Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Hello Troop 648

Some final details on the backpack outing this weekend.
April Outing – 4/29-30 (Sat-Sun)
Roger’s Canyon Trail / Angel Basin BACKPACKING — In the Superstition Mountains

• Meet at the church 6:30 AM Saturday, April 29th (eat breakfast before you arrive)
• Leave the church at 7 AM
• Return on Sunday about noon
• Bring backpacking food for Sat lunch and dinner and Sun breakfast
• Bring water!!! (and warm clothing…Saturday night will be in the 40s)

Easy backpacking…have a great time exploring the Angel Basin cliff dwellings. Any questions, please call Mr. Murphy at (480) 510-0607

Thanks!

Scoutmaster 648

Hello Troop 648

Reese Galvin will be holding his Eagle Project this Saturday, April 22nd starting at 8am. We will be building gardens for the Chrysalis shelter and all help will be much appreciated. Don’t forgot gloves, shovels, rakes and any other garden tools you may have.

If you are planning to attend and would like the shelter’s address, please email me at dmcfetters@gmail.com. The project address is not the address on the website, so please contact me.

Come out and support this great cause!

See you Saturday,

Scoutmaster T648

Reese’s vision above so please join us as we have lots to do! (JK, but seriously, it’s going to be a great project for a great cause!)

Hello Troop 648

With our meeting last week offsite, we moved the PLC to tonight. We will meet at the church at the usual time.

Also, we will have Pancake Breakfast ticket books for distribution to the Scouts tonight. If you can’t make it, please let us know so arrangements can be made to get your tickets. We only have a few weeks left to sell tickets and secure donations, so keep pushing!

Finally, Mr. Parizek has put together a great document on the many ways a Scout can earn money from the Pancake Breakfast. You can read by clicking here = How a Scout Earns.

See you tonight!

Scoutmaster T648

Good Afternoon Scout Families-

I hope this finds you well and “hitting the pavement hard” soliciting donations for our Annual Pancake Breakfast Silent Auction. If you have any questions or are having difficulty soliciting donations, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are happy to provide ideas, especially to our new Scouts and families.

This is our largest and best opportunity for your Scout to build up his Scout account. Many Scouts have fully paid for summer camp and then some from funds raised during this event!

I plan to be at each of the meetings over the coming weeks approaching the Pancake Breakfast to collect any donations you may have received thus far. I have a “handy dandy” file dedicated to each Scout to ensure nothing gets lost. Also, Mr. Parizek will be handing out tickets for the event soon, so be on the lookout.

Wishing you the best for a super weekend.

Jody Achor
Pancake Breakfast-Silent Auction Chair
310-710-8020
rspmdja@aol.com

Hello Troop 648

On Saturday, April 8th, please join us at 10:00am for a tour of the new Liberty Wildlife facility! Liberty is waiving the cost of admission (!) for our Troop 648 Family & Friends. This is a great opportunity to see the new facility and learn more about three of the major biomes found in Arizona: upper Sonoran desert, riparian and wetlands. The main feature at Liberty Wildlife is the Interpretive Education Trail where guests can wander the path and see birds of all sizes, including bald eagles, great horned owls, and Swainson’s hawks. At 11:15AM, Liberty Wildlife education team members will present a live show.

Plan on arriving about 9:45am so we can gather up and meet the Liberty crew. If you have time, you can respond to our Evite by clicking – here. However, it is not necessary. Liberty Wildlife’s new facility is located at 2600 E. Elwood St. Phoenix, AZ 85040. It is just east of 24th St., west of 28th St., south of University, and north of Broadway in Phoenix. They recommend NOT using GPS only as some of the streets there are new and you might get misdirected relying solely on satellite navigation.

Here’s a bonus – if your Scout needs the 10 Plants and/or the 10 Animals requirements, have him bring his Scout Book and we can cover it off while we are there! This is a great opportunity to complete these two rank requirements!

See you Saturday!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

A reminder that we will be meeting offsite next Tuesday, April 4th and NOT at the Church. Our meeting will be a tour and hands on experience in the hanger at the Army Air National Guard post at 52nd Street and McDowell. This PPMR Google Map_to_Hangar shows you where to enter off McDowell and, once there, where to park and where the hanger is. Parents, grandparents and other family members are welcome to join us! If anyone needs a ride, please let me know – dmcfetters@gmail.com.

We will be meeting at 6:30pm, so plan on arriving about 5-10 minutes earlier. Remember – if you’re on time, you’re late! Also, wear your Class A uniform. The meeting will end around 8:00pm.

This is a great opportunity to see up close and in person the Blackhawk helicopter and hear more about the awesome men and women who serve in our military.

See you on Tuesday —- if not before at Cameron’s Eagle Scout Fundraiser and Rummage Set Up Pizza Party Extravaganza – tonight, Friday March 31st starting at 4Pm or at the Rummage Sale on Saturday, April 1st starting at 6:30am!

FYI – we have rescheduled PLC for April 11th, 6:00pm.

Scoutmaster T648

Greetings!

Troop 648 will be attending Camp Geronimo for Summer Camp July 8 – July 15. This will be a great opportunity to get out of the heat, earn merit badges, and have fun!

There are still a number of people who have not confirmed with me if your son is attending camp or not. If you could please let me know one way or the other, I would appreciate it. (There is still time to sign up if you want!)

Also, we are collectively behind on our payments and need to get caught up ASAP! Per the payment schedule, everyone should be paid to $200 by the end of March. (Total cost of camp is $395.) I strongly encourage everyone to get caught up, as it will start to impact our ability to sign up for Merit Badges. Please bring checks tonight if you can; you can give them to Mr. McFetters or myself. If you want to use your scout account, please let me know.

