Based at Glenview Community Church, Troop 156 has served its community for more than 50 years. As one of the largest and most active Boy Scout units in Northeast Illinois, T-156 has a proud tradition of excellence. In the past five years alone, the Troop has produced 35 Eagle Scouts.
This is a "boy-led" Troop with emphasis on developing leadership ability and other other important life skills and values. The patrol method is an important part of the program and outdoor adventures, service projects and special events are scheduled year-round. It's not uncommon to have as many as three different activities the boys can choose from each month. Troop 156 is also proud of it's diverse culture with many different races and religions represented.
Currently Mr. Paul Bauerschmidt serves as Scoutmaster, supported by a team of 35 trained adult volunteers serving as Committee Members and Assistant Scoutmasters. Mr. Mark Demsky is the unit's Committee Chair.
This Sunday's Troop meeting will return to Crowley Park from 2:00 - 3:30 pm. This week's focus will again be on first aid, as Scouts prepare for our Troop First Aid Meet which will take place the following Sunday. All Scouts should bring a personal first aid kit. Younger Scouts should have recently created one for Tenderfoot Rank Requirement 4d, but if they haven't completed the requirement yet, it should contain the following (in a large Ziploc baggie is fine):
Six adhesive bandages
Two "3x3" sterile gauze pads
One small roll of adhesive tape
One 3"x6" piece of moleskin
One small bar of soap or travel size bottle of hand sanitizer
One small tube of antibiotic ointment
One small pair of scissors
One pair of non-latex disposable gloves
One CPR breathing barrier
Pencil and paper
Scouts should come dressed for the weather, bring their own water bottle, and a mask to wear throughout the meeting.
Wow. Look at that. Temperatures in the 40s and sunshine – shorts and t-shirts weather!
Well, actually, not so much. You know, I have heard it said that coats are unnecessary in winter because all that you do is walk from the house to the car and the car to the school and back again. True, but if that is all you experience on a daily basis, I would like to suggest that you are missing out on a great deal. So here it is – put on a coat and get outdoors!
Spring is coming. Indeed, I am told that the daffodils are coming up in South Carolina. In fact, I bet they are coming up in Chicagoland as well. You just can’t see them for all of the snow.
Speaking of daffodils, I have a challenge for you. Can you create a list of seven signs of Spring? (For the record, Spring Break does not count as one of your seven signs.) Anyway, think about creating that list and then going outside (with the appropriate clothing, of course) three times a week. Go for a short hike or look around your yard. Then, write down the date that you notice each of those signs of Spring.
DON’T MISS OUT
I have been delighted to see so many of you at Sunday afternoon Troop meetings and online for office hours on Thursday nights. At the same time, I have missed seeing some of you. As Scouting is an all-year program, it is quite typical to be either more or less involved depending on what time of year it is. I do hope, however, that you take advantage of all that Scouting has to offer when your schedule permits. Don’t let yourself drift away. Whenever is right for you, plunge right back in. I look forward to seeing you.
QUESTION TIME
Q: What part of a fish weighs the most?
A: The scales
BY DEFINITION
Water: (1) Comprised of two hydrogen and one oxygen atoms. (2) Necessary for life. (3) Oh, so refreshing. (4) In great abundance in Spring. As in: For his daily good turn on Tuesday, the Star Scout ensured that the storm drains on his street were clear so that the water that was in abundance as the snow melted drained away.
Every rank after the Scout rank includes a specified number of service hours that a Scout must perform. Last week, I sent out a list of possible ways to fulfill those services hours, which we also reviewed last night (many of the Scouts hadn't seen these). Here is the list again with at least one new ideas just in time for Memorial Day. As always, Scouts should contact Scoutmaster Bauerschmidt ( paul@bauerschmidt.com) before starting a service project to gain approval.
1. (NEW) Write a post a tribute to a fallen hero on the "Veterans Legacy Memorial"; use your social media contacts to encourage others to write tributes as well; customize a memorial poster to hang in your window; at 3:00 pm on Memorial Day, give the Scout salute to an American flag outside your home and say the name of a fallen soldier; and take a photo of your poster or Scout salute and share them on social media using specified hashtags. For more information on all of these ideas, visit: https://www.scouting.org/scoutsalute/?utm_source=scoutingwire&utm_campaign=swvolunteer5202020&utm_medium=email&utm_content=
2. (NEW) Read a book to an isolated senior through StoriiTime.
3. Make Masks or organize a drive to collect donations of mask making materials - fabric, thread, 1/4" elastic, sewing machine needles, cotton sheets or cotton fabric.
4. Become a Pen Pal to Nursing Home Residents or Frontline Workers
5. Make snack bags for the local hospital (Glenbrook Hospital is a COVID hospital) - Bottle of Gatorade, 2 Protein Bars and an encouraging note, all in a Ziploc bag so hospital workers can grab and go.
6. Do yard work for neighbors
7. Trail/Park Cleanup or make a goal of picking up 1,000 pieces of trash.
8. Make Cake Mix Birthday Party bags for the local food pantry - include 1 box cake mix, icing, pack of candles, 1 party hat, 1 party blower/noise maker, and a sheet of birthday stickers.
9. Mow lawns for seniors
10. Record your voice at https://vocalid.ai/voicebank/. The Scout reads a paragraph and the system learns their voice to use in voice equipment for kids without one. Think of Stephen Hawkins and his automated voice. It allows a more human sounding voice to those in need.
11. Look at Operation Gratitude ( https://www.operationgratitude.com/) for ideas for service to Troops and their families, such a writing letters or making bandanas, paracord bracelets or greeting cards for military personnel.
