Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Greetings!

We are going to be holding our quarterly Parent and Committee Meeting for Troop 648 this Wednesday, September 2, at 7pm. (Please note that the meeting will be on Wednesday so that we don’t conflict with the Troop Meeting on Tuesday.) Dr. Blair will send out the Zoom login information.

We have a big agenda for the meeting including presentation of the 2020-2021 calendar, review of our new Charter Organization, and looking ahead to Summer Camp 2021, among other things.

We will hope to see you there!

Thanks, Jacob R Benyi

Good evening,

I am greatly disappointed that for now the second time this month, I must pass on news of the cancellation of one of our marquee summer programs this year. I have learned on this day that the West LA County Council, which operates Camp Emerald Bay, has announced that they will not be able to open for the remainder of the 2020 summer camp season.

Ultimately governed by the State of California, the WLACC has been unable to come to terms with the State on operating practices that would allow the camp to open, given the ongoing pandemic.

This news is fairly new and so I do not yet have all of the details. As was the case with the cancellation of Philmont, I will work through the process with the camp of obtaining refunds for camp. I do not know the time frame on this just yet, but will keep everyone apprised as I work through this over the next several days.

Without question, this has been a difficult and virtually unprecedented year in so many different ways. In spite of this set back, we will continue on and work our way back to normalcy in some manner. Though it will ultimately be the choice of our Scouts, I imagine we will likely plan to head back to Emerald Bay in 2021.

I will follow up soon with some more specific information when I have it, but did want to get this initial update out to everyone.

Thanks,

Jacob R Benyi, Committee Chair

Greetings!

I hope everyone is weathering our strange times as best as can be. Many of our scouts have participated in some of our “virtual” troop meetings over the past two months. Our meetings will continue in that format at least through June, resulting from guidance from Grand Canyon Council.

The virtual Troop Meetings will continue on their usual cadence, but we are going to make some adjustments to the adult meetings for this month:

We will not hold the usual Troop Committee Meeting on June 2, as several of the leaders will need to be in the regular Troop Meeting.

Instead, I am going to hold a small group Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 3, at 6pm. For the group that volunteered to participate in that discussion, Dr. Blair will provide a Zoom link. If anyone would specifically like to join this discussion, please let me know.

Then, I am going to hold the Full Troop Parent and Committee Meeting on Monday, June 8, at 6pm. Dr. Blair will provide a Zoom link to all families. All parents and leaders are welcome. This meeting will include discussions about Summer Camp, Recharter, Budget/Dues Recommendations, and transitioning back to more normal operations for the Troop.

The Troop Activity Committee Meeting (TAC) scheduled for June 9 will be cancelled; that material will shift to the Committee Meeting the previous day.

Lastly, we are still planning to have the Summer Court of Honor on Tuesday, June 23. We are still working on specific details for this one. For anyone at home working on Merit Badges or other advancements, please get those wrapped up by June 16 so that we can present those items at the Court of Honor.

June Summary:

6/2 – PLC Meeting and Troop Meeting will occur at usual times; Parent/Committee Meeting Cancelled

6/3 – Budget Committee Meeting at 6pm

6/8 – Parent/Committee Meeting at 6pm

6/9 – TAC Meeting Cancelled; Troop Meeting will occur at usual time

6/16 – Troop Meeting will occur at usual time; Deadline to complete advancements and Merit Badges

6/23 – Summer Court of Honor

6/30 – Troop Meeting will occur at usual time.

Thanks!

Jacob R Benyi, Committee Chair

Greetings!

This is a friendly reminder that we will be holding our March Parent/Committee Meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 3/3 at 7pm in the Conference Room at the front of the CCC campus. This meeting will take place at the same time as the regular Troop meeting.

Agenda items for this meeting will include the upcoming Pancake Breakfast, along with a discussion about Summer Camp.

All parents, guardians, and leaders are welcome to attend.

Thanks,

Jacob R Benyi – T648 Committee Chair

Dear Troop 648 family,

For any of you who have not yet heard, I am deeply saddened to report that Dean Butler passed away earlier this week after a long battle with Pancreatic Cancer. I can think of few people for whom I would say better exemplified the Spirit of Scouting than did Mr. Butler. He was the model Scoutmaster through and through and his influence on Troop 648 and the greater Scouting movement cannot be understated.

I first met Dean when he moved back to Arizona from southern California around 1998 and soon got involved with Troop 648 along with his wife Trudy, and son Sean. What an indelible mark he would leave on this Troop. He was already a tenured scouting leader at that point and was soon identified to be a great Scoutmaster candidate when the Troop’s founding Scoutmaster, Dave Hornor, would be ready to retire. Dean was passed the reigns of the Scoutmaster role a couple years later in 2000, where he would serve as Troop 648’s second Scoutmaster for the next six years, through 2005. As the person who directly followed Dean as Scoutmaster after 2005, I can personally say that while he left the role with ENORMOUS shoes to fill, I could always count on Dean’s sage counsel in the following years. Even after stepping out of that Scoutmaster position in 2005, Dean has remained actively involved with the Troop month after month, year after year, for these 14 years to follow. He has been a role model to all the Scoutmasters who have followed and there has been many a Scout who has been moved by Dean’s sincere example of what Scouting is all about.

Outside of his extensive service to Troop 648, Dean Butler was a founder of the Arizona Scouting Museum and also loved anything to do with Scouting. As he was often known to say “Nothing says I love you like a patch!” There are few around that have the collection of patches, and uniforms, and scouting books, and other scouting items than does Dean.

