A Scout is Helpful ... and during this Thanksgiving Season, they go the extra mile!  

 

During the annual Scouting for Food drive one Scout took the extra effort to make even more of a difference!  Ryan, a Boy Scout from Troop 826 in Kissimmee, did something very unique to help the cause. Using coupons, he was able to turn $100 cash ... into $886 worth of food! He donated the food directly to his Troop's "Scouting for Food" effort.

 

Great job Ryan.

Online Charter Renewals (re-charters) instructions were handed out at the October Round Table.  They were due at the November Round Table.  If yours is still out it is late!!

 

If you have a question regarding re-charter, contact your unit commissioner. 

 

Complete a  Unit Inventory (call all inactive youth):

Call ALL inactive youth on your roster and ask them if they would like to continue their registration in the Scouts.    Just because a Scout hasn't been active lately does not mean that they want to end their association with Scouting; every kid deserves a second chance.  Take a minute to invite them back. 

                                                            

After recharter, district volunteers call all youth who do not re-register; what they usually find is that the Scout wasn't around during recharter time.   They had no idea that they were not included.  Some kids were in sports and planned to come back to Scouting in the spring.  A thorough Unit inventory will prevent this.

 

The Space Coast Lightfest is a holiday-themed drive-through event held at Wickham Park. It is a family-oriented celebration featuring shimmering lights and dazzling animated displays.

 

Hayrides through the Lights

We are pleased to bring the new and improved Hayrides through the Lights! The hayride is a great family-friendly way to see the lights. Santa Claus will be on all hayrides talking to the children and taking pictures with them. Also new - we will be providing blankets for the cold nights!

 

Special Appreciation Nights at the Space Coast Lightfest

We are pleased to provide special appreciation nights with an admission discount to First Responders, Medical Personnel, Military, Parks and Recreation employees and Teachers.

Please click here for information on the dates of the Space Coast Lightfest Appreciation Days! 

 

 

The Central Florida Council has redesigned its Web-Site to make it easier to use for our Scouts, Scouters, and Parents. All the information you need about the Scouting Programs (Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Scouts, and Explorers) and both Council & Camp Events are all in one place at your fingertips. Come take a look.

 

The Council & Camp have also increased their activity on Facebook and Twitter so when you are at home or on the go you can still keep up with Central Florida Council Scouting. Don't ever miss out on the Scouting excitement in the Central Florida Council, even if you are not there in person.

 

New to the Central Florida Council's communication venues is Pinterest. Pinterest will be the go to place for the Central Florida Council's Cub Scout Programing. You'll find information on the ins and outs of the Cub Scout Program plus up to date information on the available activities and events.

 

Coming soon you'll see the Central Florida Council on Instagram with pictures and videos of the Council's exciting activities and events. Tumblr is also on the near future horizon causing the ability for Scouts, Scouters, Parents and the Council to communicate through discussions by blogging on every Scouting topic.

 

Check out the Central Florida Council and Camp La No Che on Google and on almost every Social Media Venue available.

 

Let Communication begin Now! -  For the Central Florida Council's Scouts, Scouters, and Parents.

 

Please click here to register your Webelos for the Webelos-to-Scout Transition Weekend

Learn More »

Join us for Scout Night on December 7th, 2013!

 

Take advantage of an exclusive offer for discounted Orlando Solar Bears hockey tickets at the Amway Center. 

 

The first 1,000 Scouts in uniform that visit the guest assistance window behind Section 111 will receive a special Solar Bears Scout Patch!

 

TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS VISIT:

OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com/Scout
Use Special Offer Code: SCOUT

You can download a cool Solar Bears Scout Night Poster.

 

If your troop is interested in sitting together contact:

Mark Nolte (407) 951-8200   mnolte@orlandosolarbearshockey.com 

The 2014 Friends of Scouting Campaign is off and running ...

 

In the next few months a Scouting representative will visit your Pack, Troop or Crew and give you an opportunity to invest in the future of Scouting here in Central Florida.

 

Funds raised in our 2014 Friends of Scouting campaign will help pay for unit service, leader training, youth scholarships, recruitment efforts, program development, program support, camping and much more.

 

Your gift is important.

 

Please make plans to participate at your next Blue & Gold or Court of Honor.

If you are unable to attend your Blue & Gold or Court of Honor, please help your unit achieve 100% family participation by making a donation using this link: http://support.cflscouting.org

 

On behalf of the over 25,000 Scouts here in Central Florida, thank you for being a part of this important campaign!!  Thank you for helping our Scouts be Prepared of Life!!

  January 31st & February 1st

Do you wonder what a TOR is all about? The Sunshine Trade-O-Ree (TOR) is an annual event where scouts and scout friends gather together to display, collect, trade, purchase and sell all kinds of scouting memorabilia. What kind of memorabilia you might ask? Well, let me tell you that you will see anything and everything scouting related at the Sunshine TOR. There will be displays of patches of course, but you will also see older uniforms, scouting pins & buttons, coins, flags, hats, neckerchiefs, knives and other tools, newspapers and magazines and the list goes on and on.

EVERYTHING scouting related can be found at the Sunshine TOR.

Because of our location here in Central Florida, we draw many more people than other TOR events can. At the 2014 Sunshine TOR we will have 100 tables that will display scouting items from all around Florida as well as the country. Collectors and traders from all over Florida and also many from out of Florida are expected to attend the 2014 Sunshine TOR.

Do you want to learn about the rich history of scouting? Do you want to make new scout friends? Do you want to earn Cub Scout and Webelos advancements or Boy Scout merit badges? Have you ever wanted to design a patch? Then come to the 2014 Sunshine TOR and have some fun!