12. Organize a contactless food drive for the local food pantry (contactless Scouting for Food). Ask friends in the neighborhood to drop off donations at your front gate or doorstep from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm with a note for neighborhood walkers. Ask parents to promote it on their social media accounts inviting friends to participate. After collecting all food donations, have a parent drop it off at the food bank along with your own donations.
17. Make handmade sympathy or thank you cards for Bo's Heavenly Clubhouse, an organization serving parents who have suffered the loss of a child. Visit https://www.bosheavenlyclubhouse.com/about to find out more about the organization.They need sympathy cards because they travel across the country in care packages that are free for parents that endure the death of their child. The cards don't need to say much, and in fact, the inside can be blank. Just make them with lots of love. Bo's also needs thank you cards which will be sent to their charitable donors. Those also don't need to say much, just heartfelt thanks would be awesome! Contact Amanda Hartwig at 262-388-4290 to arrange for the delivery of your completed cards.
18. Visit the Glenview Public Library Kids & Teens "Volunteer" page for several ideas, such as "Write questions for Are You Smarter Than a Librarian": https://www.glenviewpl.org/kids/virtual-volunteers
The ultra-cold we have been experiencing lately has me thinking of the First Class rank. Why? Because Scouts must be First Class or above to participate in Winter MaKaJaWan. Winter what?
I know that I risk creating confusion. After all, summer camp at MaKaJaWan has not even occurred yet, but here I am talking about Winter MaKaJaWan. I am afraid that I must take this risk, though, because I don’t want anyone to miss out for not having achieved First Class.
So, here are a few details. Traditionally, and likely this year, Winter MaKaJaWan is a three-night trip to MaKaJaWan taken between Christmas and New Year’s. We haven’t gone the past two years for various reasons, but I can feel it, this is the year that we will return.
And, let me tell you, MaKaJaWan is absolutely magical in winter. Yes, it is bitterly cold, but we stay in cabins with wood stoves that keep everything toasty and warm. Plus, chances are good at that time of year that there will be bright sunshine. And then there is the opportunity to walk on water as the lake is usually frozen solid. Sledding, yes. Quinzee-building, yes. Hiking, yes. A great time, yes, yes and yes!
Now is the time. What is your plan to have that First Class rank by the end of the year?
FINGERS CROSSED
I am hopeful, yes very hopeful that the Troop will be able to attend summer camp this year at MaKaJaWan. If ever there was a reason to maintain Covid discipline, that is it. If we can get the infection numbers down, it will happen. For that reason, I have two requests for you. First, stick with it – wear that mask (correctly!), maintain social distancing, wash your hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, clean and disinfect, and monitor your health daily. Second, watch for upcoming information about summer camp – when fees are due, merit badge registration and what to bring.
QUESTION TIME
Q: Why did the First Class Scout throw a stick of butter in the air?
A: He wanted to see a butterfly.
BY DEFINITION
Palms: (1) An award made to Eagle Scouts for every five merit badges earned beyond the 21 necessary. (2) A type of tree. (3) Possessed of large, evergreen leaves generally referred to as fronds. (4) Found in warmer climes of which northerners dream in the depths of winter. As in: The Star Scout really didn’t know what to make of his mother as she faced the snow-covered window, closed her eyes and swayed slightly as she imagined she was surrounded by palm trees swaying gently in a warm breeze.
This Sunday's outdoor 'meeting' will be a trail hike at River Trails Nature Center, located at 3120 Milwaukee Avenue, north of E. Lake Ave on the west side of the road. Scouts and leaders will meet at 2:00 pm in the parking lot close to the nature center itself and will head off on the hiking trails once the group has fully gathered.
Scouts should dress for the weather, wearing warm layers, hats, gloves, and snow or hiking boots (NO gym shoes). While it is expected to be very cold, hiking offers the perfect opportunity to stay warm despite the temperatures.
All Scouts should bring a water bottle, and their own compass, if they have on (if not, we have extras to share). In addition, everyone must wear a mask and maintain a six-foot distance. The Nature Center bathrooms are expected to be open but the exhibits and water fountain will be off limits.
Any sort of outdoor activity requires planning and any good plan requires that a well-stocked first aid kit be available and that Scouts know how to use it. The Troop is focusing on first aid this month. There is nothing that I consider more important for safety during outdoor activities than having that first aid kit on hand and Scouts that know how to use it.
There are many different ways to approach first aid. I like to start with the five hurry cases – severe bleeding, internal poisoning, stopped breathing, heart attack / stopped heart and choking. As you read through this list, do you know what to do if you encounter one of these cases? Not so sure on some of them? Confident in others? Well, you are in luck, because these are just a few examples of the cases, and the appropriate first aid, that will be covered this month during office hours and the Sunday afternoon in-person meetings.
As always, I encourage you to make full use of that most helpful of resources – your handbook – as well as the experience and knowledge of the Scouts and adult leaders around you.
QUESTION TIME
Star Scout: I am going to sing for you.
Tenderfoot Scout: Sing tenor.
Star Scout: Tenor?
Tenderfoot Scout: Yeah, ten or eleven miles from here.
BY DEFINITION
Fluffy: (1) A combination of lightweight material and air that is pillowy soft. (2) Not to be confused with, yet closely related to, marshmallow fluff. (3) A name used for a small, cuddly dog. (4) The best kind of snow. As in: The snow was so light and fluffy that the newly minted Tenderfoot nearly disappeared from view as he lay down on his back to make a snow angel.
