Eight Scouts Receive Eagle Scout Rank in Eatonville
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An Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony will be held at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, on Saturday, May 5th 2012 at 11:00 a.m. The public is invited to attend the event.
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program. Since its introduction in 1912, the Eagle Scout Rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men. The title of Eagle Scout is held for life, thus giving rise to the phrase "Once an Eagle, always an Eagle."
Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating Scout Spirit through the Boy Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages. Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal and a badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout.
The eight scouts, all from Troop 603, hail from different high schools. The services projects included:
* James Charleston - "Give Sight to the World"
* Justin Edge - "Comforting Items for Senior Citizens"
* Evan Lewis -"Project Hygiene"
* Calvin Long -"Girls Scouts Flags and Banners Drive"
* Kerrington Munson -"Whitney M. Young, Jr. Book Drive"
* Bradley Porter -"School Supply Give Away"
* Duane Slack - "The Christian Sharing Center Renovation and Beautification"
* Langston Tarver -"Bird Fun Facts Wheel" |
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| Greetings!
Welcome to the May 2012 issue of our Council newsletter.
We are publishing this newsletter on a monthly basis in an effort to provide you timely and up-to-date information on the goings-on in the Central Florida Council.
If you've missed a back issue, feel free to check out our online archive.
And, if you have an upcoming event, information, or a special scout story you'd like to include in this newsletter, please, email our editor. |
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District Leadership Seminar and Council Program Launch
 You are invited to attend the District Leadership Development Seminar & Council Program Launch on Saturday, May 19, 2012. A continental breakfast will be served at 8:00 a.m. The orientation and training will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude at noon.
The fee is $5.00 per person and covers breakfast and training materials.
Click here to register online now.
The general session and breakouts will cover the Functions of District Operation and best practices for achieving JTE Gold in your District. The Program Launch will provide 2012-13 Council Program information vital to your District and Units.
The Seminar and Launch will be held at the LDS Church, 5449 North Dean Rd, Orlando 32817 ( map).
If you have questions related to course material or plan for the day, contact Bill Patterson. |
Interested In the Next Generation of Scout?
 Are you interested in recruiting the next generation of Scouts? This Spring Packs have the opportunity to work with their District Executive and visit participating Elementary Schools to recruit new Tigers!!! If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact your District Executive and make plans to visit a local elementary school and recruit new Tigers. Each Tiger signing up between May 1 and June 8 will receive a FREE Tiger Handbook. |
| Facebook and Twitter
Please consider following the Central Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America on Facebook and Twitter. This will allow you and your scouts to get the most up to date information on council / district activities.
In addition, your family will be able to gather the tools necessary to enhance your child's Scouting experience.
 Please click here to be directed the Central Florida Council Facebook page
Please click here to join the Central Florida Council on Twitter.
Thank you for your commitment and leadership to Scouting here in our community.
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New Unit Blitz
 Our New Unit Blitz campaign is off to a quick start, as we have commitments from over 50 Chartered Organizations to start new units! New unit growth is a key component to growing Scouting throughout Central Florida. With engaged commissioner service to our new units we believe we can offer great service to our units and community and help reach more youth. Does the church you belong to have a scouting unit at it? Many of our best prospects for Chartered Organizations are places that we are already a part of outside of Scouting. If you have places you would like to see Scouting, let us know so we can work together to serve more youth and help create the leaders of tomorrow. Contact Randy Steil to find out more on how to start a new unit. |
| Summer Camp 2012
Camp La-No-Che's summer camp adventures for Boy Scouts and Venturing youth include the ATV and Personal Water Craft experiences, a Native American village where scouts learn "hands on" about the Native American culture, High Adventure programs which include the Alpine Tower, high & low courses in COPE plus the Climbing tower, great program areas for scouts to earn merit badges in aquatics, ecology, scoutcraft skills, health fields, shooting sports and trailblazers (designed for new scouts).
