Troop 288 Committee Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2009
Troop 288 Committee met at the home of Joyce Murphy on Oct. 1, 2009 from 7:30 PM to 10 PM.
Andrea Matthews Rich Seminara Michael McMahon Christine Freitag
Joyce Murphy Karen Terpe Don Stieh
Treasurer’s Report: Andrea Matthews presented the Treasurer’s Report. The financial status of the Troop is satisfactory. The current financial report is available for review. Collections and expenses for the past year and month were reviewed. Troop bank deposits and certificates were reviewed. Several camperships were given this year. Expenses on awards and rank advancement increased. Dues collection was down. The Central New Jersey Council is facing financial difficulty.
Fundraising: Every Family in the Troop should participate in each of our fundraising efforts.
§ Every family should be taking part in the collection of cans in neighborhoods, at home, and at work. Cans may be taken to the bin at the firehouse on Rt. 31 or stored at home until can workday. PLEASE CRUSH CANS PRIOR TO PUTTING IN THE BIN. Improved family participation in can collection is needed, given the high payment for recycled cans currently available.
§ Karen Terpe has graciously volunteered to coordinate fundraising.
§ Carol Dorf is doing an excellent job in coordinating can recycling.
§ A work day at the can bin will be scheduled.
Activities: Marie Siller is our Activities Coordinator and does an excellent job. Additional adults are always needed to help Marie and to volunteer to coordinate one of the many troop activities. A task list is available for coordinating trips.
§ A number of adults have signed up for Troop Committee membership and leadership in activities, advancement and fundraising.
§ Boards of Review adults as back-ups are needed during troop meetings.
§ Oct 10-11 – Webelos Weekend.
§ Oct 13 – Court of Honor at the Church starting at 7 PM
§ October 2009 – Pie and popcorn sales
§ Refer to the Troop 288 Fall and Winter schedule of coming events on cards sent to each 288 Scouting family. Planned events include West Point Camporee, Washington DC, the White House, Family Campout, Book Fair, Spaghetti Dinner, Summer camps, and 2010 Jamboree.
§ A schedule of Troop Activites can also be found on our excellent website at www.bsa-Troop288.com.
Record Keeping: Any changes or additions of personal information for scouts and parents should be forwarded to Christine at c.freitag@embarqmail.com or 236-7967. Updated Troop 288 Rosters and Committee Lists are available and updated regularly. Thank you, Christine, for your fine work in keeping our records updated. Please notify Christine if your e-mail address has changed. New Troop 288 families are invited to add their information to our records. Advancement documentation and dates need to be made available for records. New Scouts will be added to our records. Linda Jaszyn has graciously volunteered to help with Records Keeping and is in training for this job.
Cub Scouting: Cub Scout recruiting has gone well in recent years. Troop 288 has recently welcomed many new Scouts to the Troop. The number of Cub Scouts and Webelos in our community has increased. Troop 288 Den Chiefs are doing an excellent job working with local Cub Scout Packs. Webelos weekend is scheduled for Oct 10-11, 2009. A new Cub Pack in Whitehouse is being formed. Status of local Cub Packs and Dens was updated regarding Scout Troop selection by Webelos.
Financial Assistance through camperships is available and needs to be tied to the recipient Scout’s efforts in fundraising, motivation, Scout spirit, participation in service activities, approach to Scouting, and attitude, as well as family need. Financial Assistance from the Troop to families in Troop 288 and Venture Crew
188 facing financial difficulty in meeting Scouting expenses is supported by the Troop Committee. Candidates should demonstrate active participation in Troop fundraising activities. Troop families are invited to identify a fellow Troop family needing assistance and to share that information with our Scoutmaster. In the future Summer Camp discounts will be made available to Scouts who make good sales of popcorn. Camperships are available for Troop 288 families who have had recent job losses. Two families of Troop 288 have requested financial assistance for Scouting activities. Eligibility and participation of each applicant in Troop fundraising were reviewed and discussed.
