Monthly Archives: March 2021
Fishawack District Holds Klondike at Camp Somers
On March 20, the Fishawack District Klondike was attended by 180 Scouts BSA and 40 adults at Camp Somers.
To reduce any chance of COVID-19 transmission, everyone wore masks, sleds were omitted, and Scouts remained in pods. Teams of between four and six Scouts visited eight stations spread out at two adjoining campsites.
Sixteen junior teams and 20 senior teams participated, demonstrating their skill in fire building, map and compass, first aid, pioneering, nature, Scout lore and shelter building.
The results:
Junior Division
First place – Team 9-J1 from Troop 280
Second place – Team 12A-J1 from Troop 41
Third place – Team 12B-J1 from Troop 69
Fourth place – Team 3A-J1 from Troop 8
Fifth place – Team 3B-J1 from Troop 8
Senior Division
First place – Team 3B-S2 from Troop 8
Second place – Team 5B-S1 from Troop 173
Third place – Team 3B-S1 from Troop 8
Fourth place – Team 5B-S2 from Troop 173
Fifth place – Team 6B-S1 from Troop 280
Be Sure to Print Membership Cards, Charter Certificate
Reminders from Council Registrar Mike Wellech:
PRINTING MEMBERSHIP CARDS AND CHARTER CERTIFICATES:
Now that your charter is posted, you’ll want to print your membership cards and your charter certificate. Here are two PDF’s showing you how to do that:
UNIT ADVANCEMENT CHAIR:
This is your annual reminder to assign a unit advancement chairperson. Every year, after we post your charter, this position expires. A member of your Key 3 can assign a registered adult in your unit the position of the unit advancement chair by following these instructions.
- Log into https://my.scouting.org
- Click on “MENU”
- Click on your unit
- Select “ORGANIZATION SECURITY MANAGER”
- Click “UNIT ADVANCEMENT CHAIR”
- Click the green + sign
- Click the drop down arrow in the “PERSON” field
- Select a name you’d like to add as your unit advancement chair
- Leave the Effective Date, and the Expiration Date as is. It should read 1/1/2021 and 12/31/2021
- Click ‘SAVE’
NOTE: You will not see the person’s name you chose after clicking “SAVE” until the next day, but you should see a note pop up that says “SAVE SUCCESSFUL”. As long as you see that, you’ll be OK. You can always log in again the next day to confirm it worked.
SCOUT SHOP UNIT ACCOUNT AGREEMENTS:
Last year the Scout Shops updated their unit deposit account agreement form, and required every unit to complete the new form. The committee chairperson is the only person in the unit authorized to do so.
Now that the charters are posted for the new year, we recommend each unit review who is authorized to charge to their Scout Shop accounts. If you think you need to make changes, please use the unit deposit account agreement form here.
Be Sure to Report Community Service Hours
All community service hours should be reported on Scoutbook (for your unit’s records) and through the PPC app or website.
Hours can be reported at any time during the year, but must be reported by December 31.
Below are hours that should be reported:
Scouts: Hours that are part of a unit project, Eagle Project or an individual project.
Adult Leaders: Hours that are part of a unit project or Eagle project. This can also include hours spent planning a service project/driving donations collected.
Hours for siblings and other adults that help a unit project or Eagle project should be counted as well.
The following hours do not count for service for your unit:
Adult Leaders/Adults: Hours for planning Scout events/activities/meeting, and volunteering for non-Scout events (such as volunteer firefighter, EMT , sports coach, PTA, etc.).
To report hours you will need:
Date
Project Description
# of Scouts
# of Youth non-Scouts
# of Adult Leaders
# of Adults
Total Number of Hours
For any questions on community service, go to this link to find your community service chairperson.
Recruiting Tools Available for the Spring
A variety of recruiting tools are available for the spring. These resources include a Cub Scout recruiting materials form, “Den Meeting in a Bag,” and the BSA Brand Center.
For more information, click here.
Adventure Awaits at Summer Camp
As the seasons begin to change and the temperature begins to rise, it’s a great time to start thinking about summer camp!
Patriots’ Path Council has an exciting summer camp season planned for Cub Scouts, non-Scouts, Scouts BSA, and summer camp staff!
Join in the fun this summer by clicking here.
To apply to be a member of the camp staff, click here.
Stay up to date on the latest news from camp by visiting the PPC camping homepage for more information on health and safety procedures, refund policy, and Q & A section. Please join the email alert system to stay current on the 2021 summer camp season.
See you all this summer!
PPC Partners with Old World Meats for Fundraiser
Are you looking for a way to help fund your summer adventure? If so, Patriots’ Path Council has an opportunity for you.
PPC has partnered with Old World Meats to provide Meat Sticks as a fundraising opportunity. Old World Meats sticks come in 12 flavors and are priced to move at $1 per stick. Forty-nine percent stays local to support Scouting, and 30% of each stick goes directly to the unit!
Please use the simple interest form and someone will be in touch to discuss the opportunity with you.
For more information, contact Jason Dugan at [email protected].
2020 Merit Badge Ranking List Rewritten by the Pandemic
The pandemic didn’t stop Scouts from earning merit badges in 2020, but it did cause a dramatic shift in which merit badges Scouts earned most.
Ever since 2012, when the merit badge rankings where first published, the top of the list has been dominated by merit badges that are both on the list of Eagle-required merit badges and offered at most council summer camps.
But everything changed in 2020.
With the majority of summer camps not operating, the popularity of those merit badges fell. In their place, we saw an unprecedented rise in the popularity of merit badges that can be earned at home, often with a Scout’s family.
More than 1.1 million merit badges were earned in 2020 — and there’s a story behind each one.
Click here to look more closely at the numbers.
Community Service Efforts Recognized
Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Community Service Patch. Winners are chosen from each district, and these honored units have the most hours for the year and/or the most hours per Scout.
Each winning unit will receive a patch and a flag ribbon.
The 2020 honorees are:
Black River: Pack 53, Troop 555
Fishawack: Crew 314, Pack 40, Pack 215, Troop 277
Munsee: Pack 103, Troop 219, Troop 230
Raritan Valley: Pack 318, Troop 88, Troop 154 (Pluckemin)
Sussex: Pack 88, Troop 1150
Watchung Mountain: Pack 135, Pack 273, Troop 73
Thank you to all units for your service. As a council, 57,680 hours were reported during a tremendously hard year.
Here are the hours by district:
Black River – 10,317
Fishawack – 8,573
Munsee – 3,070
Raritan Valley – 9,933
Sussex – 7,346
Watchung Mountain – 14,297
Order of the Arrow – 2,104
Flintlocks – 2,004
PPC Toys for Tots – 36
Members and friends of Scouts BSA Troop 154, Pluckemin, pictured at very top and above, lend a hand in the community.
Troop 154, Pluckemin, is one of PPC units to be recognized for its community service in 2020.
