Highlights from tonight's meeting:
~ cut wood relay
~ worked on getting things ready for the Thanksgiving Fest
~ picked new Class B's
~ wrote letters to soldiers
~ worked on advancements
Upcoming:
~ 11/4/17 - Blue Star Mothers Support the Troops campaign - 10:00am-2:00pm at Stevensville American Legion Post 568 - Boy scouts will earn service hours by helping at this event.  Please make sure to wear your class A's.  
~ 11/5/17 - PLC meeting from 4-6pm at 1st Congregational Church - this meeting is for all scouts in leadership positions
~ 11/13/17 - meeting will start at 6:30 and we will meet at Riverview cemetery to collect the flags off the sites.
~ 11/13/17 - permission slips for Thanksgiving Fest are due.  (see attached)
 
Mrs. Maynard wants to share the following council events that are going on in the area if your scout is interested in attending (on their own)
Boy Scout Shoot! STEM Day at Van Andel Institute
This NOVA Day on Saturday November 4th, 2017, will be split into two sessions, one for Cubs and one for Boy Scouts. $20/youth fee covers all of this! Register here:  https://scoutingevent.com/272-13825
Gerber Shooting Sports Weekend - ShotgunCome out and have a great time earning you Shotgun Shooting Merit Badge or come out for Open Shoot. Scouts should be 13 years old. Saturday November 4th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/272-14476
Rota-Kiwan Shooting Sports Partial Day
Come out and have a great time completing your rifle or shotgun merit badged that you've started but haven't completed for one reason or another. Saturday, November 4 between 1pm and 5pm.
Cost will be $7 for Rifle and $10 for Shotgun. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/272-15405
Whoosh/Swing/Hang On NOVA Day at RKExplore Engineering! Come out to Rota-Kiwan and explore engineering through the use of simple machines! Sessions are available for both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and Ventures. Registration is $10 per Scout. Saturday November 11 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Register here: Michigan Crossroads Council - Whoosh/Swing/Hang On NOVA Day at RK

Highlights from Monday's meeting:
~ working on requirements in scout books
~ working on different knots
~ plan to help Mrs. Burrows
~ game time
Next week:
~ 10/30/17 - Boy Scout dues are due.   If not paid on Monday, it will be taken out of the scout's account if money is there.  The dues form is attached.
~ 10/30/17  items for care packages to send to Afghanistan are due. Items requested from Mrs. Burrow: kit kats, twix, oreos, Chips Ahoy, Hershey kisses, M&M's, box of Raisin Bran, twizzlers, homemade cookies.
~ 11/4/17  Blue Star Mothers open house at the Stevensville American Legion from 10:00am-2:00pm.  Scouts should wear their Class A's and will earn service hours for helping pack the boxes.
~ 11/17/17-11/19/17  Thanksgiving Fest campout and dinner.  Permission slips will be available soon.
 
****** Special message and request from Mr. Sparkman & Mrs. Burrow***** 
We are looking to gather donations to send to Afghanistan in support of Sarah.   We can collect them next Monday (10/30) at the meeting, or we can bring them to the Blue Star Mothers between 10 and 2 on November 4 and get some service hours helping them pack boxes to send for the holidays (including ours).
 
We were looking for items from the sheet that went home with the boys a couple of weeks ago (candy, etc), but she sent Mr Sparkman an email about a family they were looking for assistance for.  The excerpt of the email is below.  The family was caught in the crossfire during an attack on the Bagram Air Base where she is stationed.  Heidi Sparkman has made some blankets to send, but everything is fair game.
 
“There are 22 family members that live in the house.  Six were injured no one died.  Thank goodness.
 
I have had the opportunity to meet several of the family members on a few occasions they are good people.  I did the solatia payments.  It was insane because I have never done it before but my General wanted me to do it.  I even had to do a CONOPS.  WOW was I lost.  Initially we were going to meet the family at their local Police station.  You would think what a great place to meet….NOT!  The corruption is insane here.  For example the Afghan gov’t gave them 500,000 Afghani dollars for the house getting damaged, well by the time the envelope reached the family there was only 100,000 left in it.  So we brought them on base to give them our payment.
 
