Author Archives: whitewoodd@msn.com

August & September Family Campouts

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We had a lot of Tigers on the June camping trip!

We had such a successful Pack Family Campout in June! Our Scouting families really enjoyed themselves and are eager to camp again. Therefore I believe that our second and third Pack Family Campouts at Raccoon Creek State Park will fill up fast! These campouts will be held August 20-22 and September 10-12 respectively at the Sioux Group B Camping site. (You can join us for one night or both.) This is a primitive camping site with vault toilets and water nearby. There is plenty of room for families to set up tents and for the Scouts to play. There are no showers on site, but there are basic shower facilities at the beach where we will spend time on Saturday and Sunday.

NEW: There is a $5 per person fee, up to $20 for a family. This fee will cover the cost of the food for dinner on Saturday, which the Pack will provide. Fees will be due upon arrival at the campsite. No-show’s will be charged $10 per family.

We will work on some advancement requirements on this trip. We will also hike, swim, fish, do some crafts, go boating and cook over the campfire. There will be time for the Scouts to have fun with their friends and for the adults to socialize.

Scouts and families on the hike to Mineral Springs.

In order to mitigate concerns regarding COVID-19, all families will bring their own food and prepare their own meals, with the exception of the dinner on Saturday. We will have tin foil pockets for dinner that evening which adult leaders will assist the Scouts in preparing in a sanitary manner. If you would prefer to prepare your family’s own dinner meal on Saturday, please let Deb Whitewood know so that we don’t over purchase the food items. We will have hand sanitizer and hand washing stations available, and a team of parent volunteers will sanitize the bathrooms and water spout regularly. All participants should have a mask available if social distancing cannot be maintained.

Landon’s play table was a hit with the Scouts and their younger siblings!

We understand that some Scouts and their families would prefer to not camp overnight, yet would like to join us for the activities on Saturday. We suggest meeting us at the campsite on Saturday morning no later than 9:00 AM so that you can join us for the hike, or at noon for lunch (pack your own) and the lake activities in the afternoon. Please wear closed toed shoes and bring a water bottle and small backpack for this hike.

The Spink family had fun kayaking.

Sign up here for the August trip: https://pack843.org/sign-ups/

Sign up here for the September trip: https://pack843.org/sign-ups/

If you have any questions, please contact Deb Whitewood at whitewoodD@msn.com.

If your family would like to camp, but does not have a tent or other equipment, please contact Deb Whitewood at the email address above. Deb has plenty of equipment to lend out.

A few notes:

  • All participants must complete Forms A & B prior to arrival at the campsite. https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680-001_AB.pdf
  • (None of these forms need to be signed by a doctor.)
  • Please remember to bring all necessary medications to the campsite. Parents are responsible for securing medications safely and administering them to their Scout. Refrigeration of medications is available with Deb Whitewood, please contact her in advance. 
  • Alcohol is strictly forbidden at any BSA function. Secondly, alcoholic beverages are not allowed in PA State Parks. Please do not bring any alcoholic beverages on this campout.
  • Ice and fishing bait are available for purchase at the beach concession stand which is a short drive from the campsite.
  • Knives are optional. Scouts may only use knives or have them in their possession if they have achieved their Whittling Chip.
  • Adults who will be actively fishing are required to have a fishing license. Scouts do not need a license to fish. Deb Whitewood will have fishing gear available for Scouts who would like to try fishing. Fishing licenses can be obtained online at https://www.pa.wildlifelicense.com/start.php
  • Deb will have three kayaks available for Scouts and their families to try out for 30 minute periods of time.
  • Kayaks/canoes are available for rent from a concessionaire on a first come, first served basis. If you plan on boating on Saturday (from 1:30-4PM) or Sunday (from 10AM-12:30PM), you can contact them at (724) 899-4130. The address is 430 Raccoon Park Rd, Clinton, PA 15026.

Sincerely,

Deb Whitewood

Cancelled: Pack Swimming Party

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Settler’s Cabin Wave Pool on Sunday, July 18

DUE TO THE LACK OF INTEREST, THE SWIMMING PARTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
Pack 843 will be having a swim party! Join us on July 18 from 11:30 AM to 4 PM at the Settler’s Cabin Wave Pool in Robinson Township for a day of wet fun. Family members are welcome to come as well.

