Our semi-annual Court of Honor is tonight, October 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the Social Hall at RPC. All scouts should be in full dress uniform (including olive, tan, khaki pants-but they don’t have to be the official uniform pants). For those of you who volunteered to bring treats, please have them to the Social Hall by 6:50. See you tonight!

Komarek students are collecting items to send to troops in Afghanistan. One of those serving is Vincent Torres, the son of Komarek’s school secretary. Our Komarek scouts have asked us to assist, and have asked specifically for each scout attending the Court of Honor on Thursday, October 21, to bring at least one item. There is a long list of items needed, which can be found here.

Please bring your contribution to the October 21 Court of Honor.

Scouts were given order forms to sell popcorn several weeks ago. Profits from the popcorn sold go into an account to be used directly by the scout for troop outings, summer camp, etc. This is not a general Troop fundraiser. The due date on the sheet that was handed out had a typo – the correct due date is October 28, NOT October 18. Popcorn orders can be turned in at the Court of Honor on Thursday, October 21, or at the Troop meeting on October 28. Our popcorn chair is Mrs. Ricchio, and questions can be directed to her at Garfi94169@aol.com Sorry for the confusion.

Please join us in assisting Riverside Presbyterian Church CARERS committee in making a contribution to the food pantry at First Presbyterian Church in Chicago. This church serves the Woodlawn community. Every Thursday they distribute 100-125 bags of food to community residents.

Please bring  non-perishable food items for donation to the Court of Honor on Thursday, October  21, and to the Troop Meeting on October 28.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Last minute notice, but with the number of scouts currently active in Troop 24, we will soon be in need of many Eagle Coaches . . .

Do you want to be an Eagle Scout Coach, or do you have questions about the process? If you do, this is the meeting for you! On Monday, October 18, Eagle Coach Training will be conducted at the River Forest Library, 735 Lathrop Ave. (NE corner of Chicago Ave. & Lathrop Ave.), River Forest, starting at 7:00 p.m. There is a parking lot on the south side of the building. River Forest Public Library is about one block south of Chicago Ave. on the East side of Lathrop Ave. Scouts/Parents/Guardians, Scout Leaders, and Eagle Mentors are encouraged to attend to better understand the process. Questions? Contact John Dzuryak at DZZIGN@yahoo.com or 708-366-2247. The registration form can be found at:
http://www.bsa-dpvc.org/Training/Training_Fliers/101018_EagleCoach.pdf

Troop 24 is planning an orienteering outing to Waterfall Glen on Saturday, November 6. Scouts should be dropped off at RPC at 8:30 a.m. Return time will be approximately 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Return time will be dependent on when each group completes the course. There is no cost for this outing. The adult leaders in charge will be Ray Rogers and Joe Ourth. The deadline for signing up for the outing is Wednesday, November 3. Scouts should bring a sack lunch and a water bottle.

In preparation for this outing scouts should attend the two Troop meetings prior to the outing (Thursday 10/28 & Friday 11/5). This outing is particularly important for scouts who need to complete the compass/orienteering requirements for 2nd Class and 1st Class. We will also have Webelos 2 scouts from Pack 24 joining us to satisfy one of their requirements for the Arrow of Light. We will definitely need assistance from some of our high school scouts to lead the orienteering groups. For further information, please contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com. To register, please complete the online form (separately for each scout if you have more than one).

Congratulations to Sam Cox, who became Troop 24’s most recent Eagle Scout on October 14!

Every year Troop 24 is rechartered by the DesPlaines Valley Council. In the charter application we list all of our scouts and adult leaders and committee members. To complete that application we need to know which scouts to register. Some families have not yet returned the forms. We have sent an e-mail reminder to those of you who have not turned in forms, and for those who turned in some but not all of the required items.

The original forms were printed on blue paper:

Scout Information Form
Parent Authorization
Photo Release Form

or green paper:

Scout Commitment Form

Also required is a check for $25 made out to Troop 24. If you don’t know whether you’ve turned in the forms, e-mail Nancy Hopkins at nmhopkins1@comcast.net. Because our chartering documents must be completed in November, October 21 is the last day to turn in your paperwork. If you do not turn in the forms and your scout later wants to “rejoin,” you will have to re-register him with the Council (a more tedious process). Forms can be dropped off to Nancy Hopkins, or brought to the October 21 Court of Honor.

For the Fall Court of Honor on Thursday, October 21, we need a group of parents to volunteer to bring cookies or brownies for our refreshment table. Please email Sue Jones at sue_jones@designpac.com if you are able to bring something. You will need to bring your contribution to the Social Hall kitchen by 6:50 p.m. Beverages will be provided. Thank you!