For any parent who would be interested in being a Merit Badge Counselor, the next training session through the Des Plaines Valley Council will be on January 19, 2010. Being a Merit Badge Counselor is a good opportunity to help the boys in the Troop in a specific subject area, without committing yourself to attending every Troop meeting. To sign up, contact the Council at dpvc147@scouting.org or (708) 354-1111.

For scouts who want to earn service hours, the Troop has an authorized Service Project available–a fundraiser/dance at Ames School.  The fundraiser is for a first grader at Ameswho has been diagnosed with a rare disease called Giant Axonal Neuropathy (GAN), a neurodegenerative disorder.

The Service Hours are for cleaning the gymnasium after the event, starting at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, December 11.  It is estimated that the clean-up will only take about an hour,  and we need four or five  boys.  The clean up will consist of:

– light cleaning of the floor, like cups, napkins, etc.
– helping to fold up the four (4) folding tables
– sweeping the gymnasium floor
– no work that involves heavy lifting or is precarious

The boys should be able to enter through the back doors at Ames from the parking lot.  If for some reason they are closed, the boys can enter from the front.

Liz Gomorczak will be our contact for this event.  Please contact Liz with questions, or to sign up.

Troop dues of $25 per Scout were due on November 15. Please submit payment along with the Scout Commitment form you received in the mail to Jim Marciniak at 249 Gage Road in Riverside. Please call Jim at 708-443-5851 if you have questions about dues for this year. It is essential that we collect dues from all Scouts in order to be sure everyone is registered on the Troop’s 2010 annual charter with national Scouting.

Congratulations to our newest Eagle Scout, Dennis Potamianos! Visit our Eagle Scout page for a list of Troop 24’s Eagle Scouts dating back to 1927.

Des Plaines Valley Council records relating to Eagle Scouts are not complete. If you know of a Troop 24 Eagle Scout who is not on our list, please contact us.

Please visit the Troop Photo Gallery for recently posted photographs:

Kankakee State Park
4th of July
Camp Mach
Aviation Museum

Over 300 new photos were uploaded over the weekend, so most of our scouts are likely pictured. Those who have not witnessed the bog hike in person will probably be interested in the Camp Mach album. Thanks to parents who provided some of the pictures. Most photos were taken by Troop Historian/Photographer, Abraham O.

This is a reminder that Troop dues of $25 per Scout are due by November 15. You may drop them at the Marciniaks’ at 249 Gage Road in Riverside, or with any leader or Troop committee member. Please call Jim Marciniak at 708-443-5851 if you have questions. Timely payment and return of the Scout commitment form are critical for our annual rechartering of the Troop for 2010.

More details will be coming, but for those of you who want to plan ahead, the Troop’s schedule for outings for the remainder of the year is:

December 12 – Camping at a location TBD
January 16 – Eagle Cave
March 20 – Camping at a location TBD (first outing for Cubs Scouts crossing over in February)
April 23 – Lincoln Pilgrimage, Springfield
May 15 – Camping at a location TBD

The Troop is planning an outing to Apple River Canyon State Park. We’ll be leaving at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, November 27, and returning by approximately noon on Sunday, November 29. Scouts who plan to attend should turn in the permission slip with $20 by Thursday, November 19. Please bring it to the Troop meeting, or turn it in to Dawn Gmitro.

Please join us for the fall Court of Honor on Thursday, November 12, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Riverside Presbyterian Church Social Hall. Refreshments will be served after the ceremony – stay and visit a while! NOTE: Scouts, please arrive at 6:45 P.M. in FULL UNIFORM.

Watch your mailbox for a letter from Troop 24 this week about reinstatement of a dues payment for the 2009-2010 Scouting year to help defray the cost of the Troop’s annual rechartering with the national Scouting organization. For questions about dues, please call Troop Committee Chairman Jim Marciniak at 708-443-5851.