Parents must supervise their Scouts at all times. No unaccompanied youth will be permitted to swim.

In order to get the Group Rate, everyone attending must sign up in advance and we must gather at 11:15AM to enter as a group. Only one payment will be received by the Wave Pool, so please bring exact payment for your admission fee. No change will be available.

Rates are as follows:

Adult $5

Senior Citizen $2.25

Youth $4

Child $1

Sign up here to reserve your space: https://pack843.org/sign-ups/

Popcorn Kernel Team Needed

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The Pack is in need of a few people to assist with the popcorn sale campaign.
Primary responsibilities would be focused on the Show-n-Sells which occur at local stores, such as Lowes, Walmart or Giant Eagle. Duties would include picking up the popcorn for the Show-n-Sells, count the money, and inventory the supply after the Show-n-Sell is done.

Please contact Deb Whitewood at whitewoodD@msn.com if you are able to assist in these tasks.

June Family Pack Campout

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Let’s go camping!!!

We are getting excited about our upcoming Pack Family Campout at Raccoon Creek State Park. The campout will be held June 25-27 at the Sioux Group B Camping site. (You can join us for one night or both.) This is a primitive camping site with vault toilets and water nearby. There is plenty of room for families to set up tents and for the Scouts to play. There are no showers on site, but there are basic shower facilities at the beach where we will spend time on Saturday and Sunday. There is no cost associated with this campout as the Pack is covering the costs of the campsite.

We are setting up a fun schedule of events which will include a 1-2 mile hike, star gazing, swimming, fishing, boating, a scavenger hunt, crafts, Dutch oven and campfire cooking, games and much more. We will work on some advancement requirements on this trip as well.

In order to mitigate concerns regarding COVID-19, all families will bring their own food and prepare their own meals, with the exception of the dinner on Saturday. We will have tin foil pockets for dinner that evening which adult leaders will assist the Scouts in preparing in a sanitary manner. If you would prefer to prepare your family’s own dinner meal on Saturday, please let Deb Whitewood know so that we don’t over purchase the food items. We will have hand sanitizer and hand washing stations available, and a team of parent volunteers will sanitize the bathrooms and water spout regularly. All participants should have a mask available if social distancing cannot be maintained.

We understand that some Scouts and their families would prefer to not camp overnight, yet would like to join us for the activities on Saturday. We suggest meeting us at the campsite on Saturday morning no later than 9:30 AM so that you can join us for the hike, or at noon for lunch (pack your own) and the lake activities in the afternoon. Please wear closed toed shoes and bring a water bottle and small backpack for this hike.

If you have any questions, please contact Deb Whitewood at whitewoodD@msn.com.  If your family would like to camp, but does not have a tent or other equipment, please contact Deb Whitewood at the email address above. Deb has plenty of equipment to lend out.

A few notes:

(None of these forms need to be signed by a doctor.)

  • Please remember to bring all necessary medications to the campsite. Parents are responsible for securing medications safely and administering them to their Scout. Refrigeration of medications is available with Deb Whitewood, please contact her in advance. 
  • Alcohol is strictly forbidden at any BSA function. Secondly, alcoholic beverages are not allowed in PA State Parks. Please do not bring any alcoholic beverages on this campout.
  • Ice and fishing bait are available for purchase at the beach concession stand which is a short drive from the campsite.
  • Knives are optional. Scouts may only use knives or have them in their possession if they have achieved their Whittling Chip.
  • Adults who will be actively fishing are required to have a fishing license. Scouts do not need a license to fish. Deb Whitewood will have fishing gear available for Scouts who would like to try fishing. Fishing licenses can be obtained online at https://www.pa.wildlifelicense.com/start.php
  • Deb will have three kayaks available for Scouts and their families to try out for 30 minute periods of time.
  • Kayaks/canoes are available for rent from a concessionaire on a first come, first served basis. If you plan on boating on Saturday (from 1:30-4PM) or Sunday (from 10AM-12:30PM), you can contact them at (724) 899-4130. The address is 430 Raccoon Park Rd, Clinton, PA 15026.

