| News for Scouting leaders,
parents, and the communities
we serve |
February 12, 2009
To supplement, not replace, the Duffle Bag newspaper |
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Training Courses
National Youth Leadership Training: This weeklong course provides youth leaders with an opportunity to enhance their leadership skills while living by the Scout Oath and Law in an exciting outdoor environment. Boy Scouts who earn the NYLT shield are prepared to meet the challenges ahead and are better prepared to work with adult leaders. More...
Wood Badge
This advanced training course is for all Scout leaders. Two courses will take place this summer, one in May at Beaumont Scout Reservation and the other in August at Pine Ridge Scout Camp. Download A Course Application (PDF) |
MacArthur Service Center
4568 West Pine Blvd. St. Louis, Mo. 63108-2179 Phone: (314) 361-0600 or (800) 392-0895 FAX: (314) 361-5165 Hours: Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Click on the links below for service center information:
West County Service Center
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The Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, is a United Way agency.
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| Greetings!
Why do people give to Friends of Scouting?
 For many, Scouting provides special moments that touch our hearts or motivate us. Here's one of those stories from Roger McFarland, president of the Eagle Scout Association.
Every Scout's trail begins with a small step like a troop meeting or joining friends on a hike or camping trip. The trail for Roger's son, Thomas, started in Cub Scouts and experiences like Dad & Lad. They had the pleasure of twice experiencing the Boundary Waters together. Both photographs were taken at the same spot -- one when Thomas was an 11-year-old Tenderfoot and the other a 17-year-old soon-to-be Eagle Scout.
 What struck Roger more than Thomas' physical growth was how much he grew in character and leadership during those years of Scouting. Thomas is now in Japan on a five-month student exchange program, one of many life experiences that Scouting prepared him for.
Friends of Scouting helps tens of thousands of young people grow in leadership and character. The Council is grateful to all units who committed to a Friends of Scouting presentation at an upcoming Blue & Gold Banquet or Court of Honor. If your unit would like to participate and help our Council continue to serve youth, please contact your district executive or Brian Sens, finance director, at (314) 256-3012 or bsens@stlbsa.org.
Thanks for all you do to make Scouting possible in our community.
--Greater St. Louis Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America
Friends Of Scouting Video Available For Presentations
 A six-minute Friends of Scouting video is available that simplifies your unit's presentation and tells the Scouting story. Your presenter can assist you with audio/visual resources to play the DVD. ( Click here or on the graphic to watch the video on YouTube.) |
Take A Virtual Tour Of Summer Camp
Click on the button above to begin a virtual tour of all the Council's summer camps. |
 Den Chief Conference On Feb. 21 At Beaumont
A den chief is a Boy Scout who assists a Cub Scout or Webelos den leader at den meetings, pack meetings and other events. He can be a source of games, songs, skits, skills. When it's time for them to move up to a Webelos den or a Boy Scout troop, his example and encouragement can help the transition.
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Tell Us About A Recent Eagle Scout Service Project
Service is the theme for the Council's 2008 Annual Report. Profiles of selected Eagle Scouts who completed their Eagle Scout Service Project in 2008 will be featured in the publication. Send an e-mail to Joe Mueller ( jmueller@stlbsa.org), Director of Public Relations, with 200 words or less describing the importance or a unique aspect of an Eagle project completed last year. Last year, 526 young men earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Council. |
 Outdoor Training Course Helps Cub Leaders Succeed
Leader Outdoor Experience is a supplemental training for all Cub Scout leaders. They receive instruction in providing a well-rounded program for youth members both indoors and outdoors. It teaches leaders to take their dens and packs outdoors with confidence in their abilities to provide a meaningful and memorable experience. More... |
| Leader Tip:
Materials: Two 10-foot pieces of string or rope, a tape player, and music.
Use the string to form the winding banks of a river about 3 feet wide. Tell the boys that when the music starts they are to "wade" across the river back and forth until the music stops. When it stops, anyone who is in the river must sit out for two turns. They must also mark down each time they get caught in the river. The boy who gets caught the least is the winner. Source: Cub Scout Program Helps, February 2009 (PDF)  |
Parent Tip:
Pros, Cons of Video Games
Compared to watching television, video games are a better form of entertainment because they are interactive...
You need to be concerned if your child's grades fall, if he doesn't do his homework, if he doesn't get enough sleep, if he doesn't play outdoors, if he becomes a loner, or if he seems preoccupied with aggressive behavior as seen in a video game... Don't expect your child to set his own limits on the amount of time he spends with this bewitching form of entertainment. More...Source: parenting.org |
Quick Clicks
Flyer Design Contest: Cub Scouts can help the council design its School Night to Join Scouting flyer and win one of three great prizes. Deadline: March 5. Download an entry flyer (PDF)
Invitations: Many organizations will welcome Scouts to outdoor events as the weather gets warmer. View the Invitations page on the Council website. Many organizations offer Scouts free or reduced-cost programs.
Opportunities to Serve: Nonprofit and charitable organizations welcome collaboration on service projects with units. View the Opportunities to Serve page on the Council website for more information. | |
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