Welcome to Pack 794

Welcome to Pack 794! If you are new to Scouting, the things that need to be done can appear quite daunting. This is a document to help you along.

Uniform

Tigers (1st grade or age 6), Wolves (2nd grade or age 7), and Bears (3rd grade or age 8): Blue Cub-Scout shirt, (Tiger or Wolf or Bear) cap, blue belt. Plan to have the shirt for two years. (in other words, buy one that's a little big.)

Webelos (4th and 5th grade or ages 9-10) : Blue (Cub-) or tan Scout shirt, Webelos cap, blue belt. Unless you are transferring from another pack and already have a shirt, get the khaki, which can also be worn in Boy Scouts. Again, plan to have the shirt for at least two years (i.e., buy one size bigger).

All shirts have several patches: Council, Pack, Den. The tan also needs blue tabs. Since the shirts are "made in USA," they are a bit pricey. However, we do have some used shirts available at a very reasonable price.

Uniforms may be obtained from three sources:

• On line, from various websites (scoutstuff.org, or search "Cub Scout uniforms" - this is not suggested, since it is better to try them on),
• at the (Boy Scout) Council Office (Scout Shop), 970 W. Julian St., San Jose, CA 95126, tel. 408-279-2086, or
• at Merry Mart Uniform, Inc., 33 Washington St., Santa Clara, CA 95050, tel. 408-296-0423, email address: mmuniforms@aol.com

We recommend the Scout Shop or Merry Mart for shirts because trying them on is best.

We offer the custom unit numerals for $2. This is cheaper and easier than buying a 7, a 9, and a 4.

Dues and Fundraising

Annual [dues] cover:

• Annual registration
• Boys' Life (magazine, starts 2 mos. after reg.)
• Neckerchief
• Pinewood Derby car
• Book

(If you have more than one boy and want just one issue of Boys' Life, subtract $10.) This is not in addition to the registration you may have paid. (If you have already paid fees, those will be subtracted.)

One fundraiser will be the Garlic Festival. If you do a Volunteer position at the Garlic Festival (such as selling programs, etc.), you can donate your man-hours (the time you put in) to any charity you want.

We also have the annual Cake Auction at the Blue & Gold Dinner and popcorn sales in September.

Fundraising is discussed at Pack Committee (parents) meetings.

For those joining during the Scout Year, the dues are pro-rated as follows: December 31.50, January 28.50, February 25.50; these include the Book at 7.50 and the Neckerchief at 5.50.

Pack Leaders

The most needed position is Den Leader. Let me give you an idea of what this entails:

Each month, in addition to the Pack meeting (which we all attend, of course), you would have two Den meetings, one (Pack) Leaders Meeting (usually every two months), and one Den or Pack activity. Due to the holidays in months like November (Thanksgiving), December (Christmas), February (Presidents' Week), and April (Easter and or Spring Break), there will probably be just one Den meeting during those months.

How to run a meeting? Review the requirements on which the boys are working. I will be happy to help you plan these. For example (1): There is a Tiger requirement to "Take a hike with your den." There is another to make leaf rubbings. Have the boys make leaf rubbings at the meeting. Since each boy should have a parent present at the meeting, schedule a hike with them so the whole den can make it. (Usually, a den meeting starts out with the Pledge, then activities, and then while the boys have snacks the parents plan and review the next six weeks of den activities.) And for example (2): There are several Wolf electives for putting on a skit. An excellent time to do this is at our annual Blue & Gold Dinner (February), with all our families present. Plan, rehearse, and make the costumes (which are very simple, and some options are described in the Wolf book) at the January Den Meeting.

We want at least one parent of each family to be involved, whether it's being den leader, being assistant den leader, planning the Blue & Gold Dinner, putting on a skit, making Pinewood Derby or Rain-gutter Regatta plaques, or arranging a Pack trip or tour.

Meeting Place

We have a meeting place! (This is GREAT.) We have our monthly Pack meetings at the Gilroy Presbyterian Church (GPC) at either 6:00 or 6:30 PM.

Religious Medal

If your son is interested in earning his religious medal, please let m know, and I will pick up the booklet. This is one of three awards (the other two being the Arrow of Light and Eagle Scout) that he carries with him for the rest of his life. This is available for every group, including non-denominationals. (If you don’t know what this involves, but it sounds interesting, please. ask.)

Recruiting

Want flyers? Lemme know. Invite your friends to a Pack meeting or other event. (If "another event," let us know ahead of time, because several outdoor events involve permission slips, etc.)

If you know other kids who may be interested, please by all means ask them! Feel free to give them the Troop e-mail (Troop792@yahoo.com, which is the BoyScout troop affiliated with this pack). Or invite them to a Pack meeting.

Parental involvement

This is essential to not only the success of the Program, but also to that of your son. Not everyone can put in the same number of hours, but everyone needs to volunteer as they can. Please feel free to ask what you can do to contribute to the Program, be it at the unit (Pack) level or higher (District, etc.).