Journey to Excellence results for 2015

National issued their final rankings for Journey to Excellence for 2015 and we are a silver council. Look at the meter to see how close we were to being gold! Such a high ranking is a testament to the hard work of our staff, executives, and countless volunteers. Of the 10 councils in Northeast region 3, we were 3rd in market share, 2nd in retention, and #1 in Cub Scout advancement. Overall, our Journey to Excellence score is the second highest in the region. Truly awesome. Thank you, everyone, for delivering such a high quality program to all of our scouts! You really make me proud. It's great to know we have so many people contributing -- and contributing well -- to the betterment of local youth and America's future!

Planning begins for 2017 University of Scouting

2015's University of Scouting -- our first in many, many years -- was a huge success. We will host this event every other year. Next month, we begin the planning for 2017's University. If you'd like to help out, email our training chair John Beiter at jrbeiter@rochester.rr.com.

Towpath Pinewood Derby

Camp coordinators meeting

Cub Pack Leaders,

We're hosting a Camp Coordinators Meeting January 27 at our new Council Service Center - 201 East Main Street, Batavia at 7:00 pm in the upstairs board room.

This meeting is for Camp Coordinators old and new. We'll review the details of how to plan your Pack's Cub Scout Summer Camp Experience, how to simplify the process for you and your Scout families, and how to manage the 'paperwork' that goes along with camp registration.

To help us prepare the right number of handouts, please send a quick RSVP to jmarkel@bsamail.org

Niagara Chocolates candy sale

The council is once again coordinating a special fundraising activity designed to help every Scout to get to camp. Cubs and Scouts who attend our local camps will earn a 50% commission on these sale items.

The Niagara Chocolates Candy Sale will run from now through February 8, featuring an assortment of Easter and other spring-themed candies. Sales kits are now available at both the Lockport and Batavia Service Centers.

Due dates and other details are available on the Council web site:

http://itcbsa.org/Joomla/images/Forms/2016/2016CandySaleKeyDatesCommissions.pdf

Shop Amazon, support our scouts

Amazon.com has a program called “smile” through which every purchase you make from the online store can support the charity of your choice, including the Boy Scouts of America --- and, more specifically, the Iroquois Trail Council and its scouts in eastern Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties.

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchase to the council. Sure, half a percent isn’t much. But it adds up, costs you nothing and is a great way to support Scouting.

The one-time setup takes just a couple of seconds and you get the same prices, products and service you’re used to when shopping at Amazon. It doesn’t cost you any extra.

To enroll, go to: http://smile.amazon.com/

After you log-in, there will be a spot that says “choose your own charitable organization.” In that spot type-in Iroquois Trail Council.

It will bring up Boy Scouts of America in Lockport, NY. Hit the select button.

Now, you are ready to shop and support our boys.

Please share this with your friends and families so we can maximize the donations to our scout council!

Annual recognition dinner

Join us to celebrate the accomplishments of local Scouting Volunteers at the Iroquois Trail Council Annual Recognition Dinner.

Scouting Volunteers, Scouts & Families are Welcome Saturday, January 30, 2016 Bohn's Restaurant & Lounge 5256 Clinton Street, Batavia 14020

5:30 PM Appetizer and Punch Reception
6:30 PM Opening Ceremony and Dinner

Please join us for excellent fellowship and to help us recognize outstanding Pack, Troop & Crew volunteers for their top achieving program accomplishments in membership, camping, advancement, youth retention, and unit financing. That evening we will also recognize our long-standing 'Veteran' volunteers, and we'll top off the program by presenting the 2016 Silver Beaver Award, the top Scouting honor that a local Council can bestow on a volunteer.

Cost: $30.00 per person RSVP is requested on or before before Wednesday, January 20.

Call us @ (585) 343-0307 to make your reservation by phone or click here for a printer-friendly reservation flier:

http://itcbsa.org/Joomla/images/Forms/2016/2016CouncilRecognitionDinnerRegistration.pdf

Survey for Scouts

The Scouting program offers lots of great activities, events, and of course, summer camp. While our Scouts are having fun earning badges and learning new skills, they are also learning some excellent life skills - like how to get along with others, how to set & achieve goals, teamwork, and ultimately leadership. Hopefully your experiences in Scouting have also helped you realize how important you are to your community.

Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us regarding how your time in Scouting may have affected you personally and in your relationships with your friends and others. The survey will take about 10 minutes time, and it's completely anonymous.

There are a few demographic questions, but we won't collect your name or even your Pack or Troop number. What we're after is a collective response that will help us better deliver the Scouting program and to better explain to the community the full benefits of being a Scout.

Anonymous survey link: http://scouting.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bxe8PFDBl2NN4hL

The survey is designed to be completed by our youth members, so it's limited to ages 7-18. Parents of Cub Scouts might want to help your son if he needs guidance to understand any of the questions.

Thank you for your help! Your responses will help us to make the Scouting program even better! The survey link will remain active through Sunday, January 17.

Looking for Jamboree leaders

The Council is now accepting applications for leadership positions on our Jamboree troop. We need (1) scoutmaster, (1) first assistant, (1) second assistant, and (1) third assistant (who is a "junior assistant", aged 18 to 21). If interested, send a Scouting resume to Scout Executive Jim McMullen by January 31st. Jim's email address is Jim.McMullen@Scouting.org

We need your Scouting videos

I'd like to encourage scouts and scouters to take some quality video footage at scouting events. This year we're thinking of launching a cable access TV show, with new episodes every quarter. My vision for the 30-minute show is 10 minutes of Bob Confer and Jim McMullen talking about the good news of local Scouting, 10 minutes recapping what the scouts have been doing (using the aforementioned footage and quality stills), and 10 minutes of interviews with 2 local Eagle Scouts. It will be an awesome way to spread the news about Scouting -- but we need your help: keep the cameras rolling! As an added benefit, we will have movie making merit badge available to any scout who's interested.