Dean Butler was also a lover of the many great, pinnacle adventures of scouting. He lead Troop expeditions to Philmont Scout Ranch in 2001 and 2005. He was also instrumental in organizing the Troop’s trip to the National Canoe Base in Ely, Minnesota in 2003, along with the Troop’s trip to the National Sea Base near Miami, Florida in 2007, completing Scouting’s “High Adventure Triple Crown”.

Dean was the Scoutmaster of one of the Council Contingent troops to the BSA Centennial National Jamboree in 2010, marking the 100-year anniversary of Scouting and the final Jamboree held at Fort AP Hill in Virginia. Dean then transitioned on as the Council Jamboree Coordinator, organizing the National Jamboree experience for the entire Grand Canyon Council in both 2013, (the first Jamboree at its new permanent home at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia), and then again for the Jamboree at SBR in 2017. Dean returned to the Summit for the 2019 World Jamboree, which was held for the first time in the United States in nearly 60 years.

A recipient of the Silver Beaver award in 2006, and holder of various other Scouting honors, Dean has long been a strong supporter of the District and Council. Dean has served many years on the Council’s Risk Management Committee, and has also long been a District Eagle Scout reviewer. Dean’s final project to Scouting has been a book on the History of the Grand Canyon Council, planned for  release in 2021, marking the Council’s 100^th Anniversary.

I am going to greatly miss Dean Butler, husband to Trudy Butler, father of Troop 648’s 21^st Eagle Scout, Sean Butler, and dear friend to so many more among us in Troop 648, the Grand Canyon Council, and throughout the World Brotherhood of Scouting.

The following is information on honoring the memory of Dean Butler:

Public Viewing

Friday, September 27, 2019; from 5:30PM-8:00PM at Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary and Cemetery

6500 East Bell Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85254.

The Celebration of Life Service

Saturday, September 28, 2019; at 2:00PM at Desert Springs Bible Church

16215 N. Tatum Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85032.

Reception to Follow

All are invited, and scouts are welcome to wear their uniform to the service if you wish. I have also been asked to see if we can get 5 or 6 scouts to assist at the service on Saturday. If you are available and interested in helping out, please let me know and I will get you those details.

https://www.hansenmortuary.com/dean-chalmers-butler/

Sincerely,

Jacob R Benyi

Troop 648 Committee Chair

Greetings! I hope you are having a nice Labor Day holiday. This is a reminder that we will be holding our regular September Parent & Committee Meeting this coming Tuesday, 9/3 at 7pm at CCC. We will not be in the usual conference room but will instead be over in Room 10, which is near by the splash pad area, across from the Worship Center.

At this meeting, we will review the calendar for the upcoming year, discuss Summer Camp for next year, and will also go through various other Troop Business. I encourage everyone to attend if you are able.

The meeting will take place at the same time as the regular Troop Meeting.

Thanks!

Jacob R Benyi

Greetings!

I hope everyone has had a great summer! This is a reminder that following the annual Patrol Leader’s Council Retreat this weekend, we will have our wrap-up Troop Activity & Parent Meeting from roughly 8:30am-9:30am at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, this Sunday. (August 4) Any parents and/or leaders wishing to attend are welcome. The PLC scouts should have the calendar together for the 2019-2020 scouting year and this will be the first opportunity to see what is in store for the coming year. I won’t know our specific room number until we get checked in, but Dr. Blair or I can confirm the location this weekend.

Thank you,

Jacob R Benyi, Committee Chair

Greetings!

This is a reminder that we will hold our quarterly Parent & Committee Meeting tomorrow, 3/5/19, at 7:00pm. We will discuss a number of subjects including the upcoming Pancake Breakfast and Summer Camp.

Note: Our usual location in the Conference Room is not available, so we will meet in a room immediately adjacent to the Choir Room instead. (The Choir Room is just north of the regular Troop Meeting area, across from Andie’s Coffee Shop.)

All committee members, leaders, and interested parents or guardians are invited and welcome to attend. We hope to see you there!

Greetings Troop 648-

Please join us in celebrating Drew’s accomplishment in reaching scouts highest achievement of Eagle Scout!!

Where: Chaparral Christian Church-645 E. Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85255

When- Sunday March 10, 2019

2:00pm-4:30pm

2-3pm Court of Honor (Worship Center)

3-4:30pm Reception (Choir Room) Please rsvp to Jody at [email protected] or message to 310-710-8020

Greetings!

Thank you to all who participated in our Philmont information meeting last week. Philmont is without a doubt the pinnacle scouting experience and I encourage any eligible scouts (14 years old, 1st Class by June 1, 2020) to consider attending. There will be a maximum of 12 participants on our crew departing in June of 2020 and we will fill the crew on a first come, first served basis.

In order for us to have our crew participate, I will need to have a minimum of seven (7) scouts and/or adults pay the $200 deposit no later than 1/29/19. If you know you are planning to attend, please bring your deposit to the Troop meeting tomorrow. If you have questions about Philmont, please let me know.

For the summer of 2019, the Troop is going to attend summer camp at beautiful Camp Raymond near Flagstaff, Arizona. Camp will run this year from Sunday, June 23 – Saturday, June 29 and the total cost of camp is only $375 for the week. There will be a wide range of Merit Badge opportunities and other programs, as well as a brand new high adventure program for older scouts.

Please let me know if you plan to participate in Summer Camp this year, and pay a $100 deposit by 2/12/19. I will follow up with more specific logistical information about camp, along with the full payment schedule and merit badge programs over the course of the next couple weeks.

Thanks! – Mr. Benyi