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Have you signed up for Cub Scout Day Camp?
 Cub Scout Day Camp is coming to a location near you; with 18 different locations in Central Florida this year there is sure to be at least one near you. Each camp is different so you can attend as many as you like. The directors are working hard to provide you with the best possible program, there will BB's, Archery, Crafts, Games, Skills, Guest Speakers and much, much more.  Our theme this year is Scouting Salutes our Heroes. Each camp will be celebrating different heroes in different ways. Some camps will be celebrating our military heroes through special guest speakers and military equipment. Some of the camps will be celebrating our law enforcement heroes through hands on learning experiences. Then some camps will be celebrating our super heroes though fun and adventure. Every camp will be celebrating the heroes within each of us and especially the Cub Scouts at camp. No matter who your hero is come on out to Cub Scout Day Camp and join the fun. This fun filled week long adventure is only $90.00. All camps are still accepting volunteers either adult or Junior Staff, as well as special guests. All adults who volunteer for an entire week and who pay the full fee for a cub scout at camp will receive a $25.00 rebate after camp is over. To get dates and locations and to sign up for camp go to cflscouting.org and click on the Day Camp link. For questions about a specific camp contact the director for general information about Cub Scout Day Camp contact Sally Richardson at Fnnayllas@aol.com or 321-720-4109. |
Training
 Looking for the latest information on BSA Training Classes being held in the Central Florida Council? The Council Training Calendar is your one-stop shop for all training classes, when they will be held, who is conducting the class, and how to register. |
Central Florida Council's Legacy Quest
 | | Be Part of the Future Now! |
The Central Florida Council would like to introduce "Legacy Quest" - a program of four volunteer teams that help our council continue its journey of excellence in the next 100 years of Scouting. The Legacy Quest is broken into four teams:- Camp Masters - serve as an indispensable part of the operations and support volunteer staff at Camp La-No-Che, located in the Leonard and Marjorie Williams Family Scout Reservation, and select council-wide events. Provide assistance during the year round program wherever they hear the call.
- Scouting Service Squad (S3) - volunteers who assist the administration and operation sections of the council with special events and program preparations.
- Black Shirts - provide technical and audio / visual support at council events and functions.
- Council Capital Conservation Crew (C4) - volunteers who provide specialized skills and work with the council Physical Resources Committee, the Director of Support Services and the Camp Rangers to completed pre-determined projects at the Leonard and Marjorie Williams Family Scout Reservation and other council properties and facilities.
Recognition will be provided for each Legacy Quest team member including an exclusive special edition patch series and a yearly recognition banquet. Click here to join the Central Florida Council Legacy Quest. For additional questions please contact Wendy Thomas at wendy.thomas@cflscouting.org or 407-703-2076.
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| Scouting Award Recepients
We congratulate the following Central Florida Scouters for being recognized for their service to the Council.
The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service.
