We have a saying in Troop 648 that there are no dads on outings. While that, of course, is not a completely true statement, what it means is that we are looking for the boys to function within their patrols, and for the boys to figure things out themselves rather than run to dad to solve every little problem. While the adult leaders provide a safety net, and the final solution to a sticky problem that can’t be solved by the boys or boy leadership, it is amazing how innovative they can become if they have no other simple option.  But even so, there is a ton of counseling & mentoring that goes on during every outing with other people’s dads.  On this Fathers’ Day, I am so very thankful for the couple dozen fathers of scouts active in our troop – both those whose sons have long ago gone though, and those who still have scouts in the troop. They freely give of their time and talents to provide incredible support and guidance for our scouts. Without the dynamic combination of our dads, our Eagle Scouts, and the mothers in our troop family, we could not hope to accomplish all the amazing things that we do as a troop. Three cheers for the T648 Dads! – we hope today has been as special for you, as you are to us.
We have a couple of activities going on this week. Tomorrow night is the adult leader meeting at 7PM at the Scottsdale Worship Center at 65th Street and Cactus. Come and participate in planning discussions centering on outings, summer camp, and boy leadership. Then Tuesday night the 18th is our summer Court of Honor at 7PM – also at Scottsdale Worship Center. Please remember to bring a desert to share – something like brownies, cookies and fruit would be wonderful! We’ll have an opportunity to award final rank patches, merit badges, and service stars before summer camp, and spend some quality time with those of us in the T648 family not fortunate enough to be vacationing out of the Arizona heat this week.
This weekend Mr. Benyi has notified all scouts of their current status regarding payment for summer camp, current merit badge details and prerequisites, and reminded all of the need to finalize medicals before the trip. Summer camp is July 20-28 – just about 4 ½ weeks away! That is officially close enough to begin to start getting excited about it – a week in the Colorado Rockies is sounding absolutely exquisite to me right about now.
See you at the Court of Honor!
Mr. Cole