There are 4 young kids, a 3 yr old girl that was buried in the rubble, 5 yr old boy that got quite a few cuts, 9 yr old boy and an 8 yr old girl that was in a coma for 12 days and still has shrapnel in her eye and brain.  Her dad has shrapnel in his back and neck.  The Coalition doctors don’t want to remove them and he has a blown ear drum.
 
Any chance you can get the troop to help this family caught in the cross fire of war?  I was thinking collecting things like Blankets, crayons, markers, soccer ball, backpacks, kids clothes, jackets for the kids and adults, and toys would be super cool. “
 
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Highlights from tonight:
~ Dues are due by Monday Oct 30.  The dues are $84.00 for the first scout, $71.00 for the second scout and $34.00 for adults.
~ We will be sending care packages to Mrs. Burrow who is serving in Afghanistan so she can distribute them to the troops.  We will be working with the Blue Star Mothers to get the packages to Mrs. Burrow.  I have attached the list of items needed along with a flyer for the Blue Star Mother's Open house.  Please bring in your items by the Oct 30th meeting.  At the meeting on the 30th, we will spend time packing the boxes and making cards to send with them.
~ Blue Star Mothers are having an open house on  Nov 4 from 10-2 at the Stevensville American legion Post 568.  Scouts will earn service hours if they come to the open house and help pack boxes.  Class A's should be worn.
~ Barbott Farms corn maze this Sunday 10/15 from 3:00-7:00.  This is our Webelo II's recruiting activity.  The cost is $7/person (except for the Webelo's who are free).  Scouts should bring their Class A uniform to put on for the Cracker Barrel & camp fire.
~ Warner camp out on 10/20-10/22.  Need to know if you will be attending by next week.  Permission slips will be available soon. Warner camp has a high ropes course which adults can do also.
~ talked about how we would like to work on planning ahead for our different events at least a couple months in advance instead of the week before.
~ Boundary Waters High Adventure canoe trip 6/14/18-6/22/18 - have 3 spots left.  If interested see Dr. Merle or Mr. Shepard for details.
~ Summer camp 2018 - where to go?  Scouts were asked to do some research on a camp they would like to go to and then present it to the other scouts.
~ Popcorn sales - if you need some pop corn please contact Mrs. Essig at 269-470-6870.
~ worked on advancements
~ outside game
Upcoming events:
~ 10/15/17 Barbott Corn Maze - 3:00-7:00pm
~ 10/20/17-10/22/17 Warner Camp campout
~ 10/30/17  items for care packages are due. 
~ 11/4/17  Blue Star Mothers open house at the Stevensville American Legion from 10:00am-2:00pm.  Scouts should wear their Class A's and will earn service hours for helping pack the boxes.
~ 11/17/17-11/19/17  Thanksgiving Fest campout and dinner
 

Highlights from last night's meeting:
~ showed the proper scout salute and talked about the proper wearing of the uniform. 
~ went outside for a game
~ went over knot tying
Upcoming events:
~ 10/15/17 - Corn Maze at Barbott Farms - inviting Webelos II to join us.  It is from 3:00-7:00 pm and costs $7.00 per person except for Webelos II.
~ 10/20 - 10/22/17 - camp out at Warner Camp  - will have more information at next meeting.
Important announcements:
~ Dues are due by the October 30th meeting as the rates will be going up to $84/scout, $71/additional scout and $34 for each adult.
~ Tents - we are still missing 9 tents.  Please double check you garage or shed to make sure you do not have one.  Camping will be starting and the tents will be needed.
~ when a scout comes to the meeting, the scout needs to stay for the whole meeting.  If a scout needs to leave early, they need to let an adult leader know when they are leaving. 
~ Boundary Waters meeting after next Monday's meeting.  Spots still available if you are interested in going. 
 
Next meeting is Monday October 9th at 7:00.