Cub Scout Belt Loop Day - Beltloopapalooza

Cub Packs 195, 270, and 1070 is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Inaugural Belt Loop Day “Beltloopapalooza” on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD.

When: Saturday, May 14, 2011; 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM

To Register: Registration Opens on Friday, April 8, 2011 go to www.meritbadge.info to register. Click on the link “Beltloopapalooza at National Emergency Training Center, Emmitsburg, MD”

Who May Attend: Any registered Cub Scout may attend. Tiger Cubs will need to have their Tiger Adult Partner accompany them. We are also requesting a Parent Cub ratio of 1 Parent : 5 Cubs.

Cost:
Cub Scout All Day = $21.00
Cub Scout Half Day (No Lunch) = $10.00
Cub Scout Half Day (w/ Lunch) = $15.00

Adult Attendee All Day = $12.00
Adult Attendee Half Day (No Lunch) = $7.00
Adult Attendee Half Day (w/ Lunch) = $10.00

Something Greater Than Yourself

I just finished reading a post from a blogger I've been following for quite a while: The Anchoress and not only am I borrowing the title of her post I’m sharing her post here with you.

“When my husband and I picked up our son—let’s call him Buster—from the train station this past weekend, he threw his gear into the car and proclaimed a state of near-starvation. We invited him to put off eating and join us at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for a young man named Danny.

Six years earlier, Buster had returned from a week at scout camp telling us about ‘this cute little kid, Danny, who just joined a few months ago—he’s shy but you can tell how badly he wants to be part of it.’ Three years after that, Danny had been an impressive all-day worker at Buster’s Eagle Project, where Buster called him ‘exceptional,’ and predicted that Danny, too, would reach Eagle. So, it was unsurprising that Buster willingly delayed dinner for this 'brother scout.'

Danny, with 52 merit badges on his sash and a scouting resume that truly was exceptional, even for an Eagle, began his prepared remarks by saying, ‘I didn’t know he would be here today, but that just makes this speech all the better, because I am going to begin by telling you that one of the biggest reasons I stand before you tonight as an Eagle is because of Buster.’”

Later in the post she mentions the passing of an Assistant Scoutmaster that Buster knew and the legacy of Scouts that filed into the funeral home to comfort his family and let them know that “Yes he mattered. His life mattered to me.”

The story of this Scoutmaster’s passing made me think of the recent passing of a fellow Wood Badger: Andy Russo.

I first met Andy in September of 2010, just a few months ago, when we arrived for our first weekend of Wood Badge. A fellow member of his troop was in my patrol and because of that, we all were able to learn of Andy. You see Andy was dealing with Pancreatic Cancer when he arrived at Wood Badge and we all knew that the likelihood of Andy finishing his ticket items was slim.

At first I wondered why someone would take on this ordeal when dealing with their own ordeal, but the answer was right there in front of me during both weekends, and the reason we ALL were at Wood Badge. It really isn’t about what you finish in life, but rather what you undertake along the way, what you leave behind for others, and what you teach others about living a worthwhile and productive life.

Throughout the entire 4 day program Andy was always happy, always ready with a sharp retort and always willing to help out. He wasn’t letting a little cancer get in his way of learning how to help our sons’ become better men, because as The Anchoress noted, it is all about something greater than yourself.

As we graduated from the classroom portion of the program and started our journey along our Wood Badge Tick path we walked down a long line of staff members and shook the hand of each person. The Course Director Isabelle then handed us a coin that I just happen to have in my pocket now. On one side it has the quote “It’s Your Move”. It is apparent to me, that Andy decided long before arriving at Wood Badge to make his move.

Andy died on Saturday, March 5, 2011 while his son was in a Scout Leader training class making his move in the continuing legacy of placing other’s before self.

Andy made his move and dedicated his life to the service of others. He was and is to me the epitome of what a true Scout Leader is - his life mattered because he made everyone he came in contact with think that their life mattered - because it does.

As Scout Leaders we need to ask our self a simple question: Whose life are you going to touch today and remind them that their life does matter, because it really is all about something greater than yourself.

Cubmaster Minute

We can learn something about resourcefulness and character from George Washington – when he found himself with not enough gun powder to make any resistance to the British, he chose to “act the part of a winner.” He kept the enemy from knowing what the dire situation the Continental Army was in – and had his troops “act” as if they had real strength by constantly appearing to be preparing to make an attack.

At another time, when his army was trapped between a far superior British force and the river, he quietly arranged to have every available boat of any kind brought to Brooklyn, and under cover of night and a dense fog, moved men, arms, ammunition, supplies, horses and carts to the other side of the river without the loss of a single man.

Even when you do have resources, the first step in reaching your goal is to BELIEVE you can do it – and picture yourself succeeding!

Monthly Theme - Resourcefulness

The core value highlighted this month is:

Resourcefulness: Using human resources and other resources to their fullest. Through participating in Cub Scout activities, boys will learn different ways to solve problems using various methods and means.

Closing Thought

Pinewood Derby Race
Peggy Porter
http://www.usscouts.org/

My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in Cub Scouts only a short time. During one of his meetings he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires and told to return home and give all to "dad".

