March 29, 2021

This Monday night

This Monday night we will return to in-person meeting by having an outdoor campfire. At this campfire, we will have four Webelos scouts from Pack 161 who will be crossing over to Troop 161. We will be meeting at 6 PM at the grandparents of the Lisowski boys at 3450 Shorewood Drive (located on Root River near Riverbend). You are free to bring a folding chair if you would like. We will be having a campfire program along with some Dutch oven cooking (you won’t want to miss out on the goodies). Your patrol leader is looking for song/skit ideas, be sure to share your ideas with them before Monday night. Don’t forget your mask!

Summer Camp

Based on our meeting a couple of weeks ago, we have secured our week at Camp Freeland Leslie for the week of June 27th through July 3rd. The fact sheet available HERE. We have reduced the fee by $50 this year because we have not been doing much this past year so our expenses have been less than in the past. Be sure to get FEES TURNED IN at the next meeting to make sure you get the early fee. Looking forward to getting back to be out in the woods camping again.

Medical Forms

Don’t forget to get your med form complete after a complete physical exam with a doctor, as we will need them for camp and must have them ahead of time so we can double-check them and make extra copies for camp. Be sure to get the correct form, you want the one that is listed with the “Are you going to camp?” section on THIS PAGE.

Welcome New Scouts

We would like to welcome the three new scouts who crossed over from Pack 108 who will be joining us at the Troop level. They crossed over at a ceremony at their Pack meeting last Thursday and are excited to be joining the Troop, both Packs will be joining us for the April 12th Troop meeting.

Joining ScoutsBSA (formerly Boy Scouts)

If you know anyone who would like to Join ScoutsBSA, anyone can join, you do NOT have to have been a Cub Scout before joining ScoutsBSA. Let me know if you have someone interested. While we do not host a female Scout program at St. Rita, there are other Troops who do, we would be happy to help you find a female Troop for any females interested.

Boy Scouts of America Lawsuit

Back at the end of the summer, we talked about the lawsuit being filed against the Boy Scouts of America, at the time we were told that the lawsuit was part of the National organization and it would not trickle down to the local level, since last summer, things have changed. The Lawyers have made a case that that the local councils have is part of the assets of the National organization and can be considered when leveraging a claim against the Boy Scouts. Troops are still owned by the local chartering organization and should be protected, we have very little concern at this time that the Troop is at any risk related to the lawsuit. What is at risk is that each Council nationwide owns several properties including camps and office buildings. Each local council is being asked to contribute to the overall lawsuit in the form of cash, so some councils are selling their properties to cover the cost. One of those councils that have made this announcement is Three Fires Council, which is the council that owns Camp Freeland Leslie which we attend for summer camp. While we will be able to attend this year, it has been announced that this will be their final year of operations as a Boy Scout camp. We will need to look for a new camp to attend in the summer of 2022. Three Harbors (our home council) have not made any decision at this time about the future of their properties. This is some disappointing news for those who have enjoyed camping at Camp Freeland Leslie or one of the many other camps nationally that will be closing to help settle the lawsuit. Without getting into deep on the nuts and bolts of the lawsuit, I will tell you that there is probably more properties to be put on the real estate market so till we have a better idea of which camps will be available next year, we will hold off on selecting a new summer camp. As far as more information about the situation I am more than willing to share what I know with anyone who has questions, most of what I know is from public information, don’t be afraid to ask about it. Stay Tuned for more information on this.

Upcoming Agenda

Monday March 29th- Campfire (see above)

Monday April 5th (Day after Easter) Advancement night

Monday April 12th Troop Meeting

Looking towards our next campout, we have reservations made for Northern Kettle Moraine the weekend of May 7th -9th. Fact Sheet will be issued in the next BSB.

Thanks

Mr. F.