Thank you!

Mr. Benyi

Hello Troop 648

A couple announcements:

1. This Saturday, April 1st, Cameron Copley will be having a Rummage Sale to help fund his Eagle Scout project. Cameron is looking for volunteers (Scouts and Adults) to set up the day before – Friday, March 31st starting at 4:00pm. (Rumor has that Pastor Kevin might supply pizza for those who can help!). Cameron will also need help on Saturday, April 1st to help run the sale. The sale will start at 7am, so please be sure to arrive by 6:15am to help set-up. The sale will end at noon with clean-up schedule immediately after. Please come out Friday and Saturday to help! If your Scout needs service hours, let me know.
2. Also, Cameron is looking for DONATIONS! Please donate your gently used items (no clothing please). You can bring them to tonight’s meeting.
3. As a reminder, Cameron’s Eagle Scout project will benefit Chaparral Christian Church!
4. Tonight’s meeting will be a rank and merit badge ADVANCEMENT meeting. Please remind your scout to bring his Scout book or Merit Badge worksheet/requirement info. We are also planning a Totin’ Chip session for our new scouts. This is a GREAT opportunity for your scout to jumpstart their advancement.

See you tonight!

Scoutmaster T648

Dear Troop 648 Scout Families:

It’s that time of year!! While it is only mid-March, May 6th will be here before you know it!! For those of you new to the troop this means our Annual Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction. Troop 648 largest fundraiser of the year.  The Scouts really need your help and support to make this a success.

Date & Time: Saturday, May 6th  @ 7:00 am – 10:30 am

Location: Scottsdale Chaparral Christian Church, 6451 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale, AZ

We all know that “many hands make for light work!”

Patrol Baskets

Karin McFetters is the parent in charge of working with patrols on their Patrol Baskets.  She sent out an email a few weeks ago outlining what is needed to make the patrol baskets a success. Please refer to her email if you have any questions. You can contact Karin at kmcfetters@me.com.

Silent Auction Items

I am the parent working in charge of the Silent Auction and this is my first year. Clara Komar has graciously stepped forward to help organize the Silent Auction with us.

Scouts are encouraged to solicit or donate items to be included in the Silent Auction.  In years past, scouts have been very successful in soliciting donations (gift certificates, goods and services) from local area restaurants, shops and service providers.  Last year we even had artwork donated to auction. The ideas are endless….tickets to sporting events, hotel stays, concerts, music lessons.

To help, we have made two documents available for your use. The first is this – a Donation Request Letter.  I would suggest having your son practice his “spiel” prior to entering a business.  Use this letter as a guide to solicit donations.  The second document is this - a Donor Form that you give to the business once they agree to make a donation.  This letter (which is on T648 letterhead and includes CCC’s 501c number) is usually a key factor and often essential when trying to procure donations.  Make several copies of these to hand out.  Last but not least, be sure your scout wears his clean Class A uniform when he plans to solicit donations.

Please be aware that we are not able to accept alcoholic beverage items or tobacco products as auctions items.  It is against BSA policy. 

Auction items will be displayed for silent bidding during the event.  Scouts will receive a percentage of the purchase price for each item they secure or donate.  Funds raised will go directly to their individual scout accounts. Their scout account funds can be used to pay for scout related items such as summer camp, new uniform items they grow out of, camping equipment, etc.

As you receive your donated items, please bring them to the upcoming scout meetings.  We will gather the items in preparation for the auction by creating bid sheets and display them nicely.

THE HARD DEADLINE FOR COLLECTING AUCTION ITEMS WILL BE TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2016.  No items will be accepted after to allow time to prepare the display.

Pancake Breakfast Wish List Items

If you wish to make a donation to the pancake breakfast, the troop would appreciate gift cards to Wal-Mart, Target and Costco.  This will allow the committee to purchase items like plasticware, paper plates, napkins, food, etc.

Our imminent need will be commitments from Adults to help set up on the evening prior to the breakfast (Friday, May 5th in the evening) and the morning of Saturday, May 6th. Please ink this into your schedule and look for more emails to come outlining what we may need.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Jody Achor

rspmdja@aol.com

310-710-8020

Greetings!

This is a reminder that our 3/14/17 Troop meeting is offsite; I distributed an email earlier with information about the meeting location. If anyone has questions, please contact Mr. Benyi.

Also, please see the following message from Joe Hart about our upcoming high adventure outing to the Grand Canyon. (I sent out a signup for the outing last week; please sign up if you are planning to attend.) Please feel free to contact Joe or I if you have questions about the trip.

Thanks, Mr. Benyi…

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Hey Scouts and awesome adult leadership!

We have an exciting high adventure hiking trip coming up!

March 24 & 25 will be our high adventure trip to the Grand Canyon. Our task will be to hike from Rim to River to Rim on Saturday. This will be a very challenging hike; we will travel approximately 17 miles and will hike down, then UP, almost 5,000 feet.

Scouts must be 14 years old and First Class to attend this trip. The cost of the trip is $20 which covers gas and the park entrance fee. All food will be handled individually.

We will meet at CCC on Friday, March 24 and will travel to the South Rim of the Canyon. We will have dinner along the way and then will camp in the National Forest that evening. (It can be chilly on top of the Rim in March, so be prepared.) We will get in the morning and begin the hike. Each scout should bring trail food for Breakfast and Lunch. We will stop again for dinner on our way home, and should be back in Scottsdale by Saturday evening.

Joe Hart