That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. Dad was not receptive to doing things with his son. But Gilbert tried. Dad read the paper and scoffed at the idea of making a pine wood derby car with his young eager son. The block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed. Finally, mom stepped in to see if she could figure this all out. The project began.

Having no carpentry skills, I decided it would be best if I simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. I read aloud the measurements, the rules of what we could do and what we couldn't do. Within days his block of wood was turning into a pinewood derby car. A little lopsided, but looking great (at least through the eyes of mom). Gilbert had not seen any of the other kids' cars and was feeling pretty proud of his "Blue Lightning", the pride that comes with knowing you did something on your own.

Then the big night came. With his blue pinewood derby car in his hand and pride in his heart we headed to the big race. Once there my little one's pride turned to humility. Gilbert's car was obviously the only car made entirely on his own. All the other cars were a father-son partnership, with cool paint jobs and sleek body styles made for speed.

A few of the boys giggled as they looked at Gilbert's lopsided, wobbly, unattractive vehicle. To add to the humility, Gilbert was the only boy without a man at his side. A couple of the boys who were from single parent homes at least had an uncle or grandfather by their side, Gilbert had "mom".

As the race began it was done in elimination fashion. You kept racing as long as you were the winner. One by one the cars raced down the finely sanded ramp. Finally it was between Gilbert and the sleekest, fastest looking car there. As the last race was about to begin, my wide eyed, shy eight year old asked if they could stop the race for a minute, because he wanted to pray. The race stopped.

Gilbert went to his knees clutching his funny looking block of wood between his hands. With a wrinkled brow he set to converse with his Father. He prayed in earnest for a very long minute and a half. Then he stood, smile on his face and announced, 'Okay, I am ready."

As the crowd cheered, a boy named Tommy stood with his father as their car sped down the ramp. Gilbert stood with his Father within his heart and watched his block of wood wobble down the ramp with surprisingly great speed and rushed over the finish line a fraction of a second before Tommy's car. Gilbert leaped into the air with a loud "Thank You" as the crowd roared in approval.

The Scout Master came up to Gilbert with microphone in hand and asked the obvious question, "So you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?" To which my young son answered, "Oh, no sir. That wouldn't be fair to ask God to help you beatsomeone else. I just asked Him to make it so I wouldn't cry when I lost."

Children seem to have wisdom far beyond us. Gilbert didn't ask God to win the race, he didn't ask God to fix the outcome. Gilbert asked God to give him strength in the outcome. When Gilbert first saw the other cars he didn't cry out to God, "No fair, they had a father's help!" No, Gilbert went to his Heavenly Father for strength.

Perhaps we spend too much of our prayer time asking God to rig the race, to make us number one, or too much time asking God to remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking God's strength to get us through the struggle. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13.

Gilbert's simple prayer spoke volumes to those present that night. He never doubted that God would indeed answer his request. He didn't pray to win, thus hurt someone else; he prayed that God supply the grace to lose with dignity. Gilbert, by his stopping the race to speak to his Father also showed the crowd that he wasn't there without a "dad", but he also went away a winner that night, with his Father at his
side.

May we all learn to pray this way.

Cubmaster Minute

"Do Your Best"

When you give the Cub Scout Promise, the words “Do your Best” are often lost among all the other very important words. Let’s stop for a minute and carefully consider these words.

Best describes effort and action above our usual performances. You are the only person who can possibly know whether or not you have done your best. Every time you repeat the promise, you agree to do your best. Your best is just that: The very best that you can do. Think about the meaning of the promise that you repeated at the beginning of the Pack Meeting. Decide that you will always do your best, no matter what the job is that is facing you.

Pinewood Derby Set-Up!

Set-up for the Pinewood Derby will be Thursday, January 27, 2011 beginng at 7:00 PM.

We'll get the track out of storage and transport it to the site. Set-up the track and finalize any last minute tweaking of the track. This should take about 3 - 4 hours total.

Monthly Theme - Positive Attitude

The core value highlighted this month is:

Positive Attitude: Being cheerful and setting our minds to look for and find the best in all situations. Through participating in a derby, boys will see the importance of having a positive attitude, regardless of the outcome of the race.

Closing Thought

It was the coldest winter ever - many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, understanding the situation, decided to group together. They covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions even though they gave off heat to each other.

So they began to distance themselves from each other and began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or
disappear from the Earth.

They decided to go back to being together. This way they learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by the close relationship with their companions, and appreciate the warmth; this way they were able to survive.

Moral of the story:
The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the best is when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

I wish we could all make the same choice as these porcupines. None of us is perfect, we all have flaws or differences but that is what makes the world go round. Instead of all the hate we should make the choice to accept everyone for who they are, there are always lessons to be learned if we only open ourselves to learning them.

See you next month.

Cubmaster Minute

Respect yourself and respect other people. This means that you should realize that everyone is unique, and everyone has his or her own ideas and abilities, and that this is a good thing, rather than a bad thing. Celebrate diversity! The fact that people are different and possess different talents means that when you work as a team, together you can achieve more than any one of you could alone.