December

 Grove City Christmas Parade:  There were 7 scouts from the Troop that marched with the  Pack.  The scouts are building a bridge from the Troop to the Pack that we hope will make crossing over into the troop easier.

December Camp in:  10 scouts and 2 adults stayed overnight at the church.  The scouts had a great time enjoying games, pizza and cookies as well as donuts and milk for breakfast.  

Nativity Scene:  The scouts did a great job assembling the Nativity Scene for the Church out front.  Fantastic job scouts.

Pie in the Scoutmaster's Face:  Tuesday, December 19th will be the annual throw a pie in the Scoutmaster's face.  Our SPL has a list of how many pies each scout has earned.  I am giving one bonus pie to each scout who joined the troop in 2023.  Hope to see you all at the meeting this coming week.  No rainchecks will be issued if you can't make the meeting.  :)

Recharter:   We will be collecting annual fees at the meeting on Tuesday, December 19th.  We backed this date up as many scouts have been unable to attend meetings sthe first two weeks of the month.   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.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.

Klondike Derby:  The Gateway District Klondike Derby is scheduled for January 26th - 28th at Camp Lazarus.  The Troop has sleds that may be modified to compete in the Klondike Derby or the patrols can decide to build their own.  There will be opportunity to work on the sleds during patrol meetings in January and at Pinewood Derby workshops in January.

Maple Fest 2024:  The first weekend of the Simon Kenton Council Maple Fest is March 1st - 3rd at Camp Lazarus.  

NYLT:  Simon Kenton Council has three opportunities to attend NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training).  The first opportunity is over two weekends in April at Camp Lazarus, the second is a week-long course in June at Camp Oyo and the third is over two weekends in August.  This training is invaluable to the scouts and brings lots of leadership back to the Troop.  Scouts need to be First Class rank, 13 years old and approved by the Scoutmaster.  Last year, the Troop had 3 scouts attend each scout brought energy and leadership back to the Troop.  I highly encourage any scout who has interest to speak to me about it.  I have included a link for more information:  National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) - Simon Kenton Council (skcscouts.org)

Wilderness First Aid:  Wilderness First Aid is required for adults going on High Adventure this summer.  There are classes in Feb through June.  Below is the link to review the classes and to register.

Simon Kenton Council - Wilderness First Aid - WFA Training 2024 (scoutingevent.com)

Upcoming events:  Events have been posted the Troop 136 Main Page Calendar

No troop meeting during Winter break Dec 26 and Jan 2

Jan 7:   PLC meeting 4:30 - 6:00

Jan 26-28:  Klondike Derby at Camp Lazarus

Feb 4:  PLC meeting 4:30 - 6:00

Feb 17:   Tour Ohio State House

Mar 1-3:  Maplefest at Camp Lazarus

Mar 3:  PLC meeting 4:30 - 6:00

Apr 7:  PLC meeting 4:30 - 6:00

December

 Grove City Christmas Parade:  On Friday, December 1st, 7 scouts from Troop 136 assisted the leaders and parents of Pack 136 by marching in the Grove City Christmas Parade.  The scouts were able to help out the cub scouts by giving them bags of candy and helping them pass it out.  Thank you to the Ciocca family for hosting the entire Pack and Troop for hot chocolate, cookies and donuts following the parade.  The scouts from both the Pack and Troop showed their scout spirit and community service by passing out candy to people along the parade route and greeting onlookers with a wave and a "Merry Christmas."

December Camp - in:  10 scouts and 2 adults stayed overnight in the  Fellowship Center of the First Presbyterian Church.  The scouts enjoyed a cracker barrel of pizza, pop and cookies and a breakfast of donuts and milk.  The scouts played games and enjoyed each other's company.  Thank you to Jim Baughman and Roland Guay for providing adult leadership for our overnight event.

Recharter update:  The Troop will be collecting fees for this upcoming year over the next two weeks.  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.  We need payments by the week of December 12th so that we can move forward with the Recharter Process.  

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

Scoutmaster Pie in the Face: Scouts who have sold $300 in popcorn, earned a rank advancement, earned an Eagle required Merit badge or 3 non-Eagle required Merit badges will earn a chance to throw a pie at the Scoutmaster at the meeting on 12/19/23.  

Klondike Derby:  The Gateway District Klondike Derby is scheduled for January 26th - 28th at Camp Lazarus.  The Troop has sleds that may be modified to compete in the Klondike Derby or the patrols can decide to build their own.  They will be working on this inn their patrol meetings in December.

Maple Fest 2024:  The first weekend of the Simon Kenton Council Maple Fest is March 1st - 3rd at Camp Lazarus.  

NYLT:  Simon Kenton Council has three opportunities to attend NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training).  The first opportunity is over two weekends in April at Camp Lazarus, the second is a week-long course in June at Camp Oyo and the third is over two weekends in August.  This training is invaluable to the scouts and brings lots of leadership back to the Troop.  Scouts need to be First Class rank, 13 years old and approved by the Scoutmaster.  Last year, the Troop had 3 scouts attend each scout brought energy and leadership back to the Troop.  I highly encourage any scout who has interest to speak to me about it.  I have included a link for more information:  National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) - Simon Kenton Council (skcscouts.org)

For Upcoming events,  I have added events to the BAND Calendar.  A good suggestion was made that the Troop provide a calendar for events.  Please give me your feedback regarding the use of the Band calendar.  

Wilderness First Aid:  Wilderness First Aid is required for adults going on High Adventure this summer.  There are classes in Feb through June.  Below is the link to review the classes and to register.

Simon Kenton Council - Wilderness First Aid - WFA Training 2024 (scoutingevent.com)