This Thursday, November 15, we have a rare opportunity. We have Eagle Coach training that will be held at the Riverside Township Hall from 7-9pm. Close and easy to get to! (http://www.bsa-dpvc.org/Training/Training_Fliers/121115_EagleCoach.pdf) We have about half a dozen boys that may need coaches within the next 6 months. The troop could really use some parents to act as dedicated coaches for these boys starting their Eagle Service projects.

Regardless if you would consider being an Eagle Coach for a boy in the troop, if you are the parent of a Life Scout, please consider attending this training session. It will help you understand better what the scout is trying to accomplish with his project, what is expected of the scout, with what the coach will try to assist (and what he will not), as well as what the parent(s) can do to aid their son. We’ve found that there are many misconceptions from both the scout and the parent(s) with regard to Eagle Service projects and this training will help to clear them up considerably.

NOTE: This is training for adults. It is NOT the Life-to-Eagle presentation. Thus, if you can attend, it will only be for the parent and not the scout.

Congratulations to Troop 24’s newest Eagle Scout, Joe Rogers!

All scouts are invited (and encouraged to attend) the Eagle Court of Honor for our newest Eagle Scouts Karl Jantze and Jeff Ringbloom. Join us in honoring their achievement on Saturday, June 2, at 3:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of Riverside Presbyterian Church.

Book Drive 2012, Joe Rogers’ Eagle Project, was a success! It is now officially over, with a total count of 6,462 books (it is not in the 8000s as suggested at the April 26 meeting). Thank you to everyone who helped make it a success!

Please report to Riverside Foods ten minutes before your shift this weekend! It will be raining, so please bring all rain gear that you think you will need for carrying boxes or walking back and forth from stations – scouts will be mostly indoors. Also, please show up in your scout uniform. This will set a good example for the community. Instructions will be given to you before your shift, so it is important to show up at least ten (10) minutes early.

The people signed up are as follows (adults first, scouts last):

Saturday- 9-12 a.m.: Roman S., Sue J., Pat R., James S., Max H., Daniel D., Abraham and Elijah O., Joe J., Ryan C., Andy C., Robert D.

Saturday, 12-3 p.m.: Michael P., Elizabeth G., Max and Noah H., Daniel D., Andrew S., Nick S., Karl J., Chris M., Georgi G.

Sunday, 9-12 a.m.: Beth M., Chris M., Charlie M., Joseph B., Louie M., Erik R.

Sunday, 12-3 p.m.: Carolyn R., Roman S., Jeff R., Chris O., Mike G., Caleb S., Jose L., James S., Charlie M., Robert M.

Please contact Joe Rogers for any questions at rogersj17@gmail.com.

More help is needed for Book Drive 2012! Joe Rogers’ Eagle Service Project needs volunteers – at least one scout and adult for every shift (4 adults and 4 scouts)! Shifts are on Saturday, April 14, and Sunday, April 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. both days. Please contact Joe at rogersj17@gmail.com to volunteer.

Also, donations of boxes are still needed. Thank you to Mr. Potamianos and Mr. Klotz for your donations!

Help! Book Drive 2012, the Eagle Project starting on April 14, needs more scouts and adults to sign up! There are less than 3 weeks to go until the project! Scouts and adults are still needed on Saturday, April 14, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., as well as Sunday, April 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., to man book collecting stations in downtown Riverside. Also, one more adult and scout is needed for the unmanned collecting station signup. Remember, this means that volunteers will meet every day, Monday April 16 to Friday April 20, at about 3:45 p.m. or 4:00 p.m., to check on 3 stations close together around downtown Riverside. This process will take half an hour (or less) each day. More information will be given at signup.

Also, we need boxes! If you have a box that can fit 10 reams of paper, or with dimensions roughly 9” by 12” by 17”, please donate them to Joe Rogers by contacting him at rogersj17@gmail.com. We need about 30 more to prepare fully for the project, so please donate soon!

For his Eagle Project, J. Rogers will be collecting and donating books to Worm Angels, a 501 (c )(3) non-for-profit charity based out of Chicago, which donates the books to Chicago Public Schools.

Scouts and adults are needed to help man and/or check on the collecting stations. There will be two types of collecting stations: unmanned and manned. The manned stations will be hosted on Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15, in 3 hour shifts from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. They will be hosted at Riverside Foods, Grumpy’s Café, and the Riverside Library. (Please note: the Riverside Library will not open until 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 15, and the only shift available for that location on that day will be from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.). The unmanned collecting stations will be boxes that people will drop off books in. They will be set up from Monday, April 16, to Friday, April 20, and will be at Town Hall, RPC, and the Riverside Bank. Volunteering for an unmanned station means that adults and scouts will meet all five days at a specified time and location to check on the collecting stations for damage, overflow of books, and types of books donated. Also, if the boxes need to be emptied, the volunteers will set up a new box and transport the full one to another location. This will not be a long process, but please note the adult’s work schedule and the scout’s after school activities.

Signup sheets will be at all Troop Meetings until the week of the project. If you cannot make the meetings and would like to volunteer, or have any questions, please email Joe Rogers at rogersj17@gmail.com.

Congratulations to Troop 24’s newest Eagle Scout, Jeffrey Ringbloom!