Location:

Tipisa Lodge is once again proud to host Tipisa Native American Weekend at Camp LaNoChe, February 7-9, 2014.

This hugely popular event features shows, demonstrations, beadwork, cooking, history, classes, pottery, vendors, tomahawk throwing, a powwow Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, and more!

Open to Scouts of all ages: Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Ventures, and their families. There are more options this year for registration. All registration options include the TNAW 2014 Patch and all the TNAW program.

The options range from the all inclusive Dining Hall option, Saturday Only Day Registration, and the new Camping Only option which allows you to bring your own food and cook meals in the campsite. Also new this year is a Troop Deposit option which like summer camp allows an entire Troop to register with a $200 deposit.

For more information and online registration, visit TIPISA.ORG/TNAW or email tnaw@tipisa.org. Early Bird Registration discounts apply if you register before Jan 1, 2014.

Participant Registration is currently open and is available at:
http://cflscouting.doubleknot.com/event/2014-tnaw-scoutcubventure-registration/1433519

Troop Deposit Option:
http://cflscouting.doubleknot.com/event/2014-tnaw-troop-deposit/1447248

Staff Registration is currently open and available at:
http://cflscouting.doubleknot.com/event/2014-tnaw-oa-tipisa-staff-registration/1433504

MyScouting Tools

This summer some new tools were added to MyScouting Tools. In August, under  Training Manager, unit and district Key 3 administrators began to be able to access a dashboard view of position trained leader status and Youth Protection Training status by organization level. With this tool, training can be added (not just YPT), and training certificates printed. As of 10/17/2013, the latest enhancements to MyScouting Tools were released and includes:

• Members' My Profile and unit/district rosters show a "Trained" icon next to positions to indicate member is position-trained.
• Training Manager (for Key 3)
• Youth Protection Training Report has been moved from the Search Training screen and placed on the YPT dashboard for quicker view.
• A new "Trained Leaders Report" is available and an icon placed on the Trained Leaders dashboard for printing.  This report lists those who are not position-trained, along with additional training needed to be position-trained in the position(s) they currently hold.  The report also lists those who are position-trained.

To view support materials for training features available to the unit Key 3, click on this link:  Training Manager.  For now, only unit, district, and council Key-3s have access to most of the tools. Soon they'll be able to grant administrator rights to others in their unit/service areas.

 

Cub Scout Leader Specifics Training

Earlier this year a new Den Leader Position-Specific Training course syllabus for Tiger Cub, Wolf, and Bear den leaders was released. The content of the course was developed based on the results of extensive surveys of den leaders in 2006 and 2011, Voice of the Scout feedback, and a den leader "competency" study in 2012. A new specifics course for Webelos den leaders, built on the same research, is in final editing and will be released this fall. These new courses are intended to provide den leaders with

the experience, basic information, and resources they need to conduct successful den meetings. Their design also addresses some of the primary skills den leaders need. The national training team is developing new courses for other pack leadership roles.

 

Venturing Training

After countless hours of research and work, the Venturing sub-committee of the National Strategic Plan's 4.1.1 task force, has made its recommendations for updates in the Venturing program. These proposed program enhancements will take effect in May of 2014. In the meantime, they are  busy writing new training to match the changes. Be on the lookout for a new and unique training for Crew Committee members, entitled... The Crew Committee Challenge. In addition, a much needed facelift to the current Venturing Leader Specific Training will be given. Four new youth training components including "Mentoring Others," "Goal Setting," and "Project Management" are being written. Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews is being updated to be more relevant to the Crews of today.

 

"Fully Trained"

We often fall into the trap of calling a Scouter "fully trained" when they complete "basic" training. It leads some to think that they have done all of the training they can.

 

Of course, no person is ever "fully trained." Once basic leader training is completed, advanced training from Wood Badge, Powder Horn, or Seabadge courses is encouraged. Supplemental training from the BSA MyScouting E-Learning center, Roundtable, University of Scouting, and the national training centers at Philmont Scout Ranch and Sea Base can be taken whether basic leader training has been completed or not. We all benefit from life-long learning - including training outside of what is offered by BSA.

Greetings, Central Florida Scouter's and Scouts. I hope all of you had a Happy Thanksgiving and got to spend it with family and friends. Now we're headed towards Christmas like a freight train! Can you believe that 2013 is almost gone? 2013 has been an incredible year for our organization as we have seen approximately 330 earn Eagle Scout as well as about 50 earned Venturing  awards to include 4 who earned he coveted Ranger award. In addition, we had 7 Troops and 1 Venturing Crew attend the 2013 National Jamboree which was held at the BSA's newest high adventure base; the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.  Camp La-No-Che this past summer broke its attendance record with over 4100 youth attending summer camp while hundreds of other council youth attended out of council long term summer camps. In addition, the Council youth have performed thousands of hours of community service.

 

Now as the Christmas holiday season approaches, don't think scouting is taking time off. There are a lot of things going on during the month of December; Winter Camp, NYLT, just to name a couple. I know units are working hard to close out the year with focus on the areas of the Journey to Excellence (JTE) checklist.  Speaking of closing out the year; I also know everyone is working hard to complete their recharters. In fact, we have quite a few units whom have completed the process; kudos to them! I ask that everyone else continue to work to get your recharter completed.  

As discussed in the newsletter a couple of months back, I want to renew my challenge to the youth and adults to help us grow our membership in our Packs, Troops, Crews, Ships and Posts. You know that there are plenty of youth in our community that are looking for new friends and adventure. What better place to find this than in Scouting.

 

OK, I want all of you to have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

God Bless each and every one of you, stay safe, have fun, and I'll see you on the high ground. 

 

Yours in Scouting,

 

Robert "Bo" Terry

Council Commissioner