Boy Scout Troop 1001

Is your scout in the fifth or sixth grade? Then please consider taking on an active part in your son's troop. Although the scouts are "boy led" at campouts and meetings, it takes the support of adults in many roles for the program to be successful. As new scouts join the troop, so must we recruit new adults to keep the troop strong.

No matter what your skills and interests, there is a role for you. We have opportunities to be actively involved with the scouts as well as places to contribute behind the scenes. Some jobs are active all year long and others are on an occasional or as-needed basis. We have some specific openings to fill immediately. If one of them fits, please step right up. If none of them seems right for you, please tell us you skills and interests; we'll find a way to use them to make the troop work better and to reduce another adult's load. Many hands make light work!

Immediate opening for patrol advisors: Patrol advisors act as mentors to the Patrol Leaders. They cultivate the Patrol Leaders' leadership skills and help the patrol to succeed. The Patrol Advisor is assigned to a specific patrol and builds a relationship with the whole patrol, especially the Patrol Leader. An interest in working directly with the youth is important but no special skills are required. Right now, one patrol has no Patrol Advisor and we have no alternates to step in when any of the advisors is unavailable, so we despertely need at least two adults to step up for this important task. Please see Hal Coon or Doug Miller to volunteer for this important role. On-the-job training can be arranged.

Immediate opening for Board of Review Members: The Board of Review, or BOR, is an important part of the scouting method. As the final step before a scout advances rank, he must stand before a BOR. The board consists of three adults who do not work directly with scouts on a regular basis. The review takes anywhere from 15 minutes for a Tenderfoot to 45 minutes or more for Life and Eagle ranks. Although the board does evaluate the scout's readiness for advancement, its real purpose is to ensure that the troop as a whole is functioning properly. The BOR provides a regular, independent, check that the troop leadership, both boy and adult, is providing a good enviroment for each scout to succeed. Participating in the BOR also gives each scout experience with formal interviews, which will build his confidence when applying for college or a job. Boards of Review are convened on an as-needed basis, with demand increasing as Court of Honor approaches, so it is good to have many adults on call. Training is available and recommended.

Merit Badge Counselors needed: At last count, BSA offered more than 120 merit badges. They range from common ones such as camping and hiking to less obvious ones such as sculpture and railroading (see this list). No special experience is necessary to become a merit badge counselor. You can help scouts any merit badge you feel comfortable with through education, vocation, or hobby. However, before counseling for merit badges, we ask that you participate in a one hour training session so that you know how the process is supposed to work.

Training for Board of Review and Merit Badge Counselor: Mike Reisinger will host a 1 hour training session Monday, November 10, 2008 at 7 pm for interested adults. Mike will cover either BOR or MBC, depending upon the interests of those in attendance. If you are interested in either of these important roles, please consider attending.

It's time to pick up your popcorn order! The Popcorn Kernels will be at TBC from 11 am to 1 pm Saturday, November 8, 2008 with your popcorn. Please make arrangements to stop by during that time as we have no place to store it.

Hello all Scouts and Scouters,

Next week is Money Monday! Please remember to bring $10 to give to the patrol member that is purchasing food for your patrol along with your signed permission slip. We will be camping November 14-16 at former Scoutmaster Ken Raney's ranch, Quail Alley, near Breckenridge, Texas. There will be several events including fishing, shotgun shooting, archery, hiking and more.

Mr. Raney and Mr. Breaux will be our special guests at Monday night's meeting to review shotgun safety and the rules of the ranch. Come to Monday's meeting to sign up for this great event.

Patrol leaders please send your meal plans to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it before the next meeting.

The Yanush chapter of the Order of the Arrow is holding a special brotherhood walk on Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 5:00pm in Breckinridge Park in Richardson. Our troop has several eligible members who should consider taking joining in on this opportunity to seal their brotherhood with the OA.

Here is a list of the eligible scouts and scouters: Bahn Brothers, R. Hansen, C. Kinnaird, A. Ozlowski, S. Cuddihee, B. Jessen, A. McClure, N. Ramos, T. Frank, M. Kamei, J. Miller, B. Reavis, E. Haas, W. Kanawyer, P. Miller, and  J. Roberts.

I look forward to seeing you all Monday night at TBC.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Coon

Troop 1001 will make its annual visit to former scoutmaster Ken Raney's Ranch, near Breckenridge Texas, for camping,  fishing, shooting sports, orienteering, and hiking on the weekend of November 14-16, 2008. This autumn event has long been a tradition for the troop and is always one of the best campouts of the year. Mr. Raney is a fantastic host and his ranch, also known as Quail Alley, offers everything necessary for an activity-packed weekend.

Scouts should be at the church parking lot no later than 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening in Class A uniform. We will be returning about 12:45 p.m. Sunday to the hospital parking lot across Campbell Road.

Drivers needed: We need additional drivers for scouts and equipment. Please contact Rick Goad.

Update your calendars! Scheduling constraints have forced a change to the spring bus trip to Corpus Christi. The dates have changed from May 15-17 to May 22-25, 2008 (Memorial Day weekend). We'll depart about 11 pm (yes, nearly midnight) on Friday and return Monday at a time to be determined.

You'll want be sure to keep this weekend open because it promises to be filled with exciting activities, including two nights on the air craft carrier USS Lexington and visits to the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History and the Texas State Aquarium.

Stay tuned for more information. Cost and sign-up deadlines will be announced on this web site and in the weekly email newsletter.

We are in need of more parents to volunteer to drive for our campouts.

Please see Rick Goad or Mike Saverline at a meeting or contact Rick if you are able to help on any outing.

Troop 1001 will be camping at Eisenhower State Park, Denison Texas, for the Personal Fitness and First Aid Olympics Campout on the weekend of October 24-26, 2008. Scouts should be at the church parking lot no later than 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening in Class A uniform. We will be returning about 12:45 p.m. Sunday to the hospital parking lot across Campbell Road.

We would like to thank you for the overwhelming turnout this past Monday. The troop made great progress toward its Cottonwood contractual commitment. However, we still need help in some key areas. Key shifts still open:

• Thursday 6-9 pm need 3 more adults
• Friday 10 am - 4 pm need 5 more adults
• Saturday 4-6 pm need 3 more adults
• Sunday 12-2 pm need 3 more adults
• Sunday 5:30-9 pm need everyone

Remember, to be successful we need about 9 adult hours per scout.

We also have most scout slots open.

Please contact Roy Carnes or Dan Bryan if you can provide additional help.

Looking forward to a successful Cottonwood,

Roy Carnes and Dan Bryan
Cottonwood co-Chairs