Karl J’s Eagle Project at the British Home is this Saturday, April 16. Scouts (adult help welcome too) who are not going to the Camporee are encouraged to sign up to help with the project. The work will involve renovating planting beds in preparation for the installation of benches and wheelchair accessible planters. There are 2 shifts available: 9:00 a.m. to noon, and noon to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Please dress appropriately (long pants, and clothes that can get dirty/muddy) and bring a pair of work gloves. Please contact Karl by e-mail at jantze@sbcglobal.net or by phone to sign up. Because so many of our scouts will be at the Rochelle Camporee, the help of those who are in town this weekend will be greatly appreciated. Eagle projects count for service hours for rank advancement, and can also be used for RB service hours.

All scouts are invited to the Riverside Landscape Work Day (sponsored by the Village of Riverside and the Frederick Law Olmsted Society) this Saturday, April 9, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Service hours can be used for rank advancements for Star (6 hours earned while a 1st Class Scout) and Life (6 hours earned while a Star Scout), or for the Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge (all 8 hours of community service have to be done for the same organization–Landscape Work Days are scheduled every month, spring through fall).

Scouts can come for the entire morning, or for a portion of the time. Please download the Troop 24 Service Hour Form. It does not need to be signed in advance, as this event is “pre-approved.” Bring the form, filled out with scout’s name & information, and give it to Mrs. Skiest. She will keep it until the scout is ready to leave and then return it with the hours marked and a signature. It is the scout’s responsibility to turn in the completed and signed form to Mrs. Renee Olszewski so that the hours are entered in our tracking software. The form can be turned in at any scout meeting.

Parents: In the past, the Village of Riverside has required a volunteer waiver form when you drop off your scout. This form must be completed on an annual basis, and our Village Forester will have those forms available, or you can download it here.

If you have any questions, we have two scout moms who are active in the Olmsted Society and can answer questions: Dorie Skiest at djskiest@sbcglobal.net and Holly Machina at hmachina@ameritech.net. Look for one of them when you arrive. Please bring work gloves and a water bottle, and perhaps a hat and sunscreen. Tools will be provided.

Pack 24’s annual Blue & Gold banquet and Crossover ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 27. We need 16 boy scouts to participate in the crossover. Interested scouts should contact Mr. Payne (pain08@comcast.net) by Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m.

The ceremony will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, at the same place as it has been held for the past three years: Park Place, 6240 Joliet Road, Countryside.

The Cub Scouts are requesting assistance from a couple of Boy Scouts (8th grade or older) for their Pinewood Derby on Saturday, January 29. One scout is needed for a 1:00-2:00 shift, and another for the 2:00-3:00 shift (or until the race is over). For scouts who need service hours for rank advancement, this activity will count.

Troop 24 is planning to prepare peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and vegetable beef soup to support RPC’s Night Ministry Program. During our regularly scheduled Troop meeting on Thursday January 13, scouts will be making sandwiches and soup for 200 people for the Night Ministry delivery the next day. We need food donations and parents to help during this meeting. Please sign up to donate and help. Scouts should bring the food to the meeting or drop it off in the RPC kitchen before the meeting. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Scout assistance is needed for Cody V’s Eagle Project, which will consist of moving and reorganizing contents of the basement at the Ronald McDonald House near Loyola Hospital in Maywood. The following shifts are available:

Friday, December 10: 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 11: 9:00 a.m. – noon
Saturday, December 11: noon – 2:30
Sunday, December 12: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Please contact Cody at southpaw307@gmail.com or by phone at one of the numbers listed on the attached permission slip.

Troop 24 scouts will be selling hot apple cider at Riverside’s Holiday Stroll on Friday, December 3. We’ll be located at Riverside Garage from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and are seeking scouts and parents to staff the booth in 60-minute shifts.

Please let Debbie Payne (dpayne@accme.org) know when you are available to help out.

Troop 24 is planning a day of service outing to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois to participate in Wreaths Across America’s commemoration of veterans’ service on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Scouts will be participating in a ceremony and placing holiday wreaths on the graves of veterans. Scouts should wear full Class A uniforms including scout hats or red stocking (or Santa) caps. The entire event will be outside, so scouts should dress for the weather. Scouts should be dropped off at RPC at 9:15 a.m. and will return mid to late afternoon. The adult leaders in charge will be Stephanie Lanken and Cindy Andersen. The deadline for signing up for the outing is December 9 at 8:00 a.m. Families are welcome to attend with their scouts. Please fill out a form for each scout.

More information about Wreaths Across America

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.