BSA now requires at least one person in a group to be certified in Wilderness First Aid to participate in high adventure treks (Philmont, etc.). This course can be taken from various BSA-approved providers, but the cost varies considerably. The weekend of June 22-23, the class will be offered in Western Springs, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days, for $75. Registration and payment is required by June 8. More information is available here:  Wilderness First Aid

Thanks to our scouts, leaders & parents who assisted with Riverside’s Memorial Day Ceremony. Due to the weather, most of the ceremony was held at the Methodist Church, but concluded with the traditional wreath in the DesPlaines River–this year carried by Eagle Scout Joe Rogers. Thanks to John Flaherty for providing the photos, which can be viewed at: http://troop24riverside.com/troop-scrapbook/

Scouts who signed up to help set up for the Memorial Day ceremony should meet at the back door of the Riverside Town Hall at 7:00 a.m. IF the weather does not allow for an outside ceremony, the ceremony will be held inside at the Riverside Methodist Church.

Tonight is our last regular Troop meeting of the school year. Next week we’ll be meeting on Friday night at the Scout Cabin. All scouts who are not yet 1st Class should bring their books to the meeting tonight so we can enter scout progress into our tracking system.

The Village of Riverside’s annual Memorial Day program will be held on Monday, May 27. The village has asked for the scouts to participate in the ceremony, as well as arrive at the village hall to help set up chairs at 7:00 a.m. Scouts should be in full uniform. It’s always a very moving ceremony, so any scouts who are in town this weekend are urged to attend. Questions? Contact Scoutmaster Tom Hartwig at thartwig@olparks.com.

Please sign up here: http://troop24riverside.com/2013/05/memorial-day-2013-sign-up-form/

We had a very sparse turn-out for the Tesomas meeting last night. For those of you who could not attend, this is what was covered:

Merit Badge Classes
Scouts need to select which merit badge classes they will be taking. Scuba participants will not enroll in merit badge classes. Microtrek participants have some time for merit badge classes, depending on which Microtrek session they attend. All other scouts should plan to sign up for at least three merit badge classes. First-year scouts should definitely sign up for Swimming.

First-year scouts, and anyone else who has not earned the Cooking Merit Badge, should sign up for Cooking. Cooking is now an Eagle-required Merit Badge, and is difficult to earn outside of camp.

The merit badge class schedule can be found at: http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013-Tesomas-Advancement-Schedule.pdf
Classes are ranked by difficulty, with A being the hardest, and C the easiest. Please contact Liz Gomorczak at jecggomo@gmail.com as soon as your scout has selected his classes.

Bus to Camp Tesomas
The cost for the bus to camp is $100. For families who have two scouts, the second scout pays $75. Bus fees can be paid online by WePay at https://www.wepay.com/events/bus-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013, or by check dropped off to Liz Gomorczak. Bus payment is due by July 1. The bus ride takes about 6 hours. The bus will leave on Sunday morning, July 21. The location will be announced later, but plan to arrive at the drop-off at 6:30 a.m. Scouts will need to bring money for a lunch stop on the way up and the way back. (Alternatively you can send a sack lunch for the trip to camp.) There is a restroom on the bus, and scouts will watch movies on the bus (PG-13).

Bicycles
All scouts are encouraged to bring bicycles to Camp Tesomas. Tesomas is a large camp and having a bike available is very helpful. For scouts who sign up for shooting sports (including archery), it’s almost mandatory given the distance to the range from our campsite. We will transport the bikes on a specially modified boat trailer. The cost per person for the bike transportation is $15. This can be paid by check or at WePay: https://www.wepay.com/events/bike-transportation-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013. Every scout also has to sign a Bicycle Usage Agreement required by Camp Tesomas. Please print a copy of the form (available at http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bike-agreement.pdf) and deliver it to our Camp Coordinator, Liz Gomorczak.

We have had several outings at which scouts arrived with bikes that were not operable. Our leaders will have limited tools at camp, and limited time to attempt to fix bikes. Therefore, we again have an agreement with The Wheel Thing, a bike shop in LaGrange, 15 S. LaGrange Road, to have a FREE bike inspection. They will also offer a 10% discount on labor (not parts) for any repairs that are needed. When you drop off your bike to load on the trailer (a few days before camp) you will also need to have a form that will be given to you at the bike shop stating that the bike has been inspected. You don’t have to use The Wheel Thing for the inspection. If you use another bike shop ask them to give you a note saying that the bike has been inspected.

Medical Forms
All boy scout summer camps require that campers (including adult leaders) have a physical signed by a doctor. If you have not done so, please make an appointment. CVS & Walgreens also offer camp physicals at a reasonable price.

The medical form can be found at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx. BSA has made this very easy by providing a fillable pdf. We suggest you fill it out and store it on your computer, which will save you time next year. Parts A & B are filled out by the parent (immunization dates must be included), and Part C is completed by the physician. On the second page of Part B is a section entitled: ADULTS AUTHORIZED TO TAKE YOUTH TO AND FROM EVENTS. In this section please answer – Any Troop 24 leader or parent, or a bus company hired by Troop 24. This will cover summer camp as well as car-pooling to events during the coming year.

New scout parents – the Medical Form you gave us when your scout joined the Troop did NOT have the physician portion (Part C). Please give us a new form with Parts A, B, C completed.

The form also requires a copy of the front AND back of your insurance card. Please be sure to turn that in to Liz with your completed form.

For scuba participants only, you will also need to complete the PADI form that was included in the scuba packet you received earlier.

Personal Equipment List
A list of items needed for camp is available here:
http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tesomas-packing-list.pdf

Summary

1. Send Liz Gomorczak your merit badge choices
   http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013-Tesomas-Advancement-Schedule.pdf

2. Pay $100 for bus to camp ($75 for 2nd scout in a family)
   https://www.wepay.com/events/bus-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013

3. Drop off Bicycle Usage Agreement to Liz Gomorczak
   http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bike-agreement.pdf
4. Pay $15 for bike transportation
   https://www.wepay.com/events/bike-transportation-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013
5. Have scout’s bicycle inspected
6. Drop off completed medical forms to Liz Gomorczak NO LATER THAN JULY 15
   http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx

Liz Gomorczak’s e-mail: jecggomo@gmail.com

Scouts & Parents: Sorry for the late notice, but we hope you will be available for our annual scout/parent meeting to go over details about summer camp. It’s especially important that scouts who have never attended Camp Tesomas have at least one parent attend. We’ll review logistics, equipment needed, merit badge class choices, etc. Please join us at the North Riverside Library at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21.

In the meantime, we now have payment options online for:

Bus to Camp Tesomas: $100 per scout, but families with two scouts pay $75 for the second scout.
https://www.wepay.com/events/bus-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013

Bike transportation to Camp Tesomas: $15
https://www.wepay.com/events/bike-transportation-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013

The Village of Riverside’s annual Memorial Day program will be held on Monday, May 27. The village has asked for the scouts to participate in the ceremony, as well as arrive at the village hall to help set up chairs at 7:00 a.m. Scouts should be in full uniform. It’s always a very moving ceremony, so any scouts who are in town this weekend are urged to attend. Questions? Contact Scoutmaster Tom Hartwig at thartwig@olparks.com.

Please sign up here: http://troop24riverside.com/2013/05/memorial-day-2013-sign-up-form/

For any scout or leader going to Camp Tesomas, please respond to this post with your t-shirt size. All sizes are adult. T-shirts are provided by the Troop. There is no cost to the scout family.

Fill out a form here: http://troop24riverside.com/2013/05/t-shirt-order-form-2013/