Summer Camp and Program Changes

Thanks to all who participated in the Troop meeting discussion about Summer Camp 2020 on Monday night. After the troop meeting, the committee met to discuss this topic further and based on the feedback we received at the meeting, the limitations of the CFL program and the health and safety risks that are involved, the Troop we has decided NOT to attend Camp Freeland Leslie this summer. While we understand that the Camp Management is trying its hardest to work under the guidelines of the CDC and the National Camp guidelines as well as local and state guidelines, we just felt the restrictions were going to hinder the expectations and enjoyment of the youth and adults involved. We applaud the staff of Camp Freeland Leslie for their efforts.

Even though we are not attending summer camp does not diminish our commitment to providing a great summer scouting program to the youth of Troop 161 in these uncharted times of Covid 19. The committee supports the idea of the Troop leadership to provide an alternate program that may better meet the needs of the scouts for this summer. We will be developing an enhanced Super Summer Program that we hope to include some additional all-day events as well as maybe a weekend campout or two this summer. These will be done while maintaining safety for all involved. We are also going to pursue the option of offering several merit badges and lower rank requirements opportunities throughout the summer so we do not fall behind on advancement. We are still developing the program and hope to have a plan laid out soon. We will be looking for ideas, if you have any, feel free to let us know soon and we can add them to the agenda. Parents, if you can help with some programs even better.

Some of the programs suggested were:

• Canoeing at Riverbend or Oh-Da-Ko-Ta

• Geocaching

• Fishing

• Biking

• Camping

• Programs at Eco-Justice Center

• Racine Zoo

• Hiking or rock climbing at Devils Lake

• Several other local and one day activities

No matter what we chose we will be following the guidelines of the CDC and can adjust as needed in the ever-changing era we are currently in. Our goal as a Troop is always to provide a quality program in a safe manner and will continue to do so and our commitment to both aspects has never been stronger during these trying time for all of us. In order to do this, we need everyone’s help abiding by the CDC recommendations not only while doing scouting activities, but also during your everyday life to keep the entire troop safe, including staying home if you are not feeling well.

Thanks for your understanding and patience in this matter. This was a very difficult decision to make and we did not take it lightly, we hope we have everyone’s support and you have an understanding of why we made this decision. We feel we can provide a safer program for the entire Troop this way. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know and we will do our best to address them. We are looking forward to getting back together in person and will be starting off next Monday with a local bike ride with social distancing in play. Watch for this weekend’s BSB for more details.

Thanks

Mr. F.