President Ford eNewsletter Issue 1

President Ford eNewsletter Issue 1 February 4, 2013   Resolutions are powerful things. We resolve as individuals to lose weight, spend more time with our families, or learn a new skill. We strive to be better than we were the year before in at least one recognizable way. We endeavor to become the individuals we wish we were. Organizations can make resolutions too. The President Ford eNewsletter is the result of one of the resolutions our Field Service Council staff made at the start of this year to better communicate to YOU– our volunteers.    Our goal is to send out an issue of this eNewsletter every two weeks to help keep everyone in our great Field Service Council informed of the latest changes and happenings in our Council. Please continue to be patient with us as we continue to learn to fully utilize all the functions of the Michigan Scouting site and communication possibilities. If you have comments or suggestions about this or future communications- please let us know! Please forward this email to all of the volunteers and parents in your unit and encourage them to sign up to receive future communications from MichiganScouting.org by clicking here! Just as the staff of our Field Service Council have endeavored to better our service to you, we hope you have taken some time this winter to work through your unit's Journey to Excellence and identified the areas your unit will improve in 2013. The next portion of the eNewsletter will give you some other resolutions every unit should focus on. Resolutions for Your Unit Resolve to Help Raise the Funds to keep Scouting strong in Michigan Almost 70% of units in the President Ford Field Service Council have scheduled a Friends of Scouting Presentation for their Pack, Troop, or Crew. If you are not sure if your unit is scheduled, please take the time to fill out the form and email it to an Executive. Resolve to help the Council raise the money needed to keep Scouting strong in Michigan. Resolve to Recruit more Youth to the FUN of Scouting!   Cub Scouts Packs will have the chance to utilize a great incentive plan for new springtime Cub Scout recruitment. Come join us at a March Roundtable for more information and great training on how best to invite and welcome new Scouts into your Pack this Spring! (Click here for more information to begin planning a Spring recruitment event.)   Boy Scout Troops can recruit too! The Troops of Newaygo County are not resting on their laurels waiting for Webelos to crossover. Bill Fries of Troop 1129 has found great success using the methods laid out by a fellow volunteer found here. Contact your Service Executive if you have questions or would like additional recruitment materials.  Resolve to Help Every Scout Attend Summer Camp  Join us at one of two Spring Popcorn Sale Kickoffs in Grand Rapids or Traverse City to learn how your Scouts can raise all the funds needed to pay for Summer Camp this year!     News Stories    District E-Newsletter Now Available! Click for directions on how to sign up for the district E-newsletters. Silver Beaver Nominations due February 15, 2013 The Silver Beaver Award was introduced in 1931 and is a council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America...    New Eagle Scout Rank Processing Procedures In November of last year, the Advancement Committee of the President Gerald R. Ford Field Service Council developed a new paperwork process for those Scouts approaching the rank of Eagle to best cope with the new dynamic boundaries of the Field Service Council. Please review these procedures and share with your Life Scouts.    Put your Unit on the MAP with... BeAScout What is BeAScout? BeAScout Allows parents and volunteers to find Packs, Troops, and Crews in a particular neighborhood and obtain information about Scouting opportunities. For BeAScout information to be effective, Unit Leaders need to understand their role in the process. This document explains the steps for the Unit Leaders to follow to keep their Unit information current.     Cubs got Pinewood on their mind? Lots of great ideas and tips here. But remember... Camping News and Information 2013 Campership Application Now Available The 2013 Michigan Crossroads Council Campership Application is now available. Don't forget this year's application is due March 15th. Cub Scout Resident Camps 2013 Registration Online! The Michigan Crossroads Outdoor Adventures Division now has Cub Scout Camping Registration open for Cub Resident Camps and Webelos Resident Camps for Camp Munhacke, Camp Greilick, Rota-Kiwan Scout Reservation, D-A Scout Ranch, and Gerber's Betty Ford Adventureland. Online Facility Rental Now Available for MCC Camps  The Michigan Crossroads Council is pleased to announce the much-awaited release of online facility rental for our camp properties accross the state from the convienence of your nearest computer! Boy Scout Summer Camp Fees Announced for 2013 The Michigan Crossroads Council Outdoor Adventures Team is pleased to announce the Boy Scout Summer Camp fees for 2013. High Adventure The lottery for 2014 high adventures at the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base opened...    