November

Carter Freeman Eagle Court of Honor:  Congratulations again to our newest Eagle scout Carter Freeman.  Carter's Eagle Court of Honor was held this past Sunday 11/12/2023.  It was great to see so much support for Carter from our Troop and from Scouters throughout the Council who came to celebrate Carter's achievement.  An American flag was flown over the State Capital building in honor of Carter and that flag will be given to him in the near future.  

November Campout:  We will be meeting at the church on Friday 11/17/23 at 6pm, packing the trailer and then traveling to Camp Hugh Taylor Birch:  at 4057 Swimming Pool Rd.  Yellow Springs, Oh.  45387.  We will be camping at the Lagonda Campsite, which has 3 rustic cabins and an area for tent camping.  Both youth patrols and the adult patrol will be cooking separate meals with the exception of Lunch on Saturday.  We plan to visit the National Museum of the United States Airforce and several other sites in order to earn the Aviation Heritage Medallion.

If you haven't turned in a permission slip, we will have them on Friday to turn in.  Below is the link as well.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I6ESNQa3lszd5dWNycEJtscirWUkpLPwCOHdxXE4wG4/edit

We plan to return at approximately noon on Sunday.  We would like to unload everything from the shed that we use into the new trailer in preparation for the new Troop shed that will be coming soon.

Recharter update:  We just found out that the national and council fees are going to need to be collected by the troop instead of being paid directly to the National.  In the past, the troop has paid up front for year and the monthly dues took care of those fees. The Troop is not in the financial position to pay the entire amount up front after purchasing 3 new sheds so we will be collecting the National and Council fees up front.  Here is the breakdown per scout:  National fee = $80 + Council Fee = $60 for a total of $140 per scout.  Scout Life magazine is $15 but this is optional.  Adult fees have gone up to $60 dollars total.  For example, 1 scout and 1 adult with no Scout Life magazine would cost $200 for the National and Council fees.  This can be taken out of the scout accounts or paid via check or Paypal.  We realize that is different from how we've done business in the past and if this creates a hardship, please feel free to reach out to myself, Committee Chair Jason Savage,  or Treasurer Jim Baughman.  

Monthly Dues: 

We can all be very proud of how well Troop 136 is doing! Our young men are making great progress in advancement, character development, and life experience. We have had many rank advancements this year, and two of our young men who have advanced to Eagle Scout. We look forward to seeing this continue in 2024 as many of our Scouts embark on high adventure trips!

Dues have been an ongoing discussion within the Troop Committee, as we look to shore up our finances to make sure we can provide those things we have come to expect from the troop including the ability to properly care for our equipment. In recent years, fifteen dollars per month barely covers what the troop pays the national organization and the council for dues per Scout.

The Troop Committee has decided to continue collecting monthly dues from Scouts, with the monthly portion staying with Troop 136. Scouts will pay the full amount of the national and council dues during our annual recharter process.

While this does reflect an increase in dues, we are giving our Scouts great opportunities to cover costs for dues, camps, and other expenses for Scouting.

This new dues structure will allow the troop to have the funding it needs to continue providing for all ranks and advancement, training for leaders, new equipment, maintenance, insurance, and the many regular expenses needed to keep Troop 136 functioning properly for our Scouts. 

We believe this makes our Troop an incredible value for the money. Of course, we want no Scout left behind, so if the cost of Scouting ever becomes an issue, please reach out to Scoutmaster Ron Newcomb, Treasurer Jim Baughman, or Committee Chairman Jason Savage for a confidential conversation so we can help.

We hope that you, too, agree that our Troop is an incredible value and a very important part of our Scouts’ lives, and as always, we thank YOU for your support of Scouting and Troop 136

Upcoming events:  

Nov 17 - 19:  Troop Campout:  Wright Patterson Air Force Museum, camping at Camp Hugh Taylor BirchNov 

21:  Troop Meeting

Nov 28:  Troop Meeting

Dec 1-2:  Troop Camp in First Presbyterian Church

Dec 3:  PLC Meeting

Dec 5:  Troop Meeting

Dec 12:  Troop Meeting

Dec 19:  Troop Meeting

Dec 26:  Winter break, no meeting

November

 October is over and it's time to take a deep breath.  The Pumpkin Sale is over, and we will be sharing the results of the sale in the near future.  We plan to have meeting to discuss this fundraiser and other possible fundraisers and if you're interested in helping the Troop develop a fundraising strategy, please let me know or reach out to our Committee Chair Jason Savage at Committeechair136@gmail.com

University of Scouting:  The University of Scouting will take place this Saturday, 11/11/23 at the Westerville North High School.  There are many classes for adults and merit badges for scouts.  The link to sign up is below:

University of Scouting – Simon Kenton Council (skcscouts.org)

Carter Freeman Eagle COH:  Carter Freeman's Eagle Court of Honor will be this Sunday, 11/12/23 at the First Presbyterian Church at 3pm.  Carter is looking for some help from the troop at his COH.  To sign up, see the link below.  If you are interested in signing up and there is nothing available with your rank, please come to the church at 2pm.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044BA5A62BA0FD0-45900721-carter

Wright Patterson Air Force Museum:  The troop will be visiting the Wright Patterson Air Force Museum over the weekend of 11/17/23 - 11/19/23.  We will be staying at the Lagonda Campsite on Camp Hugh Taylor Birch.  This campsite has rustic cabins and a campsite.  The cabins will not be heated so we will need to "be prepared" for the weather.  The scouts will have a chance to earn the Scouting Aviation Heritage Medallion while visiting.  In their patrol meetings, the scouts will be choosing 3 of a possible 10 things they will need to do to complete their Aviation Heritage Medallions.  The cost for this event will be $30.  Below are the links for the sign up and the permission slip.

Boy Scout Troop 136: November 2023 Air Force Museum Campout (signupgenius.com)

Permission slip - Wright Patterson Museum - November 17-19 - Google Docs

Camp in:  The troop is planning a camp in at the First Presbyterian Church on Friday, 12/1 - 12/2.  The PLC will be working out details in their patrol meetings for this event.

Upcoming events:  

Nov 7:  Election Day:  Troop will be meeting in the basement of the church.

Nov 11:  University of Scouting

Nov 12:  Carter Freeman Eagle Court of Honor

Nov 14:  Troop Meeting

Nov 17 - 19:  Troop Campout:  Wright Patterson Air Force Museum, camping at Camp Hugh Taylor Birch

Nov 21:  Troop Meeting

Nov 28:  Troop Meeting

Dec 1-3:  Troop Camp in

Dec 3:  PLC Meeting

Dec 5:  Troop Meeting

Dec 12:  Troop Meeting

Dec 19:  Troop Meeting

Dec 26:  Winter break, no meeting