If you have not already signed up to camp with us, please email Deb at whitewoodd@msn.com or signup on the Pack website at http://pack843.org/sign-ups/?sheet_id=167

Sincerely,

Deb Whitewood

Day Camp

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Don’t forget to sign up for Cub Scout Rainforest Expedition Day Camp! Members from our Pack are attending the camp at Settler’s Cabin, but you can sign up for any camp they fits your schedule. Siblings are welcome to attend as well!

If you have any questions about Day Camp, contact Susan Lewandowski at slewando00@gmail.com

Pack Family Campout Weekends

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We have scheduled our three Pack Family Campouts, so save these dates:
June 25-27
August 20-22
September 10-12

These campouts will be held at Raccoon Creek State Park Sioux B Camping site. (You can join us for one night or both.) This is a primitive camping site with vault toilets and water nearby. There is plenty of room for families to set up tents and for the Scouts to play. Don’t let a lack of tenting equipment keep you out of the fun… Deb Whitewood has plenty of equipment to share.

You can join us for one night or both. If you are unable to camp overnight, please feel free to join us on Saturday for a morning hike and time spent at the lake in the afternoon. We are setting up a fun schedule of events which will include a hike, star gazing, swimming, fishing, boating, a scavenger hunt, crafts, Dutch oven and campfire cooking, games and much more. We will also work on some advancement requirements on this trip.

In order to mitigate concerns regarding COVID-19, all families will bring their own food and prepare their own meals, with the exception of the dinner on Saturday. We will have tin foil pockets for dinner that evening which adult leaders will assist the Scouts in preparing in a sanitary manner.

Signup for the June 25-27 can be accessed here: http://pack843.org/sign-ups/?sheet_id=167
Signups for the other trips will come out closer to the dates.
Pre-registration is required even if you are just joining us for the day.
We hope to have you with us because keeping the OUTING in scOUTING is FUN!
If you have any questions about these Pack Family Campouts, please contact Assistant Cubmaster, Deb Whitewood, at whitewoodD@msn.com.

May Pack Meeting and Picnic

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Sunday, May 16 will be the Pack Meeting and Picnic at Boy’s Home Park from 1-4PM. Advancements will be awarded and there will be activities for Scouts, siblings and family members. The Pack will provide a light meal, so reservations are required. Please indicate on your signup if you require a vegan, gluten free or other special considerations. Sign up here: https://pack843.org/sign-ups/?sheet_id=166

Scouts are encouraged to bring a classmate or friend who might be interested in joining the Pack. Those that join will be able to participate in our fun summer schedule of activities.

Pack Class B T-Shirt Orders

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The Pack Class B uniform t-shirts are HERE! If you haven’t yet placed an order, please do so ASAP. We will be wearing the Class B uniform shirts more often over the summer and hope to have the entire Pack dressed alike.

The t-shirts cost only $10 and are available in Youth and Adult sizes. Parents and guardians are encouraged to buy a shirt to support the Pack. Use the order form below to purchase your Pack 843 t-shirt today!

You can also follow this link to a Google Doc to order your shirt from Jack Freund.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeM06fmwAVYLP8JdUE_xB4WDyOZdP4pt3HrR6TaucJVWl_Rsg/viewform

If you have any questions about T-shirt sales, please contact Jack Freund at JFREUND@gmail.com

Scouting for Food and Bike Rally

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Pack 843 Scouts collected 30 boxes of food and pet supplies on April 18th before the Bike Rally.
Scouts Landon W, Max R, and Xander R., and Assistant Cubmaster, Deb Whitewood, delivered the food to Tim Anderson at the Bridgeville Food Bank on April 21st.
23 Cub Scouts and their parents participated in a bike ride along the Montour Trail from the Hendersonville Pavilion to the National Tunnel. The WEBELO Scouts even went through the tunnel! We learned about bike safety and maintenance before the ride and enjoyed ice cream sundaes afterwards. Thanks to all the parents and Den Leaders who made this ride such a success!

Volunteer Opportunities

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As a volunteer run organization, Pack 843 depends on our parents and guardians to help out in many areas throughout the year. Looking forward to the 2021-22 Scouting season, we have several key positions that need to be filled for the Pack to run efficiently.

