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Lou’s Minute

Ask “Lou”

My son recently bridged up into Boy Scouting and I’m looking forward to spending time with him as a parent after all these years of helping his den with Cub Scouts. I still want to volunteer as a leader, but don’t want to make a commitment to weekly meetings. Is there a volunteer position that would be right for a person with my experience? ~~~former Cubmaster

Do we have a position for you! It’s called Unit Commissioner, and it’s perfect for someone like you who is transitioning out of a Cub Scout Pack. A Unit Commissioner is a District level volunteer who serves as a mentor to Pack leaders of up to three units. Unit Commissioners meet once a month with the District Commissioner (right before Roundtable) to learn about District goals, programs, and information for that month. The Unit Commissioners communicate the information back to their units and offer their support and years of experience to help them meet monthly goals – and to communicate any concerns or problems back to the District. Unit Commissioners are a key link in retaining strong programs through all the changes in leadership and membership throughout the year. If you are interested in becoming a Unit Commissioner, please talk to Dan Meschke, the Tomahawk District Commissioner, or contact the Scout Office today. You will be asked to fill out an adult application (no fee if you are already paid with a unit) and will receive a position emblem and packet of materials to help you with your new challenge! ~~~Lou

Why is it so important to pay the Scout office for candy bars, Cub Scout events, membership fees, etc. with one unit check? Why can’t we just turn in all the cash and checks we collect from the boys? ~~~a Pack treasurer

Because it would make my life so much easier to have one check! I’m only kidding of course. It is easier for me to record one unit check on my deposit slip than to list hundreds of checks from families and friends, but the real reasons for turning in one unit check is to ensure that all funds received are filtered through a Pack account to make sure that a paper trail is created for your overall Unit Budget planning process as well as to keep track of who paid for what. People have different ways of record keeping, but a check register is a pretty common tool that everyone can use and understand. And it is so much safer to deposit money into your unit account as it is collected than to hold on to it until it is all turned in to submit to the Boy Scout Office. ~~~Lou

What health forms do my son and I have to fill out for summer camp this year? Do we have to have it filled out by a physician? ~~~confused Scout leader

The Boy Scouts of America recommend that each Scout and adult under 40 maintain their health with physician’s visits at least every 3 years. For camp attendance, health history information and information on a participant’s current health status is required to be collected and on file for use by qualified health officers if needed due to illness or injury. For adults 40 and over, the recommendation changes to annual physician visits.

Health history forms for Day Camps and Webelos Camps may vary in format by District, but are based on national Class I forms (the same form on the back of each Scout application). These forms are distributed after camp registrations are received, and are not required to be filled out or signed by a physician. Current (within the last 3 years) Class II physical exams and forms (available on-line or at the Scout office) are required for long-term camps like those at Camp Wilderness due to the length and physical nature of the programs offered. Sports physical forms may be substituted, but it is recommended that they be attached to a Boy Scout form with the complete health history filled out and signed by a parent. Adults over 40 and Scouts who participate in high adventure activities would need to have a more detailed exam and form filled out by a physician. The Tomahawk District in partnership with the Center for Family Medicine in Minot holds an opportunity each spring for free physical exams for Scouts attending summer camps. Contact the Scout office for this year’s date. ~~~ Lou

More links to check out…

Sites recommended by Tomahawk District volunteers…

The Arrow of Light is Cub Scouting's highest award
and it deserves a lifetime keepsake.

http://www.acornawards.com

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/famsci/he457w.htm

And to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day go to…

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/earthday

or http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/arborday

Just an example of two craft ideas featured…

Paper Evergreen Tree and PAPIER-MÂCHÉ GLOBE

Lou’s Minute

Want to know what I think is one of the most limiting words in the English language? It’s just. How many times a day do you hear it used? Just a minute…just hold on a second…I’ll just do it myself…let’s just do it this way...it’s just another day…just because. Heard just about enough?

Why do so many of us use that word so often? Because it’s just easier to do just about anything. What do you think is easier - to just grab a bag of cookies from the grocery store or bake something from scratch for the Pack potluck? Isn’t it easier to just take a $20 bill from your wallet than to write out the check for $50 you intended to donate? It must definitely be easier to just do things yourself than to let Scouts help, or worse yet to just ask parents and fellow volunteers to help, because so many of us do just that. And it sure is easier to just repeat what we did the last time than to come up with a new activity (or flyer or menu or location, or meeting plan, or fill in the blank). Or to just ask the same person to help over and over again than to ask someone new.

Can good things result from just doing things the easy way, the way they’ve just always been done, or just by doing them on your own? Absolutely! But is this the program we want to deliver to the boys, to their camps, to our meetings and activities? Is good, if you will, good enough?

Life throws us curves often enough so we have no choice but to spend less time on something, to do something by ourselves, to take that shortcut, to just wing it at the last minute, why settle for less from the start? This Spring and Summer let’s set the example for the boys and other adults we lead and go beyond all limits. Let’s DO OUR BEST, GO FOR IT, AIM HIGH, and dare I say JUST DO IT!

Lou