Michigan Scouts in the News Michigan House resolution passes to declare February 3-9, 2013 as Boy Scout Week A resolution to declare February 3-9, 2013, as Boy Scout Week in the state of Michigan was passed.    Ann Arbor Life Scout Featured in "Boys Life Magazine - Scouts in Action" From the February 2013 Boys Life edition. Life Scout David Vallem, a member of Troop 4, chartered to First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, Mich., received a Heroism Award for his actions.  Scouts can earn the Conservation Stewardship Award In recognition of the long term partnership between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources the Boy Scouts of America the Michigan DNR offers to scouts a new awards program.    Venturing News    Kick Back Weekend for Venturing Crews Join us and have the time of your life...  VLST (Venturing Leader Specific Training) Upcoming Venturing Adult Leader Specific Trainings for 2013...  Venture Scout Ranger Extravaganza at Camp Greilick Venturers! We are planning a fun weekend for you at Scout Camp Greilick! Programs are to Include (but not limited to): Team Building, Winter Camping, HAM Radio, Climbing Tower, Rifle Shooting, Metal Working, Dutch Oven Cooking, Conservation Project. March 15 – 17 at Camp Greilick for a great time outdoors!!! Are you ready for a great time? We hope to see you there in March!!!     President Ford Field Service Council Staff          Michael Sulgrove Suzie Blake Aaron Turner Ron Willett  President Ford Field Service  Development Director  Field Director of Service  Program Director  Scout Executive  [Click for member's page]  and Operations [Click for member's page] [Click for member's page]     [Click for member's page]   The East Side Service Team - Eagle Spirit and Five Rivers Districts               Frank Kule  Ryan Kriesch   Dan Soszynski Lynetta Grissom District Director     Unit Service Executive    Unit Service Executive   Unit Service Executive   [Click for member's page]   [Click for member's page]    [Click for member's page]    [Click for member's page]  The West Side Service Team - Lakeshore and Pere Marquette Districts                Matt Hogg   Matt Langlois   Carnel Richardson    Len Lieffers   District Director   Unit Service Executive     Unit Service and    Unit Service Executive  [Click for member's page]   [Click for member's page]     Scoutreach Executive    [Click for member's page]          [Click for member's page]     The North Area Service Team - Bay, North, and River Trails Districts        John  Gower    Mark Ewing  District Director    Unit Service Executive  [Click for member's page]    [Click for member's page]       The Development Team           Chris Buckley  Jen Betz Mary Stek  Field Director of Development    Development Executive    Development Executive  [Click for member's page]   [Click for member's page]     [Click for member's page] The Sales Team                Aaron Gach Chet Collins Bethann Egan Jenny Martin  Field Director of Sales    Sales Executive    Sales Executive    Sales Executive  [Click for member's page]    [Click for member's page]    [Click for member's page]   n/a  Meet the Staff Every issue of the President Ford Proclamation will end with a short autobiography of one of our staff members. We begin our series with Dan Soszynski. I am an East Coast kid at heart. My spectacular parents were both in the Air Force (and are current Scout volunteers) and we gradually moved along the coastline from North Carolina to Boston. I like to say that I was a Cub Scout in Virginia and Boy Scout in the great state of New Jersey. I loved Scouting as a youth and earned the rank of Eagle Scout on September 11, 2001 in Troop 36 of Mt Holly, NJ and my Vigil Honor a few years later. Besides the honors, the experiences that made the most impact on me were those spent out in the woods with my Troop - especially the week-long adventures at Scout Camp. Our Troop attended a different camp every summer, and each year was a truly great adventure! As an older Scout you truly learned a larger sense of empathy towards the first year campers as every summer was an exciting new learning experience. I began working for the Boy Scouts in 2009 for the Boston MInuteman Council. In the fall of 2010, I moved to Traverse City and served the River Trails District for two amazing years. I currently serve on the East Side Service Team.   I credit Scouting with making me the man I am today, and I chose this career to help ensure that as many youth as possible experience the high level of Scouting program that I was blessed to experience.  If you have read this far- THANK YOU! If you would like to assist with the President Ford communication efforts, please contact Dan Soszynski.