Troop 24 is planning a service outing to the Greater Food Depository of Chicago on Wednesday, September 28. Scouts 13 years of age or older and adults are welcome. Scouts should be dropped off at RPC at 5:15 p.m. We will return at approximately 9:30 p.m. We will drop the kids off at home. The deadline for signing up for the outing is Monday, September 26. Please fill out a form for each scout. There is no cost for this outing. Scouts should wear their Class A uniforms, long pants, and closed-toed shoes. The Depository has requested that each participant bring a jar of peanut butter with them on the 28th. Contact Dawn Gmitro with questions.

This is a great opportunity to put Scout values into practice in our community and spend time with your scout doing something that will make you both feel great.

Troop 24 will be attending the Des Plaines Valley Council’s 2011 Camporall. The deadline for registering is September 18. The theme for the event is Planting the Seeds for Tomorrow to be held September 23-25 at the Scout Adventure Camp in Rochelle, Illinois. Our Hauser 6th graders will be returning from Lorado Taft on September 23; therefore, scouts will have the option to leave Riverside on Friday evening or Saturday morning. We will need drivers for both departure times.

Activities include: Railroad Merit Badge, Scout Craft, Pioneering, Cooking, Fire building contests, Orienteering, Knot Tying, Gear Vendor Displays, Inter-Troop Dodge Ball, Ultimate Frisbee, Friday Night Cracker Barrel, Tree Planting, Rock ‘n Roll Fire Bowl, OA Ceremonial Display, and an ecumenical worship service.

There will also be some adult training available, including Merit Badge Counselor Training.

The cost per scout is $35. Please register online and pay for each scout via WePay by September 18.

We cancelled our spring bike outing twice due to rain. With an excellent forecast (69-72 degrees and NO rain expected), we’re going to try it again THIS WEEKEND, September 17-18. We will leave on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. from RPC–to avoid conflicts with soccer. We expect to return on Sunday at approximately 2:00 p.m. We will ride about 3 1/2 miles on Saturday to our campsite. (Gear does not need to be taken by bike, but please pack lightly, as it will have to be hiked about 1/4 mile from the trailer to the campsite.) On Sunday scouts will have the opportunity to complete 2nd Class Requirement 1b “Using a map and compass together take a 10-mile bike hike.” The cost for this outing is $15. The adult leaders in charge will be Joe Ourth & Nancy Hopkins. We will need drivers (maybe someone with a bike rack?) Please fill out a form for each scout. Additional adults are welcome to camp. Contact Nancy Hopkins if you have questions.

The first regular Troop meeting of the year is at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, in the RPC gym. It is VERY important that scouts of ranks below 1st Class (Scout, Tenderfoot, and 2nd Class) bring their books to every Troop meeting.

We will have a parent meeting at 7:00 on Thursday, September 15, in the Social Hall (basement) at RPC (at the same time the Troop meets). We would greatly appreciate one parent from every scout family attending to fill out paperwork for the year. We must have the permission slip signed for the year before your scout can attend any overnight outings.

Troop 24 will be attending the Des Plaines Valley Council’s 2011 Camporall. Because this is a Council-sponsored event, we can not take late registrations. The deadline for registering is September 18. The theme for the event is Planting the Seeds for Tomorrow to be held September 23-25 at the Scout Adventure Camp in Rochelle, Illinois. Our Hauser 6th graders will be returning from Lorado Taft on September 23; therefore, scouts will have the option to leave Riverside on Friday evening, Sept. 23, or Saturday morning, September 24. We will need drivers for both departure times.

Activities include: Railroad Merit Badge, Scout Craft, Pioneering, Cooking, Fire building contests, Orienteering, Knot Tying, Gear Vendor Displays, Inter-Troop Dodge Ball, Ultimate Frisbee, Friday Night Cracker Barrel, Tree Planting, Rock ‘n Roll Fire Bowl, OA Ceremonial Display, and an ecumenical worship service.

There will also be some adult training available, including Merit Badge Counselor Training.

The cost per scout is $35. Please register online and pay for each scout via WePay by September 18.

We currently have 44 scouts signed up for our Scout Cabin meeting on Friday, including 9 of our high school scouts. If your scout plans to attend, please register online by 10:00 a.m. Friday, as we need a final count for food. Scouts who can’t stay overnight are welcome to come to the meeting and campfire/weiner roast, but we need to know how many are coming. Add a “comment” in the form to let us know if your scout is coming for the evening but will not be camping. The meeting will start promptly at 7:00, and scouts should arrive at 6:30 to set up tents and have books signed off.

There were 10 Eagle Scouts in the senior class of 2011. Those scouts crossed over into the Troop in 2004, with 6 other scouts, for a class of 16. 63% of them became Eagle Scouts: Ben Cox, Sam Cox, Elliot Louthen, Austin McKain, Ben Mitchell, Dennis Potamianos, Brian Robertson, Fitz Robling, Nick Rohm, and Cody Vitek. Troop 24’s cumulative Eagle Scout rate (number of scouts attaining Eagle, divided by the number who started in that class as Boy Scouts) is currently 41% (records for 4 years).

Nationally, the most commonly reported statistic is 4%. This number is calculated differently, by taking the total number of scouts attaining Eagle during the year, divided by the total number of registered boy scouts for that year.

We know that at least 72 scouts from Troop 24 have become Eagle Scouts; however, we likely do not have a complete list. Our Eagle Scouts are listed at: http://troop24riverside.com/our-eagle-scouts/