Silver Beaver Recipients  Stuart Bell, Fort Gatlin District- Steve Buery, Challenger District
- Michael Burton, Little Econ District
- Tommy Byerly, Sand Lake District
- Dwight Delap, Challenger District
- Lonnie Grady, Seminole Springs District
- Sheriff Bob Hansell, Osceola District
- K. Williams Hayes, Lake District
- Giovanni Livera, Board Member
- George Maul, Riverside District
- Mark Moravec, Board Member
- Gail Newton, Apopka Shores District
- Sheriff Jack Parker, Challenger District
- Tom Yuschok, Three Rivers District
The Silver Beaver Awards will be present at the Council Recognition Dinner on Friday, June 15th, and we encourage everyone to come out and celebrate the achievements of these Scouters, and our 2011 Class of Eagle Scouts and Silver Award recipients. |
 Annual Council Recognition Banquet
 If there is one night that our Central Florida Council shines the brightest it has to be at the Annual Recognition Banquet. Some of our past speakers include Astronaut and Senator John Glenn, Orlando Magic Vice President of Operations Pat Williams, Aerospace Pioneer and Legend Joe Kittenger, and BSA Chief Scout Executive Robert Mazzucca. Our speaker's message always includes the importance of Scouting to our country and the role it played in their lives. This year returning for his second year in a row is our own Giovanni, who will once again share a meaningful message while entertaining us with his magic and making us laugh at his antics. Although the message of our speaker's is always motivating what gets me excited the most is the Eagle Scouts we recognize and the presentation of our newest Silver Beaver recipients. This year our council sets another record for the number of young men who have earn Scouting's highest rank the Eagle. There were 398 in the year of 2011 and a majority of them will be present at the banquet. The Silver Beaver is the highest honor our council can give to our volunteers and a dozen or so will be awarded at the banquet. If you haven't been to the banquet before you are missing a fantastic evening and a terrific value. The current price is $25 per person for the pre dinner reception and the dinner. Our host will once again be the fabulous Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa. A special thanks to General Manager Greg Hauenstein and his staff for their continued generosity. A special overnight package is also available and I recommend it highly. So put June 15th on your calendar NOW, make your reservations NOW, online through the council. Last year was a sell out with over 1,000 of your fellow scouts and Scouter's in attendance. DON'T DELAY, DO IT TODAY!!!!!!! See You There. Yours in Scouting, Floyd White 2012 Recognition Banquet Chair |
Popcorn Fuels Your Scouting Adventure
The 2012 Popcorn sale is still several months away, but we are already working hard to adjust this year's campaign to make it better for you as a Scout Le
 ader, for your Unit and for your families. We held a meeting in March with some of our bestselling units from all o
Help units make more money (Created the "5%+5%= an additional 5% on popcorn" plan)ver the council and some of our worst selling units from all over the council. From that meeting we created and adjusted the popcorn calendar to help you be more successful. Our goals for the 2012 Popcorn Campaign are:
- Help simplify paperwork for leaders (Only one prize order form)
- Provide prizes to units faster (Prize orders due at November Popcorn Pick-up. You get your Prizes in December)
- Increase communication to leaders and parents (Weekly Unit Kernel and bi-weekly family "tips, tricks, and reminders" emails)
- Make online sales easier (Fixed the Trails End system to make input easier, added a mobile app for online sales)
- Help prevent units from over ordering Show and Sell popcorn (Added a mid-campaign Show and Sell order so you can better manage your inventory and make a smaller first order).
Stop by and see the Popcorn Booth at Scout show for more details and to pick up a copy of the 2012 Calendar
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Central Florida Council Policy Change - Online Advancement
 Advancement reporting is a requirement of the Boy Scouts of America. Internet Advancement makes this a simple process that can be done from your home computer. Through Internet Advancement, units will be able to enter advancements at any time, print reports, obtain current rosters from the BSA system, and print order sheets for the Scout Shop. The Central Florida Council will be requiring all units to use internet advancement as of June 1, 2012. As stated above this will allow units to enter advancements at home and retrieve reports when needed. How Internet Advancement WorksEach unit needs to select an advancement processor who is granted access with a Council-provided unit ID. The processor will report his or her unit's advancements each month and submit a final Advancement Report by December 31st of each year. The only rank that may not be entered through this system is the Eagle rank due to documentation requirements. Any nominated recognitions such as lifesaving and meritorious action awards will also be required to be submitted by paper. Internet Advancement is accessed through our council's website. A first time unit advancement processor will need to access the Central Florida Council's website. On the home page, click on the "Leaders" button and then click on "Advancement". After you go to the online advancement website you will be asked to log in, accept a Confidentiality agreement, and provide registration information (your name, email address, telephone number and a new password) and then move to an overview page with additional instructions. The next time you log in you will be able to skip the first three steps above and go directly to selecting members for advancement. Units will be able to print, sign and forward the report to the council. When you purchase advancements, it will be required to print out a copy of the Internet Advancement Report/Unit Awards Summary and bring it with you to the Scout Shop. If you have questions about On-Line Advancement, please contact Lynette Dukes at the Central Florida Council office. Lynette will be able to help answer questions, help reset passwords, and assist you with problems with creating reports. The contact email is Lynette.Dukes@cflscouting.org and phone number is 407-703-0225.
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2012 Golden Eagle Events, another amazing year!
 With the completion for our 11 Golden Eagle Events, we are pleased to report that through the efforts of 480 community leaders, 332 corporate sponsors and over 3400 attendees, and raised $1,600,000 to help grow Scouting in our communities! | Dinner | Chair | Honoree |
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| Brevard County | Geoff Bodine | Mark Mikolajczyk | | Flagler County | John Walsh | David Ottati | | West Volusia County | | Bill Flowers | | West Orange County | Bob Gosselin | Walter Toole | | East Volusia County | Charlie Lydecker | Coach Steve Ridder | | Lake County | Sen. Cary Baker & Robin Pike | Kasey Kesselring | | Apopka | Kathy Till | Bryan Nelson | | Seminole County | Rich Guidotti | speaker - Lee Corso | | Osceola County | Murray Overstreet | Ken Smith | | Southeast Volusia County | Bill Redman | Jim Hathaway | | Metro Orlando | Harold Mills | Ron Blocker |
Thank you! Your generosity to Scouting has already made a difference! |
VESSA
VESSA is the newest thing at the Central Florida Council! It stands for Venturing, Exploring, Sea Scouting Association and is open to all youth and adults registered in any of these three programs. VESSA is youth led, with adult advisors and their focus ranges from training to activities to membership recruitment. They meet regularly on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7pm. Feel free to visit and join us for an active meeting! For more details, contact Matthew Welborn, current VESSA President.
VESSA's first social event is taking place on May 11th and all interested youth are invited to attend. You don't need to be a VESSA member to participate. The event is EXTREME BOWLING at Sky Lanes in Orlando, May 11th from 9:00 - 11:30pm!! Online registration is available now!  The Central Florida Council would also like to recognize Perry Dawn Thompson, Venturing Crew member from the Sand Lake District, as she has been selected to serve as the Area 4 VOA President. In this role Perry Dawn will work with local Council's to implement Venturing activities and programs. We congratulate her and look forward to her leadership in the Venturing Program! Way to go, Perry Dawn! Also, congratulations go to the Sanford Police Department Law Enforcement Exploring Post. Detective Josh Memminger and the team have recently been recognized by the Learning for Life National Office. The Post Training Program has received National certification. Great Job Post 516!! |
| 2013 National Jamboree
The Central Florida Council is going to the 2013 National Jamboree and wants you to go along with us. With your sign-up you will become a Contingent participant for what will be the first National Jamboree at BSA's newest high adventure base, "The Summit."
Having completed our first 100 years of scouting at the 2010 National Jamboree, BSA embarks on its first Jamboree for the new century of Scouting and you'll be there to celebrate with 44,000+ Scouts/Scouters from across the country.
The Summit is a beautiful piece of property near Beckley, West Virginia acquired for the purpose of being home to BSA's National Jamboree and to become BSA's 4th National High Adventure Base.
 The Central Florida Council has been recruiting since August 2011 to fill 288 youth slots in our contingent of 7 troops and 1 venture crew. Our troop/crew meetings begin in May which means our expectations is we will be full by April 30th, don't wait begin the registration process right away.As of May 1st, our 7 troops are 80% full with our crew at 30% full.Central Florida Council has setup a special 2013 National Jamboree website which is your source for the latest information regarding our contingent. Also located on the website in the "Registration" section, is everything you need to know on how to register. Please visit:http://www.cfc2013nationaljamboree.org and check things out.Our latest addition to the website is our National Jamboree patch set. Throughout the country there are 300 councils attending the Jamboree, each council picks a theme and produces a set of patches called JSP's. Most council sets will also include a center back-patch. Our patch set theme is: "The history of the space program" and contains nine JSP's depicting the various programs: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz, Shuttle, Atlas, Space Station, Mars Rover and Orion. The centerpiece is the back patch showing Eagle Scout Neil Armstrong on the moon showing us the scout sign. In the background is the original Lunar Module, which was named the "Eagle."
