Roundtable Announcements

Be sure to check out the updated Roundtable Archives
below for info from past Roundtables

York District Roundtable Announcements June 4 , 2009

York District Website – www.yorkdistrict.org

Frank Gilcreast, York District Executive

E-mail: fgilcrea@bsamail.org Tel. # 797-5252 ext. 24

2009 Friends of Scouting (FOS): Pine Tree Council’s Annual Friends of Scouting (FOS) Fundraising Campaign is off and running. The York District Family FOS Goal for 2009 is $32,000.00. As of 6/4/09 we have raised $23,093.00 or 72% of our goal. FOS is an annual fundraising campaign that gives Scouts, their families and interested people in the community an opportunity to contribute to the financial support of the council. This fundraising campaign helps support the council in the following ways: camp maintenance, keep camp registration fees low, organizing new units, servicing existing units, maintaining service center including records, information and support staff, and support for professional staff. To schedule your unit’s Family Presentation, please contact David Green, York District Family FOS Chairman at 934-5226 or e-mail endiang@maine.rr.com or Frank with your date and time.

York District Cub Scout Day Camp 2009: Mark July 6 - 10 on your calendars as the dates for the York District Cub Scout Day Camp at Camp Nutter in Acton, ME. The theme for 2009 is “Space Odyssey 2009”. In 2008, 75 Cub Scouts and more than 30 volunteer leaders participated in the York District Day Camp Program. Where else can Scouts do crafts, cook, earn BB & Archery recognition, learn about nature and swim in a safe environment with 80 other Scouts?

To make sure we have another successful Day Camp season, we can always use volunteers to help run our program and they do not have to be current leaders to help out. Parents are welcome to participate as Day Camp Leaders. If you help with day camp, your scout’s fee will be reduced for the first scout. A great deal and you may even have some fun while you help out. For more information, please contact our Day Camp Director Diana Vermette at 324-2582 or 4vermette@msn.com.

Unit Annual Planning: June is the month that many unit Scouting Programs start slowing down for the summer months but it also the BEST MONTH to start planning your Scouting Year for 2009-2010. All registered Scouters should be receiving the Scouting Magazine and in the May-June 2009 issue is information concerning your Annual Planning Meeting. A FULLY PLANNED Scouting Year is the IDEAL YEAR in SCOUTING. Take the time to plan out your unit’s year now. A well planned Scouting Year will keep our Scouts engaged in the Scouting Program and want them to stay in our Scouting Program. They deserve the best. Please plan ahead for them. It will make their time in Scouting fun and easier for you. J J J

Registration Fee Increase in 2010: This information was just passed onto us from the National BSA Headquarters and we wanted to share it with you now so you can include it in you planning for the 2009 - 2010 Budget Planning and Re-chartering Period in 2010. While we are reluctant to pass on this recent update, we also want to give everyone sufficient time to absorb the information and make adjustments in your annual plan. Please remember that 100% of your National Registration Fee goes to National Headquarters and not the Pine Tree Council. This was not a Pine Tree Council decision and Pine Tree Council we will not benefit from it.

From: Wayne Brock, Assistant Chief Scout Executive/COO (National Scout Office)

The BSA Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution at the business meeting on May 22, 2009 to increase the traditional membership registration fee for all youth and adults to $15.00 from its current $10.00, effective Jan. 1, 2010. The last fee increase, which was from $7 to $10, was in 2003. The Exploring fee remains $10.

York District Spring Camporee: A HUGE THANK YOU to Troop 345 in Alfred and T399 in Lyman for sponsoring the 2009 York District Spring Camporee at Moulton Lumber in Newfield. We had a great day on Saturday with fun had by for the events that were planned. A nice night for our campfire that almost started by magic and the weekend was finished off with the traditional rainstorm. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Thank you again Troops 345 and 399.

Popcorn Time Again: We hope that all the 36 units that made the PTC Popcorn Training this past Tuesday night in Saco enjoyed themselves and gathered information for a GREAT 2009 Popcorn Sale. Last year York District units sold over $144,000.00 in popcorn (up $19,000 from 2007). With that in mind, YD units received @ $51,350.00 in total commissions and the commission for the top selling unit was @ $4,500.00 in 2008. Our goal for 2009 is $150,000.00 in sales. That goal with an average of 35% profit for our YD units would result in a profit of over $52,500.00 going back to our YD units. Do you know of any fundraiser that will give you that much $$$ for a ONCE a year push?? The popcorn is an easy product to sell and has repeat customers from year to year.

With the Show-N-Sell, Show and Deliver, Take Order and On-line Popcorn (for those family members that live away where you do not even have to touch any product) Popcorn Sale Programs, every unit can be successful doing at least one of the sales. Some units do all the programs and have great success with them.

For a troop not to sell popcorn when they have new scouts crossing over that have been selling popcorn every year as a CS with a built clientele is doing a disservice to their new scouts. This is a way for the scouts to help pay their way through the scouting program with NO cost to their family and also help support the unit as well. We have one YD BS who has been selling @ $2,000.00 per year in popcorn since he was in Cub Scouts. That is repeat business at its best.

As a reminder, we DO NOT SELL popcorn, we are selling the Scouting Program for each of our units and the popcorn sale is just away to get the money you need to have a Great Scouting Program year. Anything is possible with popcorn.

For more information about the Trails End Popcorn program, checkout their website at www.trails-end.com. Please contact Rachel Gerlach at 284-7243or e-mail at hither737@gmail.com or contact Frank for more information

FUNTOWN / SPLASHTOWN U.S.A.

Attention All Scouts and Scouting Families!
Once again the Pine Tree Council, will be offering discounted Funtown/Splashtown tickets so that Scouts and their families can enjoy a fun day together! Come join the fun and live stage shows. Come and ride the new additions to the park. The prices for the 2009 season are as follows:

Funtown Pass                    $19.00
Splashtown Pass               $17.00
Combination Pass             $25.00

The tickets will be available for sale at the Pine Tree Council Service Center May 1 through August 28, 2009. As with last year’s tickets sale, these tickets can used anytime during the 2009 Funtown/Splashtown U.S.A. season. Tickets are available on a first come first served basis. Please do not wait for the last day to purchase your tickets as they sell out quickly. If you have any questions, please call Jo at 797-5252 ext 10.