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Dear Scouting Family!
Welcome to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council! We are thrilled to have you join the Scouting program andlook forward to a long relationship that, we trust, will be a fun and meaningful experience for your entire family. Our Council is blessed with wonderful volunteers, exceptional camping properties, and an array of great activities and events that are designed to help instill the values and ethics of the Scout Oath and Law into our youth membership. As you fully participate with your son in Scouting I’m sure you will quickly see that the “Scouting philosophy” and methods will bring your family closer together and cultivate a deeper relationship among all concerned. Scouting is truly a “family oriented” program.
I encourage you to read the enclosed booklet thoroughly and carefully so that you may gain an understanding of how Scouting works.
So…what can (or should) you do going forward? Simple:
Be engaged with your son’s Scouting experience – get him a handbook as soon as possible and read it yourself from cover to cover. Get to know what he’s about to do as he hikes his “Trail to Eagle Scout”. Parents who are engaged “from day one” become the most successful Scouting families.
2. Help out whenever you can – your Unit is always looking for parents who are willing to step in anddo those “spot projects” that come along. Scouting is, after all, a volunteer organization. Don’t hesitate to volunteer when asked. Support your Unit in its fundraising projects, help out with transportation, become a Merit Badge Counselor in your Boy Scout Troop, and attend parent meetings (Pack meetings and Courts of Honor). If you decide to become a “volunteer leader” in whatever capacity, the Council is ready to help you. Besides…it’ll be fun!
3. As time goes by support your Council – one of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council’spurposes is to help your Unit succeed. We do this by providing critical programs and services that Units cannot provide on their own. When the annual Friends of Scouting Campaign rolls around (January through May), be generous and make a contribution – this is what helps sustain Council operations. When the annual Popcorn Sales Campaign is ready to “pop” (Spring and Fall), sell popcorn! It’s a great fundraiser for both your Unit and the Council…and it’s a DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY TREAT!
4. Send you son to camp – it’s the highlight of the Scouting year! At camp he will earn many badgesthat will count towards his rank advancement, make new friends, learn new skills that will last a lifetime, and become more mature. Both Camp Acahela and the Goose Pond Scout Reservation conduct excellent programs. Attending camp is THE lasting memory that Scouting adults have about their youth experience. Make sure that your son gets to create one! And…take advantage of the Campership Program!
5. Visit the Scout Service Center in Moosic – we’re here to provide you with all your uniform andScouting needs. Meet the staff, browse the Scout Shop and say hi to the “three bears”.
In short...get ready for a fun adventure! Your enthusiasm and commitment to your son’s Scouting experience will be the keys you need to enjoy this “game of Scouting”, as Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement, called it.
Scout Executive
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