 Note: At a meeting at the Summit involving all contingent leaders, we showed our patch design and confirmed the "WOW" factor is high. This should bode well for trading. What is the Jamboree? It's 10 days onsite at the Summit with 44,000 scouting friends. Including a side excursion the trip is 12 days total. Here are just a few of the things to keep you busy: 6 miles of zip-line canopy tours, white water rafting on the New River, 3200 foot (over 1/2 mile) zip-line runs dropping 500 ft of elevation, mountain biking, skate boarding, mountain boarding, BMX track, technology quest, merit badge opportunities, scuba, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking, fishing, climbing, 13 acres of shooting sports. We can't forget two high-energy Arena Shows with 80,000 attendees (scouts and visitors). Check out the graphic below and make your decision quickly and complete your registration as soon as possible. |
2013 Central Florida International Jamborette
 The 2013 Central Florida International Scouting Jamborette will be held July 13th through July 20th, 2013 at Camp La-No-Che, located in Paisley, Florida, USA. After the Jamborette, Scouts and Adults from over-seas contingents are offered home hospitality from July 20 - July 24, 2013 in the homes of American Scouts. These home stays provide a truly unique opportunity for Scouts and Families to share international traditions. International contingents arrive on or about July 13, 2013, are met at the airport by the local Scout representative, and will be transported to the Central Florida International Jamborette. Download and read the Leader's Guide for more information. |
| What's Going Around: Insect Bites
The mild winter and hot spring of 2012 brings Central Florida's mosquito season earlier than usual. Centra Care doctors have been seeing a substantial increase in patients suffering from insect bites and stings.
Learn More:
Insect bites and stings can cause an immediate skin reaction. The bite from fire ants and the sting from bees, wasps, and hornets are usually painful. Bites caused by mosquitoes, fleas, and mites are more likely to cause itching than pain.
In most cases, bites and stings can be easily treated at home:
- Remove the stinger by scraping the back of a credit card or other straight-edged object across the stinger. Do not use tweezers as squeezing may increase the amount of venom released.
- Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water.
- Place ice on the site of the sting for 10 minutes and then off for 10 minutes. Repeat this process.
- If necessary, take an antihistamine, or apply creams that reduce itching.
- Over the next several days, watch for signs of infection (such as increasing redness, swelling, or pain).
Call 911 if you are with someone who has a severe reaction such as chest pain, face or mouth swelling, difficulty swallowing, trouble breathing, or goes into shock.
Every Centra Care location treats adult and pediatric patients without an appointment or you can make a No Wait Online Reservation at centracare.org. If you or someone in your family needs a vaccination or suffers from an illness, allergy or injury that needs medical attention, Centra Care has 21 locations, serving you 7-days a week.
For more "What's Going Around?" Check out the Centra Care web site.
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Uniforms are Important!
There are a many things that set Scouting apart from the other organizations in our country, but none more visible and recognizable than our scout uniforms. The uniform is an essential part of the program. It is the great equalizer among our members. It identifies us all as members of the greatest character building program in the world. Any activity filled with scouts in full uniform builds a great sense of pride.
When it comes to encouraging every youth member to have a complete scout uniform, it starts with us as leaders setting the example. I'd say we score fairly well in this area. If I had to guess, I would say 75-80 percent of our adult volunteers own and wear the entire uniform. I think this is great considering our current economy and the cost of a complete uniform. For those who make up the 20-25 percent who do not yet have the full uniform, I would suggest a district uniform bank or district rummage sales promoted and held at Round Tables. There are also numerous thrift stores and online sales.
