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2004 - Troop 26 Committee
Mar 10, 2004 Meeting

Attendance:

Bill Dreisbach, George Finan, Randy Ware, George Youngkin
Phil Gruender, Rich Lewis, Bob Gray, Peter Detmering
Phil Webber, William Webber, Paul O'Connor, Ed Martino

Note: Bill Stile's father in bad shape, keep him in our prayers.

Treasurer's report – Phil

Nice donations - $250 odd fellows, Gray $250 trailer donation, ACE $250 donation. $203.36 pie sales, popcorn 2075.13 net. Registration & dues – net of all profits $280.

Events: battleship zeroed out, fall camporee $112.95 cost, JLT $123 cost, Klondike $137.73. $186.36 to maintain website. Nobe $197.73 cabin. $2004 Philmont deposits being held. Pinetree weekend – no check found (?) cost $220. $492 Martino 'old' expenses. $400 sent for Yawgoog initial deposit. $500 credit at Yawgoog. Net after Philmont gives us net of $3535.74.

Want to offer $25 discount for people paying Yawgoog before April 15^th (incentive deposit for hats are due then).(note: $260 cost per boy for Yawgoog for the week.) Paying the fee for Yawgoog up front will cost troop for about 30 boys= $750. Agreed to subsidize this for the boys.

WEBSITE

Website - $186 cost for the next year.

Permission for new adults to get photos on the website. All youth are NOT identified by last name. Suggestion that they have a photo release form for new scouts to sign. Difficult to secure the site, but possible, rather not go there. ACTION: all scouts to sign this photo release form. Rich to mail Phil / Bill the release form he has used.

ACTION: With mailing to go out for Philmont – Phil will include the photo release form.

OUTSIDE ISSUES AFTER MEETINGS

Discussed having no scout should leave building until the parent picks the scout up, to prevent future damage to bushes like recently happened. Also Reverend Ernie wasn't happy about the horseplay around the cars. After discussion: we MUST ensure adult is outside to monitor behavior after the meeting.

Washington Trip

Discussed final plans. Bob Congren planned. Wife Mary Ellen volunteered to get food if necessary (called Paul O.). Bob must leave Sunday AM at 9am, to catch 5pm flite from Phila. Annapolis is a possibility on Sunday. 2 hour tour. But spending a weekend there would be good also. All in favor for doing something Sunday. Mt. Vernon out – out of the way. Arlington or Annapolis. Decided on Arlington. Boys to wear class A uniforms.

ESTIMATE arrival around 5pm Sunday.

WEST POINT PLANNING

Scheduled for May. Need somebody to coordinate the trip. Bob Gray will do West Point.

RELAY FOR LIFE

Lenape High School – we have done every year. Will go to 4 or 5pm Saturday. Hubert Streep will be asked. Bill D. can support.

ART AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

We were asked back – raise about $1K during this. Sunday June 6^th, raindate 13^th – 8:30am to 5pm. We were going to help with Dickins festival, and troop 48 sell their wares. But snowed out. Then they would help with Art & Music and we'd sell our stuff.

SPL ELECTIONS

Election to be held 29^th of March. Week after next is preliminary part of the process.

PLC DISCUSSION – PLANNING INVOLVEMENT

Are the boys engaged? Should they be more involved in the trip planning. Washington trip – concern about changing the plan without the boys being involved. Committee decided after looking at the list to put Zoo and Washington together. Now we aren't going to the Zoo because 2 boys out of 15 wanted to go, rest didn't want to go. Concern that we don't have people planning things and spending time on things that aren't needed. Don't want to scare people away – make sure people know what is needed.

MERIT BADGE FORUM – BLUE CARDS, PAST AND FUTURE

13 boys signed up – 26 merit badges, 1 in morning, one in afternoon. Linda Andrews coordinating for troop 48. $100 for the troop – decided to make donation to the school (our troop to donate). Pete read letter – need adult help – 5-6 people needed, some in mornings, some in afternoon. Sunday evening at 7pm for final planning session at Vaughn Hall, across from Beach 1 on Medford Lakes, Tabernacle Road.

Registration at 8:30am during the MB forum at Neeta or Vaughn Hall school. ACTION: Boys need to do blue cards on Monday. ACTION: Let Pete know if you can help out, even if not teaching MB

ADVANCEMENT

ACTION: Randy W. volunteered to help Dave Costello & Joe K. with the blue card process.

