief in Scouting, our programs, our camps and in our belief in educating the entire mind of young people.

How Your Friends of Scouting Gift Changes Lives

NEW! Personal Management Merit Badge Clinic with Buska Retirement Solutions

Join Financial Planners with Buska Retirement Solutions of Wausau for three sessions of this Eagle required Merit Badge April 17, May 15, and June 12 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Logan Woller - Private Wealth Advisor, Retirement Plan Consultant will be leading the session.
Scouts must attend all three sessions in order to earn the Merit Badge.

*April Meeting Prerequisite: Requirement 2

*May Meeting Prerequisite: Requirements 8,9

Cost:

$5.00 per Participant

Location:

Buska Retirement Solutions

1818 Grand Ave.

Wausau, WI 54403

Maximum Registration is 16 Scouts

Online registration will be on the council website calendar no later than March 27.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Well, it's oh-fish-ial! The 2023 membership/recruiting theme is Hooked on Scouting.

Every new Scout to register this year will get a new Zebco Slingshot rod and reel fishing combo. And, all “Recruiter Scouts” will get them too! Recruiter Scouts will also receive the Samoset Recruiter patch and National BSA Recruiter strip.

All units are highly encouraged to schedule and hold “Bring-A-Friend” and other type membership events this year, Spring, Summer, and Fall and the Council staff is standing by to support those events with a wide variety of advertising/marketing materials. Please contact your Unit Serving Executive (District Executives) to get your events planned and scheduled asap!  This is going to be reel fun!

In other membership news, please take a quick look at your “BeAScout” PIN information and make any needed updates to that as soon as you can.  As part of our membership/recruiting efforts we are putting quite a bit of marketing/advertising effort and resources into getting potential new Scouts interested and registered using the online “BeAScout” system in addition to school flyers, join night and other marketing. And, we have seen an increase in potential Scouts requesting information on Scouting and available units through this system.

Show your Scouting pride! We are ordering yard signs to be distributed to all our Scouting families to show our pride in our Scouts, units and council. We intend to provide these to all units and families that would like one and are willing to display it proudly in your front yards over the summer months. Unit leaders, please let your Unit Serving Executive (District Executive) know how many you would need for your unit so we can order the appropriate amount. These will be free of charge to you and your Scouting families. 

CRYSTAL LAKE  SCOUT RESERVATION NEWS

Read Below for What's Happening at Camp

$50 Akela’s World 'New Camper' Discount

The Tesomas Alumni Camping Trust is graciously providing a $50 discount to any NEW camper at Akela’s World this summer. This is available to brand new Cub Scouts OR Cub Scouts that have never attended Akela’s World before. Leaders: you can apply this discount to your unit bill through the “What are they doing?” tab in your Doubleknot registration. If you have any questions, please email camp@samoset.org.

Summer Camperships Deadline April 15

April 15 is the last day to submit a summer campership request for your Scouts and families. We have updated the form to be a bit more user friendly and confidential. The entire process is online this year and no longer needs a unit leader signature prior to submission. If the campership is granted, it will show on the unit’s final summer camp invoice. Please find the new application HERE.

EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

Annual Sporting Clays

Together We "Pull for Scouting"

Friday, June 9 Wausau Skeet and Trap Club

Get your team together and spread the word! We're preparing for our annual Sporting Clays, a premier shooting event that raises funds for our Scouting programs. It’s open to all levels of shotgun shooters from beginner to advanced. It's a perfect way to have a fun day of shooting, fellowship, and the opportunity to network with business and community leaders.

Meet Wilderness Canoeing Expert and Author Cliff Jacobson

The April Wausau Roundtable event is open to all Samoset Council AND Bay-Lakes Council Scouters.

Enjoy a special guest presentation from wilderness canoeing expert and author Cliff Jacobson!

Bay-Lakes Council Commissioner Roy LaPean will also attend and have Cliff's books available for purchase. 

Due to a large anticipated turnout, it is suggested to register for this event

Samoset Council Pinewood Derby! 

Get revved up - the Council Pinewood Derby is set for April 15 in Wausau!
Cost is $6 per participant.

Monk Botanical Gardens hosting Scout Volunteer Days! 

There's no place more beautiful than Monk Botanical Gardens (well, besides our very own Crystal Lake Scout Reservation) to volunteer and earn service project hours. Some work could include mulching, debris cleanup, pruning, weeding, raking or removing invasive plants. RSVP Below.

Scouting for Food - Leave No Bags Behind

Are you ready for Scouting for Food? In an effort to pick up every bag of food donated, we are asking units to sign up for the project so units can be contacted if some bags were not picked up on Saturday, April 1.

Check out Channel 7 WSAW this Friday, March 24 at 6:45am to hear members from Pack 400 talk about Scouting for Food! Then, this Saturday March 25 tune into Channel 9 WAOW at 6pm or 10pm to see more Scouting for Food coverage!

Please note, the Wisconsin Rapids area SFF service project will start at a later date on Saturday, April 15. Scouts in this area will pick up the food donations on Saturday, April 22.

Congrats 2022 Samoset Award Recipients!
A celebration will take place at the annual Recognition Event this Sunday

The annual Samoset Council Recognition Event, which was rescheduled this year due to a winter storm, will take place Sunday, March 26 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Stevens Point. The highlight of the event will recognize the 2022 volunteer award recipients and the 2022 Eagle Scouts. Click below to see the award recipients!