It is especially important for leaders at the unit level to ensure that all our youth members have a complete scout uniform. I would say 99.9 percent own a scout shirt. (Where else would the boys get to proudly show that rank badge that they worked so hard to earn?) It is the other uniform parts where I think we have a great opportunity to improve. I suggest offering lots of encouragement to wear the hat, pants, belt, and socks too. Here is a question ... is a scout shirt by itself really a complete uniform? Not in my mind! So, should the young man participating in the opening flag ceremony salute or put his hand over his heart? How about participating in activities where a complete scout uniform is required by BSA, such as Scout events, travel, community parades, product sales, etc.? And the list goes on. All these activities are a special part of the scouting program and should be fully experienced by each youth member.
So what are some ways to replace boys' jeans and baggies with real uniform pants -- besides simple leader encouragement? What about monthly uniform inspections with points for dens or patrols with each member in full uniform? Use the points to earn priority or special privileges for that den or patrol or maybe even scout equipment, if the budget allows. I believe you need to involve the parents and help them realize the uniform's importance too. If purchasing the entire uniform is going to be a financial burden, share the options you know about. Does your unit have a uniform bank? As mentioned for the adults, suggest that they visit consignment/thrift shops or check out online sales.
The bottom line is, we can all do better a job promoting this vital facet of the Scouting program. All it takes is a little focus, communication, creativity, and motivation. What's at stake is important. A youth member represents himself, his unit, their chartered partner, our council, and the Boy Scouts of America. Each and every member should be proud to wear the uniform. I know I am.
- Floyd White
Coastal Area Chairman
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From the Council Commissioner
Well, here we are, on the verge of summer; can you believe it? Just think, in a few short weeks school will be out for the summer and all of our Scouts will be off to do a whole lot of fun things; Or will they? This is the time of year when having a Quality Program can really make a difference. All units: Packs, Troops and Crews hopefully will have planned for an active summer season. With the likes of a CS Day Camp, or long term Scout Summer Camp, (Camp La-No-Che has an awesome summer program), a Philmont trek, Sea Base or any of the other High Adventure experiences. I truly hope this is the case for everyone here in the Central Florida Council. Sadly, we do have those units that choose to "take a break" during the summer with the good intention of starting again "fresh" when school starts back. The problem with this philosophy is those units never start back fresh; they always lose youth and adult members as they go elsewhere in their search for FUN things to do during the summer. It's pretty much a fact that units who plan and execute a Quality Program remain active year round, retain and advance more youth, as well as retain and train more adults than those units who "take the summer off"! Today, more than ever before, Central Florida Council provides so many resources that facilitate units with developing and executing a Quality Program that every unit should have full calendars during the "out of school break". If your unit is unsure of what a Quality Program is or how to plan and execute one, don't hesitate to contact any member of the Commissioner Corps (Unit Commissioner, District Commissioners, Assistant District Commissioners, Round Table Commissioners, Council Commissioner and/or Assistant Council Commissioners.) These volunteer leaders are experts and their primary goal is to help your unit be successful and fun! It is this old Scouter's opinion that one of the best benefits of having a Quality Program is that it not only increase a units retention, but more importantly, it promotes the Scouting experience to more youth....yes, it's the best recruitment advertising that money can buy. Think of those friends of Scouts that when they learn that their friend went kayaking, canoeing, back packing in the mountains of New Mexico, Scuba diving in the Florida Keys, or 4 Wheeling and jet skiing or Alpine climbing for a week this summer (this experience is right here in our own backyard at Camp La-No-Che). They want to be a part of this thing known as Scouting and we want them to be a part of it! OK, I could probably fill 10 pages with reasons why Quality Programs are so critical to the success of the Scouting experience but you get the point. In closing, I want all of you to have a wonderful summer. Stay Scouting and stay safe. Yours in Scouting,
- Bo Terry, Council Commissioner
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