LIFE TO EAGLE

Some of our boys need a 'kick'. Merit Badge forum is a start. 5 Boys. Matt will take a project. Mike Y. says he has a project he wants to do. Victor is working on something. Kyle said he has something, Pete says not.

Pete says somebody should be designated to be life to eagle coordinator. You need to pick and choose your moments with them. Ryan Zambon has done research – Greg involved in conversation – talked 15 minutes about Eagle project ideas which was great. George worked with some boys to help get them thru. No boy is that close yet – 15 and 16 years old.

ACTION: William Webber will help to push these kids and coordinate. Life to Eagle coordinator.

VENTURE CREW AND PATROL DISCUSSION

Recap – co-membership between TR26 – Greg, Joe S, Jacob K, Scott, James M., Will (now adult). Venture patrol still exists. Guys in both were asked to help younger kids, but this isn't happening. Some guys in venture patrol have decided not to join venture crew.

Rich did training on venturing recently. National's concept: big problem is boys leave at 14 – venturing is way to keep them involved in scouting. Venture patrol to keep 13+ boys involved. Statistics show this. Patrols allow kids to flex more, leaders come out of this. Venture crew is another outlet. Our venture patrol never got or took any responsibility. Rich would like to get going again – these boys aren't involved. With guidance it may work. Rich willing to help.

Pete's observation – older boys participating more than they have done before. Helping out at troop meetings and campouts.

We have lost some boys in the past, and national says statistics are showing loss here. But some don't see this happening in our troop. Some boys think we don't have venture patrol anymore. Will these boys that are leading the troop lose interest when they "are on the other side of the table".

Troop 48 may start their own Venture crew – may start thru us and then split off. 30+ venture crews in the council.

ACTION: Talk to PLC and see if they want to start up a venture patrol again, do after the next elections.

VENTURE CREW discussion

Venture advancement is complicated – need to teach is one thing. Need to make presentations, can do anywhere. Scouting would like them to make presentations to troops and cub packs. Would troop 26 welcome these boys and girls to come in to do presentation (would provide female leader). Venturer would go to PLC to get approval. Good idea – PLC should welcome due to program content provided.

Would like to presentation on venturing to the troop also.

Venture would like to fund raise at the Art & Music – OK with Martha. Issue with the troop? Vision is suncatchers on window – latex paint – color it. Separate booth.

NEW BUSINESS

Camporee in April – BCC camporee. Need check.

April 23-25, 2004. Cost $10 before March 1, now $14. Fri 5pm registration, 8:30pm astronomy MB, 9pm: SM meeting, 10PM taps. Sat: 8:30 opening, 9-4:45 program. 5pm reverent. 8pm show. Sun: 8am – finals of sports challenges. 10am closing. 11am go home.

First annual – NJ State Police BSA Camporee. Oct 22-24, 2004 @ NJ State Police Academy, Sea Girt, NJ. ACTION: Post on the website.

Will go with 20 boys to register for West Point. $17 per participant plus food. Charge $20 per boy. ACTION: Post on the website.

Boys who "contribute to troop" will be allowed to go if we have over 25.

OPEN DISCUSSION

Rich Lewis – Council Bike trip – start with whitewater rafting, then come back to NJ via bike. Stay in churches, youth Hostles, long rides but all day to do it. Minneature golf, water parks, take day off around Gettysburg. Bill Roberts did this in Mass., some people who did are coming down. 12 scouts and Venturers will assist. 50 people max. June 25 thru July 3^rd. $250 cost including all transportation and food. Conflicts with the Relay for Life event.

Rich will be working high adventure for council. Philmont every year, will get council slot for Seabase 2006 and Alaska. Looking at other areas as well. Philmont of east in West VA, also Maine high adventure. Will offer council programs for these things. Older kids who don't want summer camp will have options.

Trailer – Ed has permission to get this done (before next camporee).

Paul – need check for $125 for Washington DC trip.

Bob G. – Troop is 50 (actually 52), we should have "pig roast" to commemorate this sometime this summer. Bob will work on this.
OA – 5 boys and 1 adult were selected.
MS150 – Sep. 18-19 – will volunteer to help do this (Ed M.)
Trailer registration – need a check! (Ed) $13.
ADULTS are still too loud when upstairs. Please be quiet. (per: Ed Martino, the quiet guy).

Bill D: Any photos for website?? ACTION: send to Bill
- Relay 4 Life - church contacts needed. - Let Bill know.

Next meeting: May 11^th (Tuesday) at 7:30pm

Meeting Adjourned... Respectfully submitted – Bill Dreisbach