Venturing:
· Scouts graduated from 8th grade, age 14 years, and Star rank, are eligible to join Venture Crew.
· Venture Crew committee meetings are scheduled for the first Monday of each month, unless it is a Holiday.
· Don Stieh is providing great leadership for the crew. He updated the Committee on Crew activities.
· Venture Crew activities have been outstanding.
· Officers have been elected for Venture Crew 188.
Website: Updated news regarding the Troop is being added to the website. Mary and Don Bean have graciously volunteered to take on leadership and organization of the Troop 288 website. Recent significant improvements in our website have been noted. Visit the site at www.bsa-Troop288.com. Our Newsletter is currently dormant.
Quartermaster:
· Organization of the Troop closet at the church continues, since it is still in disarray.
· Troop 288 families who have Troop equipment stored in their homes should return the equipment promptly.
· A weekend for maintenance of Troop equipment is needed. Seam sealing and numbering of Troop tents are planned.
· Organizing the Troop trailer’s storage space continues.
Advancement:
§ Updated requirements for rank advancement will go into effect soon.
· Rank advancement for our New Scouts is going well.
§ A Troop Committee Team has been established to counsel Eagle Scout Candidates who are not demonstrating Scout Spirit, participation in Troop meetings and events, as well as not being good role models for younger Scouts.
§ Progress reports on individual Life Scout candidates for Eagle Rank were updated in detail.
§ Art Dunn, Eric Shick and Chris Neighbor are the Troop’s Eagle Advancement Mentors and will work together to provide each Eagle candidate with both a challenging and emotionally comfortable Eagle Project Flow Plan, individualized for each Scout. The nature of their guidance and monitoring will depend on the personality, individuality, motivation, interest and strengths of the Eagle candidate. The mentors will work together for the best interests and success of the Scout as he matures on his road to Eagle.
§ Procrastination, poor planning, and postponement of work by some Scouts have been identified as areas needing modification and improvement for the timely advancement of Eagle Candidates.
Scoutmaster’s Report:
§ Court of Honor is scheduled for October 13, 2009, at 7 PM at the Church.
§ Nametags for Scouts have been distributed to Scouts and should be worn.
§ Troop 288 families are asked to RSPV to invitations to Eagle Award Ceremonies to facilitate planning by families. Every Scout should try to attend each Eagle Ceremony and be in uniform.
§ A merger of Jenny Jump and Hunterdon Arrowhead Districts has taken place and will continue in Central NJ Council. The new name is Pahaquarra District.
§ The Committee discussed methods to increase the attendance, Scout Spirit, motivation, cooperation and interest in Scouting of a number of Scouts in the Troop.
§ An adult advisor for each patrol would increase its organization and motivation.
§ Updated shoulder patches will be purchased; nametags will be updated and purchased for the new Scouts and adults.
New Business:
§ Karen Terpe, our new fundraising coordinator, presented several excellent new ideas in detail for fundraising by the Troop. They included buying scrip gift cards from local businesses at a discount and then having the gift cards sold to the public at face value or used to buy food and supplies for camping.
· The Troop is trying to locate missing equipment. The importance of returning Troop equipment needs to be emphasized to each Scout and to each Scouting family.
· An adult assigned to each patrol would guide and develop the patrol and help individual boys.
· The Committee supports giving financial support to a Troop Scout needing help to attend Jamboree.
· Many younger Scouts may need an adult, parent or older Scout as a role model to motivate enthusiasm, interest and participation in Scouting.
· The Committee discussed the establishment of a sales minimum for each Scout for selling popcorn and pies, as well as the penalties for not meeting the sales goal.
· A list detailing each Troop Committee Job Description has been developed by Chris Neighbor. It is well written and interested Troop 288 adults are invited to consider filling the vacant positions listed. The list is available from our Scoutmaster.
· The County Freeholders have approved the placement of plaques on the site of completed Eagle Projects.
The next Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, 2009, at 7:30 PM at the home of Joyce Murphy.
Boris G. Ivovich MD
Committee Secretary