News From Inland Northwest Council

The Eagle Scout Recognition Banquet will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at the Mirabeau Park Hotel and Convention Center in Spokane Valley at 6:15PM (1100 N. Sullivan Road). A reception with Bill Steele, Director of the National Eagle Scout Association will be held from 5:00pm to 6:00pm for sponsors of the Eagle Scout Class of 2010. Doors open at 6:00pm, and the banquet begins at 6:15pm.

Mr. Steele, will recognize the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recipient, Thomas Norris, a retired United States Navy Seal, who received the Medal of Honor for his ground rescue of two downed pilots in Vietnam, and was portrayed in the 1988 movie starring Gene Hackman and Danny Glover "BAT*21"

The program includes an inspirational rededication ceremony for all Eagle Scouts, young and old. The cost for dinner for those not sponsoring at one of the palm levels below is $25.

Sponsor levels are as follows:

Bronze ($50.00): Meal and Sponsor Name of individual or business on program

Gold($100.00): Meal and Name of individual or business on program/invitation to reception with Bill Steele

Silver ($200.00): Meal and Name of individual or business on program/invitation to reception with Bill Steele photo with parents/family/photo with Bill Steele

If you have any questions about the upcoming Eagle Banquet please call our Director of Field Services, Gerry Granum, at (509) 242-8248.

Click here to register or to be a sponsor.

Council Annual Business Meeting
Wednesday, February 1^st, noon-1:30 pm, at the Red Lion Hotel

Executive board members, advisory board members, council members-at-large, district chairs, district commissioners, and chartered organization representatives are invited and encouraged to attend the council's annual business meeting either in person (cost: $20 for lunch) or via web conference. At this meeting, we will elect our 2012 council officers, executive board, advisory board, and foundation board, review progress towards our strategic plan, and complete other council business.

Please RSVP by January 25^th. To RSVP for the meeting or to register for the web conference, please contact Jessica Bussard at 509-242-8238 or Jessica.bussard@scouting.org.To register & pay with a credit card go to www.nwscouts.org/ABM

Cub Scout 2012 Summer Camp Opportunities
Day Camp, Resident Camp and Family Camp

Summer camp is a highlight each year for Cub Scouts and the time to make your plans is now! Every Cub Scout will want to participate in one or more of the many summer camp opportunities provided by the Inland Northwest Council. Make plans today to attend camp as a pack, as a den, or as a family. Summer camp for Cub Scouts in the Inland Northwest has never been better. Choose the summer camp option(s) that work best for you:

Cub Country Cub Scout Resident Camp at Cowles Scout Reservation on Diamond Lake is just a 45 minute drive from Spokane. Cub Country is a premier Cub Scout resident camp featuring a wide variety of activities. Cub Country also features two newly re-modeled shower houses with warm, private showers and the newly built BB gun range and our Tree house nature program area.

Click here for more information about Cub Country including dates for five different sessions^{Again in 2012!} Session five is designed exclusively for Webelos age Scouts.

Click here to download the 2012 Cub Country reservation form.

Cub Scout Day Camp-coming to a local park near you! Our 2012 day camps will be offered in several communities. Day Camp is a great option for Cub Scouts and their parents who would rather not camp overnight. Scouts get to participate in a wide variety of camp activities and also get to sleep in their own bed at night. Day Camps will vary from 2 days to 3 days, and will revolve around unique themes, depending on the location. Dates and locations for 2012 Day Camps are not yet confirmed. Look for a complete listing of Day Camps in the next edition of the E-Inlander. If you have questions about Day Camps, please call the Spokane Service Center at 1-800-325-4562.

Cub Adventure Family Camp Weekend at Cowles Scout Reservation is a great pre-summer camping option for the whole family. Adventure Weekend is May 25-27 and is open to all Cub Scouts and their families. This is a great way to spend Memorial Day weekend. The program begins Friday evening and ends Sunday after dinner. You then have Monday to celebrate Memorial Day. Adventure weekend will feature a wide variety of activities all centered around a wonderful theme to inspire the imagination of kids of all ages. See you there!

Click Here for more details about this wonderful adventure for your family and to download a registration form.

Family Camp at Camp Grizzly has a great tradition of Cub Scout camp. In 2012 Cub Scout Family Camp at Camp Grizzly will be August 9-11. That is three days and two nights of great fun! Activities at Camp Grizzly include: swimming, fishing, BB-gun shooting, archery, nature, crafts and so much more. Camp Grizzly is located 14 miles east of Potlatch, ID near Laird State Park.

