Troop 24 and Families,

We will be volunteering to package food with the Riverside/North Riverside Covenant of Churches, partnered with Outreach, for Feed Our Community Day.

As a Troop we will be helping at the 11:00 AM shift.   Volunteers will be organized into small group assembly lines, preparing delicious, nutritious meals of pasta and cheese – all fortified with soy protein, nutrients, and vitamins – and bagged, labeled, weighed, and boxed.  Meals will be distributed to local food pantries.

If a Scout and/or anyone in his family (must be >7 years of age) are interested in participating with Troop 24, please sign up below.

Scouts who check in/out with Mrs. Lynch during the shift will get service hours for their time.

Scouts and family members who are volunteering should report to North Riverside Village Commons on Saturday Oct. 18 at 10:45 AM.  The shift will be approximately 1.5 hours.

Sign up by Thurs Oct. 16.

• Scouts and siblings use this form to sign up
• Leaders and adults use this form to sign up

If you are interested in more information on Outreach or if you are interested in volunteering for a different shift or if you would simply like to donate to this program you can follow this link http://www.feed6.org/feed-our-community-day-registration.html

Susan Lynch will be the leader at this event.

The Communications merit badge class originally scheduled for Sunday, October 26, has been moved to Sunday, October 5, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the RPC Social Hall. (The change was made due to a troop campout scheduled for October 24-26.) On October 5, scouts can complete requirements 2, 3, and 4 for this badge.

To help Mrs. Lulich prepare for the class, we would like scouts to sign up in advance if they plan to attend. Please sign up here: http://troop24riverside.com/2014/09/form-communications-merit-badge-10262014/

1. Do ONE of the following:

   a. For one day, keep a log in which you describe your communication activities. Keep track of the time and different ways you spend communicating, such as talking person-to-person, listening to teachers or the radio, watching television, reading books and other print media, and using any electronic communication device. Discuss with your counselor what your log reveals about the importance of communication in your life. Think of ways to improve your communications skills.

   b. For three days, keep a journal of your listening experiences. Identify one example of each of the following, and discuss with your counselor when you have listened to:

   • Obtain information
   • A persuasive argument
   • Appreciate or enjoy something
   • Understand someone’s feelings

   c. In a small-group setting, meet with other scouts or with friends. Have them share personal stories about significant events in their lives that affected them in some way. Take note of how each scout participates in the group discussion and how effectively he communicates his story. Report what you have learned to your counselor about the differences you observed in effective communication.

   d. List as many ways as you can think of to communicate with others (face-to-face, by telephone, letter, e-mail, text messages, and so on). For each type of communication discuss with your counselor an instance when that method might not be appropriate or effective.

2. Do ONE of the following:

   a. Think of a creative way to describe yourself, using, for example, a collage, short story or autobiography, drawing or series of photographs, or a song or skit. Using the aid you created, make a presentation to your counselor about yourself.

   b. Choose a concept, product, or service in which you have great confidence. Build a sales plan based on its good points. Try to persuade the counselor to agree with, use, or buy your concept, product or service. After your sales talk, discuss with your counselor how persuasive you were.

3. Write a five-minute speech. Give it at a meeting of a group.
4. Interview someone you know fairly well, like, or respect because of his or her position, talent, career or life experiences. Listen actively to learn as much as you can about the person. Then prepare and deliver to your counselor an introduction of the person as though this person were to be a guest speaker, and include reasons why the audience would want to hear this person speak. Show how you would call to invite this person to speak.
5. Attend a public meeting (city council, school board, debate) approved by your counselor where several points of view are given on a single issue. Practice active listening skills and take careful notes of each point of view. Prepare an objective report that includes all points of view that were expressed, and share this with your counselor.
6. With your counselor’s approval, develop a plan to teach a skill or inform someone about something. Prepare teaching aids for your plan. Carry out your plan. With your counselor, determine whether the person has learned what you intended.
7. Do ONE of the following:

   a. Write to the editor of a magazine or your local newspaper to express your opinion or share information on any subject you choose. Send your message by fax, email or regular mail.

   b. Create a web page or blog of special interest to you (for instance, your troop or crew, a hobby, or a sport). Include at least three articles or entries and one photograph or illustration, and one link to some other Web page or blog that would be helpful to someone who visits the Web page or blog you have created. It is not necessary to post your Web page or blog to the Internet, but if you decide to do so, you must first share it with your parents and counselor and get their permission.

   c. Use desktop publishing to produce a newsletter, brochure, flier or other printed material for your scout troop, class at school, or other group. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration.

8. Plan a troop or crew court of honor, campfire program, or an interfaith worship service. Have the patrol leaders’ council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies.
9. Find out about three career opportunities in the field of communication. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.
September 30, 2014 Posted to Merit Badges

Our scouts won 1st place in the weekend zombie cook-off with their entry of Zombie Meatloaf.

If you want to try to recreate this mouth-watering entree, the ingredients were:
2lb ground beef
Salt
Pepper
3 onions
2 bell peppers
2 eggs
2 8oz cans diced tomatoes
1/3c. ketchup
1/4c. Dark brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard
1lb Bacon
1 Bulb garlic

Our scouts also tied for second in the zombie activities, with a score of 44 (45 won 1st place). Congratulations!

We still have two openings for Scouts to participate in our Coral Reef Sailing Adventure next Summer.

This weekend is the last chance for Scouts to participate in Troop 24’s Sea Base Adventure over the Fourth of July next summer (July 1 through July 9). In order to go on this exciting sailing, snorkeling, fishing extravaganza you must sign your Scout up this weekend and make a $500 dollar deposit before Monday, September 29 (Scouts must, at the time of the trip, be 13 or older and graduated 8th Grade, 1st Class or higher, and have the Swimming Merit Badge).

If your Scout would like to come along to the Florida Keys or if you have questions about the trip please get in touch with Michael Murphy before Monday (the sooner the better, there are only two spots available on a first response basis). You can reach me most easily via email at mjmurphy64@gmail.com

Michael Murphy

Scouts: PLEASE remember to bring your books to the Troop meeting tonight. Any scout who is not yet 1st Class should present his book to Nancy Hopkins so we can update our online database. Thanks!

We are getting down to the wire on commitments for Seabase 2015.

We have filled two of the three available boats. We have room for eight more participants (one of whom must be an adult). Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to cruise the Florida Keys.

To go on this Seabase adventure with Troop 24 you must put down a $500 deposit by Monday, September 29 (checks only, no WePay for this one).

Email me at mjmurphy64@gmail.com if you would like to be a part this high adventure outing.

I’ll be at Thursday’s Troop Meeting to talk about Seabase to anybody interested, or feel free to email me.

If you did not receive a Seabase email this morning you are not on my current list of participants. If you think you ought to be on that list, email me and we will sort it out.

Michael Murphy

The Forest Park Fire Fighters are having their first 5k fundraiser on Friday, October 3, 2014.  They have invited Troop 24 scouts to help by handing out water at the aid station or assisting at the finish line.  Scouts will be able to earn service hours for their participation. The 5k will be held in Forest Park  at  Concordia Cemetery and at The Grove Picnic Park (at Madison and VanBuren).  Volunteers will be provided food, soda/water and a t-shirt.  We will leave RPC at 4:30 p.m. and should return to Riverside at approximately 9:00 p.m.  Space is limited to ten scouts. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, September 28, 2014  Please contact Joan Janopoulos with any questions.

Scout sign up form