These positions include:

* Popcorn Kernel
* Assistant Popcorn Kernel
* Resident Camp Coordinator
* Webmaster
* Summertime Activities Coordinator

Below you will find a brief description of each position and the approximate hours per month. I encourage each of you to read over the descriptions, and to consider if you could become a part of our Pack 843 Leadership Team by agreeing to take on one of these positions. We are lucky as we currently have experienced people in each of these positions who are willing to train and assist their successor.

If you would like more information, or are interested in taking on one of these volunteer positions, you can contact Deb Whitewood, Assistant Cubmaster, at whitewoodD@msn.com.

Popcorn Kernel
September through November
8 hours/month for inventory/reconciliation of spreadsheet
8 hours/month to count/deposit funds
8 hours/month of organizing/tracking/promoting show-and-sells

  • Plan and conduct show-and-sells and walk-about sales (includes marketing and calls)
  • Keep sign up sheet on Pack website up to date
  • Provide Scouts with the materials to perform their sales activities
  • Determine awards and market those awards to the Scouts
  • Provide sales training to the Scouts, typically in the form of a simple document and perhaps a skit at the Pack meeting that kicks off the fundraiser
  • If applicable, meet with the others in the district to find out when, where, how much, and what we get back.
  • Coordinate the product distribution to the Scouts, securing a drop-off/distribution point (typically the fire station)
  • Keep track of the sales, funds and prizes, as well as the history of those sales so that trends and long-term (multi-year) prizes can be tracked and awarded
  • Work with the Treasurer to ensure proper review, reconciliation and disposition of the collected funds
  • Place orders as necessary with the popcorn vendors
  • Store popcorn and keep accurate inventory/records (count money weekly, etc)
  • Delegate tasks as needed to Assistant Kernels

Assistant Popcorn Kernel
September through November
4 hours/month for inventory/reconciliation of spreadsheet
4 hours/month to count/deposit funds
4 hours/month of organizing/tracking/promoting show-and-sells

  • Assist Popcorn Kernel as needed
  • Help to keep track of inventory/records, show-and-sells, and cash flow
  • Help with set up/shut down of show-and-sells
  • Help with weekly money counts/deposits

Resident Camp Coordinator
5 hours per month (April/May/June)
1-2 hours per month (other months)

  • Learn how to get registered for camps through a simple but very time-sensitive process.
  • Identify and communicate the various camping opportunities available at the various rank levels, in line with the Pack culture as coordinated with Pack leadership
  • Contact the camping office (for the district), get camping slots, keep track of the deposits, and most importantly, keep the kids going to camp.
  • Get current camp’s information and maps
  • Assist and/or make recommendations in determining how transportation should be handled
  • Ensure that required paperwork is completed and returned to district/camps on a timely basis
  • Work with Treasurer and Committee to determine camping allowance awards and how to best apply those awards
  • Determine appropriate parent-to-scout ratio, based upon camp and Pack requirements and the rank level
  • Keep the OUTING in scOUTING!
  • Provide written information about camp to those attending, and/or call those signed up prior to camp.  This is to ensure that everyone is aware of the date and what to bring.
  • Handle questions from parents about the camp.
  • Collect health forms prior to leaving for camp. 

Webmaster
1 hour per month

  • Maintain a Pack website (Pack843.org) that also acts as a repository for pictures, program notes and other pack documentation.
  • Work with the Cubmaster, Committee Chair and Assistant Cubmaster(s) to ensure that the website reflects the Pack culture and history
  • Work with the other Pack leadership to ensure that the website meets their practical needs, and the pack’s general communication needs.

Summertime Activity Coordinator
1 hour per month (March, April & May for planning)
1 hour per month (June, July & August)

  • Set up three events for the summer (one each month)
  • Identify and communicate to the Pack the various outing opportunities available at the various rank levels in line with the Pack culture as coordinated with Pack Leadership
  • Work with Pack adults to have a Lead for each event
  • Assist and/or make recommendations in determining how transportation should be handled
  • Ensure that required paperwork is complete if necessary and returned on a timely basis
  • Keep the OUTING in scOUTING!
  • Provide written information about those attending, email/call those signed up prior to events. This is to ensure that everyone is aware of the date and what to bring.
  • Handle questions from parents about the events
  • Collect health forms prior to leaving for events if needed.
  • Act as point of contact to outside agencies when organizing events.