Click here for more information about Cub Scout Camp at Camp Grizzly and to get a reservation form.

New Extended Hours for Spokane Service Center and Scout Shop
Monday- Friday, 9:00am-5:30pm

Starting January 3rd, the Spokane Service Center and Scout Shop are adjusting business hours to be open Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - 5:30 pm. Our extended hours are to allow busy volunteers to have access to the Scout Stores and Service Centers from 5-5:30pm. After several months of testing out having the Spokane Service Center open till 6pm, we found that very few people used the Service Center after 5:30pm.

Tell us what you think about these adjusted hours on facebook.

Scout Night with the Chiefs
Saturday, February 25

Scouts and Leaders get ready for a premiere matchup as the Spokane Chiefs battle Tri-City on Saturday, February 25, 2012. Unit leaders will be receiving a flyer in the mail and also check back shortly at our council website www.nwscouts.org.

Prepared for Life - Leadership Breakfast Series
Thursday, February 23rd at Coeur D Alene Resort
Friday, February 24th at Spokane Convention Center

Join corporate and community leaders at one of our annual leadership breakfast events this February.

More on our guest speaker: In 2003, John and Jean Silverwood took their life savings to buy a 55-foot sailboat, packed up their four children and setoff for a cruise around the world.

Their book, Black Wave, chronicles the adventure of a lifetime, until their dream turns into a deadly nightmare. About 350 miles off Tahiti, the family's catamaran, strikes a hidden reef in treacherous nighttime seas. Pounded by giant waves, the boat shatters. John is severely injured when the mast topples and nearly severs his leg. The family is stranded on a razor-sharp coral reef, struggling to keep John alive and somehow survive. Curious as to how this ends? Sponsor a table for the breakfast and hear it for yourself. www.NWscouts.org/leadershipbreakfast

Click here to download the event flyer

Choose an event near you:

Thursday, February 23^rd

7:30 am -9:00 am

Coeur D'Alene Resort

Friday, February 24^th

7:30 am -9:00 am

Spokane Convention Center

Breakfast is complimentary. Guests will be asked to make a pledge or contribution during the program to support Scouting. Please contact Jessica Bussard at Jessica.Bussard@Scouting.org for more information.

Prepared for Life breakfast events will also be held in Silver Valley, Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, Newport, Lewiston, Cottonwood, Grangeville, Kamiah and Pullman time and locations to be announced at a future date.

Annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet
Saturday, March 10, 2012

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 10, 2012 for the council's annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet. The banquet is being held at the Dwight D Eisenhower building at the People to People Complex (near the Spokane Airport) at 2011 S Flint Road in Spokane Washington. The evening will be a celebration of the many accomplishments of the volunteers of the Inland Northwest Council. The highlight of the evening will be the awarding of the recipients of the 2011 Silver Beaver Award. As a movement whose leadership is overwhelmingly volunteer, the Boy Scouts of America recognizes the need to acknowledge the invaluable services that men and women render to youth in and out of Scouting. The Silver Beaver Award, presented annually upon the action of a Council Executive Board, is the highest award that a council can present to a volunteer.

Click here to add this event to your outlook calendar

Summer Camp Employment: Apply to work at camp!

The Inland Northwest Council is seeking outstanding applicants for staff positions at each of its summer camps. Seasonal positions are available at Cub Country, Camp Easton, Camp Grizzly, and the North Idaho High Adventure Base. Qualified applicants will possess strong leadership, exceptional teaching skills and work well with youth. Paid positions are available for applicants age 15 and older in all areas of camp including: Aquatics, Shooting Sports, Food Service, Camp Craft, Handicraft, Ecology / Nature, Trading Post, Management, Medical.

Higher salaries are offered for staff positions requiring specialized training. Interested applicants should submit a staff application to the Spokane Service Center. For more information about summer camp staff opportunities, please call 1-800-325-4562. To download a 2012 Camp Staff Application click here.

Interviews will be conducted for camp staff on the following days:

Friday, February 24, 2012 at the Clarkston Service Center from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the Spokane Service Center from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

Order of the Arrow Update

2011 is almost gone, and all the media has devoted time and ink to chronicling the events, good and bad that spanned this soon to be past year. The Lodge had a interesting 2011, we held our three Ordeals, and had some 125 or so new members join our Brotherhood. We will miss some of our adult members who have moved on, and we look forward to utilizing all of our new members' skills and talents in the near future. Our other events were a success, we would have liked to have more members join us, but those who were there had a great time. As always, we remain devoted to our mission to recognize the outstanding Scouts and Scouters in our Council, to provide cheerful service to our Camps, and to enjoy all aspects of the Scouting life. Hope to see all of your smiling faces in the next year, and hope you have a excellent Holiday season.

