To join pack 843, you must first register online with Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America/BSA). When completing this form online, you will pay the National and Council fees, which may vary year to year. This covers:
- Program development
- Training for leaders
- Maintaining camp properties such as the Heritage Reservation
- Activities such as the Cub Out
- Insurance policies
After your information is completed online, it will send our pack your registration. At this point, you will need to pay an additional Pack Fee, which varies year to year dependinging on our anticipated expenses and fundraising. It can be paid in person by check, or using the Zelle app. The pack fee covers:
- Adult registration fees for our volunteers
- Materials and facility rentals for our meetings
- Food and snacks for some meetings
- Awards and advancements
- Rank level books
Joining is done every year, so once you have been in scouts for a complete year (from the time you sign up), you will need to renew to stay in scouts. You may join at any time! Typically we start registration in August/September, but you are welcome to join at any point through the year, and your membership is active for a year from that time.
We do not want finances to be a barrier to your family joining scouting! If you are unable to afford the fees, Council has some scholarships available to cover national and council fees, and we may be able to offer some assistance with the pack fee as well. Please reach out to the Cubmaster for information on financial support!
**We do our best to keep our pack fees as low as possible, and though fees are due up front, when you average out over the year, participation in scouting costs much less than many other after school activities! Parent volunteers receive a discount on their child’s Pack Fee!
Some of our meetings might have an additional cost. For example, the Crossover event (held in February to see our AOL scouts bridge up into Troops) is typically a catered meal. Though we try to keep costs low, this event usually has a per-person fee to participate. Some of our outings, like going to the Pirates game, also require participants to purchase tickets. We try to subsidize some of the costs. Camps and overnights are additional charges as well. Uniforms are purchased by families from Scout Shop, either on-line or in their store at Flag Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh. The pack does have a limited number of used uniforms that have been passed down. We also have a “Class B” pack t-shirt that we wear for less formal events, such as the bike rally. We encourage families to have t-shirts for parents as well so we know who is with our group at these events.
Help us keep pack fees lower by participating in or running fundraisers! There are several local dine-to-donate options, last year we made some money at the Holiday Mart, and we are always open to suggestions! We would love to have a “Popcorn Kernel” to help us sell Trail’s End Popcorn which is a national Scouting America Fundraiser.
To join scouting, here’s a link to complete an application with our Pack, as part of the National Organization: https://my.scouting.org/VES/OnlineReg/1.0.0/?tu=UF-MB-527paa0843
To pay your Pack Fee, contact the Cubmaster to pay with a check, made out to “Pack 843” or you can pay electronically with Zelle by searching for “Cub Scout Pack 843” or follow this QR code:
