View this newsletter online: http://www.piedmontbsa.org/newsletter/Spring08.htm
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| Spring 2008 Newsletter |
New Council Newsletter!Welcome to the first edition of our on-line newsletter! In an effort to save paper and be more timely in our communications we will be sending newsletters in an electronic format going forward. Since our email lists are not complete, we encourage you to send this on to others who may be interested in receiving council news. We plan to continue sending one printed newsletter annually to every home in Piedmont—this newsletter will be mailed in the fall. In the meantime, if you have suggestions for improvements on our new format or news you want to hear, we’d love to hear about them—please contact us at info@piedmontbsa.org. Enjoy! In this issue:
![]() 150 people attended the Awards Dinner to honor our adult volunteers. Council Honors Adult Volunteers at Awards Dinner, April 24, 2008Some people are surprised to learn that the Piedmont Council serves more than a thousand youth each year. They are even more surprised to learn that we have 220 dedicated adult volunteers who deliver our great programs and these are just the individuals who are registered. Many more help in a myriad of ways. It is the adult volunteers, who almost unnoticed, deliver great Scouting programs to our youth. They do everything from driving kids on outings to teaching merit badges to leading hikes or serving as adult leaders. Once a year we come together to honor and thank all our volunteers and give special recognition to a few. Here is a list of our very special honorees—please thank them when you see them! Unit Volunteers: Each unit selects a “special” volunteer who has made extra effort on behalf of their Pack, Troop or Crew in the prior year— ![]() Council Commissioner, Randy Litteneker, presents the Distinguished Scouter Awards for Cub Scouts to Reuben Rivera of Pack 4, Kelliane Lam of Pack 3 and Terri Burge of Pack 5. Pack 3: Kelliane Lam- “is one of our most enthusiastic den leaders and also has been instrumental to Pack 3’s recruitment efforts. Thanks, Kelliane!” (Terri Ashton) Pack 4: Reuben Rivera- “leads two Pack 4 Dens and is an enthusiastic Scout leader who is always willing to help.” (Erik Dryburgh, Cubmaster) Pack 5: Terri Burge- “As a Den Leader for the last three years Terri has gracefully led the boys through their achievement awards, supported our recruitment program and tirelessly taken on many of the thankless tasks needed to operate a successful Pack. Thank you, Terri.” (Scott Willis, Cubmaster) Pack 6: Brad Shaw- “is an outstanding member of our Scouting community in Pack 6, having served as Co-Den Leader for the past five years and taking part in all levels of activities. This year, he bridged with his son Andrew into Troop 6, where his experience as an Eagle Scout and his high level of enthusiasm for the program will be of great benefit to our Scouts. Congratulations Brad!” (Paul Orgeron, Cubmaster) ![]() VP of Scouting, Vince Faughnan, presents the Distinguished Scouter Award for Boy Scouts to Mary Carter of Troop 11, Kathy Parker of Troop 4 and Ken Taylor of Troop 15. Troop 1: Judy Levitan- “is being recognized by Troop 1 for her outstanding work as Advancement Chair: she is responsible for maintaining all records for Scout advancement, overseeing Scout advancement at the Boards of Review and assisting the annual Troop rechartering process. “ (Mike Bandrowski) Troop 4: Kathy Parker- “is always the one who takes care of our organizational needs with such professionalism and with such a cheerful manner, I dread the time when she is no longer with the Troop. She’s one of those people who seems to be irreplaceable.” (Larry Kelley, Scoutmaster) Troop 6: Michael Conn- “reenergized Troop 6 two years ago when he volunteered to be Scoutmaster. With two sons in the unit, he quickly immersed himself into Scouting and showed that great leaders don’t always get their start having been a Scout themselves, but by demonstrating the Scouting ideal of "Be of Service." (Brian Renner) Troop 11: Mary Carter- “has organized and led all of our adult meetings, recruited all of the adult committee and attends most Troop outings and camp outs. She is truly an exemplary adult volunteer for Troop 11.” (Janet Labberton) Troop 15: Ken Taylor- “an Assistant Scoutmaster and Quartermaster Adviser, has a keen interest in getting kids to discover how to lead and do things for themselves while staying subtly in the background. We are happy to recognize his committed work in these areas.” (Lonnie Simonson) ![]() Venturing Awards presented to Sunny Holman (accepting the award for Andrew Williamson), Justin Morgan and Phil Caruthers (accepting award for Mary Williams). Post 911: Justin Morgan- “has shown tireless dedication and commitment to the Piedmont Police Explorers. He commits to more meetings, trainings and competitions with the Explorers than any other officer in the program and constantly seeks ways to improve it, moving it forward and pushing the students to be the absolute best they can be.” (Catherine Carr) Ship 16: Andrew Williamson (Lt. Cdr USCG) - “has worked with Piedmont’s Sea Scout unit "Ship 16" for several years and as Skipper for the past year and a half. He has reinvigorated the program, which had been inactive, through organizing regular meetings, arranging visits to US Coast Guard vessels and devoting tremendous effort toward refurbishing a donated Morgan 33’ Sloop, the main training platform for Ship 16.” (Kerry Hazelett) Oakland Strokes: Mary Williams- “is completing two years as Co-President of the Oakland Strokes and has shown unusual aptitude and dedication in helping to lead and manage the organization.” (Frost Prioleau and Dan Herbert) Program Events: Cubs, Scouts and Venturers participate in unit activities every week but a number of events are run by volunteers for the benefit of kids in all units. Council Commissioner Randy Litteneker took time to acknowledge the adults who participate in these activities and especially the following individuals who took leadership roles: Ramon Rodriguez—Day Camp Fundraising: Membership fees paid by individuals go to the National Council so funds must be raised locally to support the Council Service Center (staff and administrative costs). The council provides training, technical support, answers questions, finds and provides resources to units, leaders, volunteers and youth. The cost of maintaining the Council Service Center in 2007 was $350,000. Money to operate the Council came from three major sources: Friends of Scouting—the annual campaign to which families and the community are asked to make a voluntary contribution; the tree lot which generates about $60,000 net income each year and the Endowment Fund whose income provided about 36% of the council’s operating budget in 2007. In addition, T-shirts at the July 4th Parade have net an average of $3000 in the several years that we have sold them. Here are some of the volunteers who have helped raised money to keep the council solvent and strong! Friends of Scouting Tree Lot Committee and Long Time Volunteers: Chris Lee, Ken Li, May Thomas, Grier Graff, Kevin Fischer and Al Sciamanna Endowment Fund T-Shirt Sales—Ken Li ![]() Jan Perkins, President of Area 3, presented the Winthrop Rockefeller Award to J. Robert Coleman, Jr. Winthrop Rockefeller Award — J. Robert Coleman, Jr. ![]() Jacob Andreas receives the William R. Peterson award presented by Al Youn, Council Board member. William R. Peterson Award for Leadership by Youth—Jacob Andreas ![]() Erik Dryburgh recieves the Scout to Scouter award presented by Rich Harms, 2006 recipient. Harry M. Thomas Scout to Scouter Award—Erik Dryburgh ![]() PHS Principal, Randy Booker (left) and Anne-Marie Lamarche (right) present the Sidney C. Singer Award to John White (center). Sidney C. Singer Service Award—John R. White ![]() Randy Litteneker (center) is congratulated by Chris Lee and Jo Hazelett for receiving the Award of Merit. Award of Merit —Rich Harms and Randy Litteneker ![]() Ken Li (far right) proudly shares his Silver Beaver Award with his daughter Lindsay and his wife Valerie Ng. Silver Beaver — Ken Li ![]() Ken Li’s Silver Beaver award was presented to him by Greg Andreas, last year’s recipient. This year the Awards Committee selected Ken Li to receive the Silver Beaver. Ken, never a Scout himself, jumped in with both feet when his son Nicholas joined Cub Scouts about 10 years ago. As Nicholas grew up, Ken has done everything from chairing popcorn sales for his Cub Pack; getting our annual T-shirt fundraiser off the ground; participating in Wood Badge and serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 11. But this was not enough for Ken. In the past several years as Vice President for Venturing, Ken provided the spark to launch two new units (Community Service and Fencing) and provided support and guidance to most of our other Venturing units. Ken has been the guiding force behind the success and strengthening of these units and has made a substantial impact on the program. If any of you know Ken, you have probably been asked to help in some way! The dinner, attended by 150 people was chaired by Judy Rosenberg and flowers were arranged by Lynn Fischer. The dinner is not a fundraiser and we are grateful to those who helped keep our costs down by providing underwriting: Andy Ball, Dr. Bradley Irving, Dr. and Mrs. Straty Righellis, Maureen Kennedy and Sunny Piedmont Cleaners and Thornhill Pet Hospital. In addition, Piedmont Grocery and Village Market each donated a case of wine. The awards were engraved by Gary Hartsock. We are very fortunate to have so many wonderful and dedicated people who give so much to make this Council great! ![]() Piedmont Council’s Executive Director, Jo Hazelett with John White. Remarks by John White (Sid Singer Awardee)“I was taken completely by surprise when Anne-Marie called me to say that I was to receive the Sid Singer Award from the Piedmont Boy Scout Council. “But the opportunity to recognize the great work that happens with youth in this town, now that’s special and that’s really why we’re here. It’s especially meaningful this year because two of our own children, Miranda and Riely, are graduating in June and I love being recognized at the same time that they and their friends are coming of age and moving on. It’s great to be part of the Class of 2008. “The fact that this recognition comes from the Boy Scouts is very, very meaningful to me. When I was growing up a million years ago in Cincinnati, Ohio one of the best experiences in my youth was being an active member of Troop 149. We did a ton of camping, including two trips to Philmont, which introduced me to the West. As a matter of fact, my mother believes that part of the reason I settled in California was the opening of my vistas with those Scout trips to Philmont, and she’s probably right. “But the other aspect of Scouting that was so influential to me was our Scoutmaster, Jim Moffett. He was truly a lovely man who was patient, and fun, and respected us all. It was his passion for the outdoors that made ours a camping troop and he carried it off with such a sense of style that his nickname was Gentleman Jim—made even more remarkable given the fact that it was me and all the other wild and wooly youth he was leading into the wilderness. Be we loved the experience, and we loved him, and I think we all knew he loved us. “If there’s one person I’d like to dedicate this Sid Singer Award to it would be Jim Moffett. And if there’s one person who has taught me how satisfying and fulfilling it is to spend extended time with our youth, it would also be Jim Moffett. In this small town of Piedmont we are unbelievably blessed to have our young people growing up close at hand. In these uncertain times there is nothing I believe in more that these fine boys and girls who are our future. I would like to recognize them, and all the other adults like myself who are fortunate enough to have a hand in making that promise come true.” Cub Family and Resident Camp—Sign-Up Now!Calling all Cub families! Have some good ol’ family fun this summer at the second annual Family Camp, July 24-27 at Camp Cutter in Santa Cruz! Parents, Cubs and siblings are invited to join us for archery, canoeing, hiking, crafts and much, much more! Download the registration form at http://www.piedmontbsa.org/events/detail.php?id=226 and contact Jason with any questions: 547-4493 or jasonz@piedmontbsa.org. Boy Scouts and Venturers—We Want You at Family Camp!Looking to make some extra cash this summer while having fun? Well, look no further than the Cub Family Camp, July 24-27 at Camp Cutter in Santa Cruz, described above! The activity stations (archery, canoeing, etc.) will be staffed by Boy Scouts and Venturers from the Piedmont and Alameda Councils, so we need you! 14 and 15 year olds get service hours, while those 16 and older earn $8.00/hour. For more information or if you’d like to sign-up, please contact Jason at jasonz@piedmontbsa.org or 547-4493. Cooking Crew—Adult Volunteers Needed!We’re excited about the launching of our newest Venturing unit, a Cooking Crew! Before we start churning out gourmet feasts and forging the next Bobby Flays and Rachel Rays, though, we need a few Piedmont adults to help advise the unit. If you have some verve and élan in the kitchen and are interested in interacting with high school students, please let us know! The time commitment can be as low as 2 hours a month. If you’d like more information or would like to get involved, contact Jason at jasonz@piedmontbsa.org or 547-4493. Bam! A Summer of Fun with the Piedmont Council!While the school year is filled with action-packed Scouting trips, the fun really begins in the summer! Join us for one or more of these epic events! For more details, please see our website: http://www.piedmontbsa.org/events/index.php?m=6&y=2008 ![]() In March our Highlander Hikers visited the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens. June 7th: Highlander Hike @ Tilden Recruitment All Year Long!While most Packs, Troops and Crews hold recruitment events in the spring and fall, youth can join anytime throughout the year! Whether you’re a Boy Scout interested in a Venturing unit such as the Fencing Crew or the Oakland Strokes rowing team or you have a friend who is considering joining Boy Scouting (you need not have been a Cub in order to join Boy Scouts!), check out our wonderful programs this summer! What better time than now, with no homework or school to keep one occupied? Sea Scouts Sailing into Adventures Galore!Piedmont’s newly reinvigorated Sea Scouts program has had an eventful and glorious year! Avid sailor Martin Thomas recently joined the adult leadership as the Assistant Skipper, the group got new sails for their 30 foot Morgan sloop—the “Revenge”—and are now ready to start sailing the ocean blue. Under the able leadership of Skipper Andrew Williamson and a great group of adult leaders, the Sea Scouts are truly charting a new course. Bike Rodeo a Smashing Success! Police Explorer, Kieran Craigie, explained bike safety rules to youth who attended the Bike Rodeo held on May 3rd. One of the highlights of the Cub Scout year, the Bike Rodeo again provided a fun and informative day for Piedmont elementary school families. Held at Beach Elementary School for the second consecutive year, 150 kids and parents came to learn safety tips and even conquer a daunting obstacle course! The event was jointly organized by the Piedmont Police Department, whose high school Police Explorers ran the event along with members from the UC Berkeley co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, and the Piedmont Council. Much thanks to our generous sponsors Dreyer’s, Mulberry’s Market, Safeway and Wheels of Justice! Boy Scout Camporee—May 16-18!This year’s “Island Adventure” Camporee, the veritable Olympics of Boy Scouting, will be held this weekend at nearby Bort Meadows in Anthony Chabot Regional Park. Scouts from Piedmont’s five Troops- plus a patrol of 4th grade Webelos- will compete in a medley of events while Scoutmaster Roger Eliassen and other adult leaders oversee the cooking of an 80-100 lb. pig for an epic luau! For more information please visit www.piedmontcamporee.org. If you’d like to attend as a guest, you must RSVP with Jason Zeledon at 547-4493 or jasonz@piedmontbsa.org. Eagle’s NestCongratulations and welcome to our new Eagle Scouts! The Council now boasts 1038 Eagle Ranks earned since 1921 and remains one of the leading councils in the country for percentage of youth earning this highest honor. For a complete list of Piedmont Eagle Scouts go to http://piedmontbsa.org/eagles/localeagles.php Kevin RennerTroop: 6
Andrew HarveyTroop: 11 ![]() Alexander GuidiciTroop: 1 ![]() Andy Van SlykeTroop: 11 ![]() Jeffry Kalmon IITroop: 6 ![]() Christopher BishopTroop: 11 Years in Scouting: 12 years ![]() Bryce ChuTroop: 15 Years in Scouting: 11 years ![]() Kevin ClarkTroop: 15 ![]() Jason SilverTroop: 15 ![]() Bonnie Gaither and Dale Radcliff (seated), Kevin Fischer (background). The Conclave, by Jim WeberThis year, Piedmont’s Order of the Arrow Lodge, Hungteetsepoppi, had the honor of hosting the annual Section W3A Conclave at Coast Guard Island near Alameda. Hungteetsepoppi is one of the eight local lodges of Section W3A, which stretches from Monterey Bay to Napa. Once a year, the eight local lodges gather for a weekend of training, competitions, shows, fellowship and fun, with typically over 300 members attending. Since holding the Conclave at Coast Guard Island allowed us access to their facilities, some of the most memorable events were the tours of Cutters Sherman and Morgenthau, an eventful search and rescue demonstration with a helicopter, and a strike team demonstration. ![]() Kellan Turner, Jim Weber and Kevin Fischer. 32 Members from the host lodge, Hungteetsepoppi, attended and used their superiority at athletics to dominate many of the sporting events. This year, Hungteetsepoppi Lodge won the "Most Indian" lodge award while losing the main Conclave Award to Miwok. In attendance at this Conclave were the 2008 National Vice-Chief Ben Stilwill, and 2007 National Chief Evan Chaffee. Also, Lodge Adviser Kevin Fischer will be assuming the roll as Associate Section Adviser. The next time Hungteetsepoppi will host the conclave will be in 2015, so get ready for 7 years of dominating other lodges on their home turf!