2 sessions still have space available at Camp Grizzly for Boy Scout Summer Camp

Space is filling fast at Camp Grizzly for 2012! Join us in 2012 as we continue to make updates to our council camping programs and facilities! Many Troops have already signed up. As we head into fall many of the weeks will be full. To maximize your chances of getting into the camp you want and the week you want now is the time to sign-up. To secure your Troop's reservation simply send in your 2012 reservation form and a $100, non-refundable, deposit. Please note, Camp Easton is full for summer 2012.

Click Here to download the 2012 Boy Scout Camp Reservation Form

North Idaho High Adventure - Register for 2012

Five amazing floats down the Lower Salmon river are scheduled for 2012. Scouts and / or Venturers will have a blast floating down the Lower Salmon River and riding a jet boat back up the Snake River through Hell's Canyon. These floats are filling up fast so now is the time to make you unit's reservation.

Click here for more information about 2012 rafting trip and to download a reservation form.

Wood Badge Training, June 2012
Advanced Leadership Training for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity and Venturing Leaders

Join us for the Boy Scouts of America's premier adult volunteer training experience in 2012: May 31-June 2 and June 14-16 at Cowles Scout Reservation! This course is for all Scouters - Boy Scout, Cub Scout, Varsity, and Venturing leaders, and district and council leaders. Wood Badge focuses on strengthening every volunteer's ability to work with groups of youth and adults. The course teaches participants the basics of listening, communicating, valuing people, team development, situational leadership, problem solving, and managing conflict.

Questions? Contact Cindy Wilmoth, 2012 Wood Badge course director or call 1-800-945-4390.

Click here to get more information and to download a registration form.

Guide to Safe Scouting Update: Winter Sports Safety Alert

Wear a Helmet when participating in snow sports

In August 2009, based upon the recommendation of the Risk Management Advisory Panel and Health and Safety Committee, Item 3 of the Winter Sports Safety Section in the Guide to Safe Scouting was changed to read as follows:

"APPROPRIATE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL ACTIVITIES. THIS INCLUDES THE RECOMMENDED USE OF HELMETS FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN WINTER SPORTS SUCH AS SLEDDING AND OTHER SLIDING DEVICES. THE USE OF HELMETS IS REQUIRED FOR THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: DOWNHILL SKIING, SNOWBOARDING, AND OPERATION OF SNOWMOBILES (FULL-FACE HELMETS)."

Click here to view the online version of the Guide to Safe Scouting.

Webelos to Scout Transition

By planning and coordinating their efforts, the pack and troop can

Help make the Webelos-to-Scout transition seamless.
Give all Webelos Scouts a chance to experience the fun and excitement of Boy Scouting.

Click here to learn more.

Scouting Prepares Youth. For Life.
Friends of Scouting 2012

Scouting is Preparing Youth for a Lifetime of Service, Self-Reliance and Leadership.

The Inland Northwest Council is asking for all families to support the 2012 Friends of Scouting Campaign "Preparing Young People for Life".

This year's presentation will conclude with each family being asked to consider preparing one Scout for one year of life for $175 or more. This is what our council will spend on each Scout this year.

Unit's who have a successful Friends of Scouting Campaign do the following:

Recruit an engaged Unit FOS Coordinator
Email a letter to each family explaining Friends of Scouting
Unit Leadership who makes a Friends of Scouting gift
Follow-up with each family not able to attend Court of Honor/Blue & Gold Banquet

Unit Coordinator Job Description

Campaign Timeline and Dates

Giving levels for 2012 include:

Family Gift - $100

iSupport1 Scout - $175

iSupport2 Scouts - $350

Patron Donor - $500

Golden Eagle Donor - $1,000

How does FREE cloth rank advancements sound for your entire unit?

Starting in 2012, when your unit reaches its Friends of Scouting goal by April 30^th, it will qualify for the Inland Northwest Council's Summit Award. In recognition your unit will receive:

Free cloth rank advancements. (Bobcat-Life when submitted online via internet advancement website)
10% discount for summer camp fees
Free unit tent camping at any council camp property during the non-summer camp season.

All units who conduct a unit presentation will also receive a 2011 FOS ribbon streamer for their unit flag.

Inland Northwest Council is a partner with and a member of the United Way of Spokane County, Twin County United Way, United Way of Moscow/Latah County and the United Way of Pullman.