Criminal Background Checks Now Required for all Scout VolunteersAs dedicated BSA volunteers, you understand the importance of keeping our youth safe in the Scouting program. To ensure Youth Protection, our organization has conducted criminal background checks on all new volunteers since April 2003. Because some volunteers have been continually registered in the program since before April 2003, some have not had a criminal background check. In the next few months, we will be communicating with those volunteers on this issue. The letter will explain the need for consent to conduct a criminal background check and direct volunteers to a Web site. The letter with the Web site information is scheduled to be mailed by June 2, 2008. The Web site address is www.bsacbc.org, and the site will be active from June 1 until August 1, 2008. On the site, volunteers will be asked to review an authorization statement, agree to consent to a background check, and provide information, such as your Social Security number, which is necessary to conduct the CBC, and verify and submit the information. To learn more about the Volunteers and Background Checks program, click here. Contributions to the Friends of Scouting Campaign 2007-2008CommunityMr. Billy Allen FoundationsAnonymous BusinessesAckerman’s Servicing Volvos, Inc. Matching GiftsApplied Materials Pack 3Mr. Thomas Andreoni & Ms. Karen Stanton Pack 4Mr. Robert Andrews & Ms. Karen Bormann Pack 5Mr. and Mrs. Eric Bentley Pack 6Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Crosby Troop 1Mr. and Mrs. Michael Adams Troop 4Mr. Frank Arthur & Ms. Eileen Ash Troop 6Ms. Dianne Crosby Troop 11Mr. Greg Andreas & Ms. Judith Rosenberg Troop 15Mr. and Mrs. Tarang Amin Oakland Strokes—Crews 8 & 9Mr. and Mrs. H. Frost Prioleau Community Service—Crew 22Mr. Ken Li and Ms. Valerie Ng Fencing—Crew 21Mr. Ken Li and Ms. Valerie Ng Ship 16Mr. and Mrs. Kerry Hazelett Police Explorers—Post 911Mr. and Mrs. Chung-Yiu Lam Executive BoardMr. & Mrs. Tarang Amin Advisory BoardHon. & Mrs. Carl Anderson Members at LargeMr. and Mrs. William Ashton StaffMr. & Mrs. Kevin Fischer Tree Lot UnderwritingBay Alarm Gifts Made in Honor of an IndividualEagle Scout, Christopher Bishop Bill & Mike Carter Eagle Scout, Bryce Chu Eagle Scout, Kieran Craigie Eagle Scout, Chris Gorud Burr Faughnan, Troop 11 Eagle Scout, John Fullerton Silver Beaver, Ken Li Gifts Made in Lieu of Flowers were Received in Memory of The Following IndividualsFrancisco Arizer Ina Burrows Mr. & Mrs. Bill Cronk, Jr William "Bill" D. Dabney William W. Sheaff Charles H. Guigou Kenneth Miller William B. Mitchell Arthur Wyman Procter Edward H. Rowe Mr. John Robert Shuman Troop 2 (1948-1955 era) Dr. George Smith Robert F. Wildman Switch-back Scout Pants Buy One-Get One OfferThe Scout Shop has alerted us to an exceptional offer through May 15 only—two sets of pants for $40. You can find the specific information for this great deal on Scoutingstuff.org at the link below. Don’t miss this opportunity for these nylon zip-away Scout pants for the summer. This is an excellent opportunity for new Scouts. Think about your growing boys; you can buy his exact size now, and one size up for next year. You could even buy him one and one for your husband. Don’t wait; the offer expires on May 15. Don’t forget to use the Promo Code: S36822. http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=UNIFORMS&c3=SBSALE&c4=&lv=3&item=900SBP REI DiscountsREI offers a 10% discount off most regularly priced items to Scout Troops. There is no minimum purchase to obtain the discount and they may offer deeper discounts on larger orders. They also offer personalization on many items for an additional fee. If you need a bid or quote before you purchase you can access REI’s online bid system at www.rei.com/cgs. |
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© 2008 Piedmont Council BSA • 10 Highland Way • Piedmont CA 94611 510-547-4493 • Fax: 510-547-4400 |