Dear Scouting Family and Friends,

For 103 years, the Boy Scouts of America, the nation’s foremost youth program, has been providing its youth program of character development and values-based leadership training to the youth of our communities.

As many of you know, the BSA spent most of the first part of this year conducting a thorough review of BSA’s Membership Standards, educating the leaders and parents, and surveying various constituencies. That review confirmed that this issue remains among the most complex and challenging issues facing the BSA and society today. There was an outpouring of feedback from the American public; and the same was true throughout our council. It reinforces how deeply people care about Scouting and how passionate they are about the organization.

While perspectives and opinions vary significantly; we understand through the Voice of the Scout survey that parents, adults in the Scouting community, and teens alike tend to agree that youth should not be denied the benefits of Scouting.

The resolution that was adopted will remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone effective January 1, 2014. Adult membership requirements however, remain unchanged.

America and our communities need Scouting, and our policies must be based on what is in the best interest of our children. We believe good people can disagree on a variety of topics and yet still work together to accomplish great things for youth. Going forward, we will work to stay focused on our mission of instilling in young people the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

Please consider the positive impact Scouting has had on you and your family. Your continued support and involvement is needed as we prepare to implement these changes throughout the organization.

Very Truly Yours in Scouting,

Scott Freshwater, Council President
Howard Dewald, Council Commissioner
Ernie Miller, National Council Representative
Dale Musgrave, Scout Executive

Download the PDF version of this web page.

Download the PDF version of the media release.

Want to have some GREAT fun this summer? Then be sure to attend the
CUBASAURUIS CAMP,
it promises to be great fun and we hope your son won’t miss out.

For complete information, click here!

PALEONTOLOGIST WANTED!

WHAT IS WANTED?????

Come on out to our Day Camp at the VA Park in Clarksburg the wekk of June 10th thru 14th and find out what we are talking about!

Click here for EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!!

The Washington District Day Camp 2013 will be held June 12th thru June 14th at Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area near Marietta, Ohio, on State Route 821. Register now and join us for all the fun!!!

Click here for the Leaders Guide that has all the informaiton you need.

Click here for a paper and pencil Pack Day camp registsration form.

Click here for a pencil and paper Adult/Sibling registration form.

Click here for the Health Forms Part A and B.

It will soon be time for another season of Camp Red Arrow, Cub Scout Day Camp for the Hock Hocking District. The fun filled days will feature Archery, BB Guns, Sports, Fishing, Games, Crafts and much more. There will be separate programs for Cubs and Webelos Scouts. We have an exciting program planned for this year. We hope all Wolf, Bear and Webelos will join us for the fun filled days.

Camp Red Arrow will be June 24-27, 2013, LAKE SNOWDEN, ALBANY. Arrival time will be 8:45 a.m. Camp will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 4:00 p.m. Monday – Wednesday. Scouts should not arrive before 8:30 a.m. and be picked up promptly at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, camp will begin at 12:00 noon and end with the conclusion of the evening program about 8:00 p.m. Arrival time will be 11:45a.m. Scouts should not arrive before 11:30 a.m. and leave promptly after the closing program. Please be sure that everyone bringing boys to camp knows that they do not have to pay a parking fee. When they stop at the office on the way in just tell them they are coming to Camp Red Arrow.

Each pack will send one adult for every scouts per rank. (one adult for every 1-4 Wolves, one adult for every 1-4 Bears, and one adult foe every 1-4 Webelos.) This is expected. These adults will serve as group leaders (for approx. 6 – 8 scouts) and will stay with that group all day. The same walkers may come all week or different ones each day. Adults can come for half a day and another adult for the other half as long as you have adults with your dens. These adults need to have BSA youth protection training; they may be parents, friends, or relatives. Walkers must be eighteen (18) years of age and responsible.

Tiger Cubs will be invited to Camp Red Arrow for a Preview Day on Wednesday June 26, 2013. Their adult partner must attend with them. The cost will be $5.00. If we do not have at least eight Tiger Cubs from Hock-Hocking District to form a Den it will be canceled. All Tiger Cubs must be registered by May 1, 2013. Health forms must be filled for Tiger Cub & Adult Partner.
The $30.00 registration fee pays for the program supplies, patch, and accident insurance. Registration and fees must be in by May 1, 2013. Registration for Wolf, Bear, & Webelos after May 1 will be $35.00. T-Shirts are available for $8.00. See enclosed order form for ordering shirts this will be a ONE TIME ORDER. Fee for adults attending the Webelos Overnighter is $10.00. Anyone staying overnight, be it Webelos, adult or sibling (staying with parent) must pay $10.00. Crafts, handouts, or special promotions given from guest presentations will not be held for any Scout not attending that session at that time.

Every Cub Scout and Adult will need to bring a sack lunch Monday & Tuesday. Please be sure their name and pack number is on the sack. Please send nonperishable food items, (items that do not need refrigeration). On Wednesday lunch will be provided, if your child requires a special diet, please provide lunch for them. On Thursday be sure your child eats lunch before coming to camp.

Transportation must be provided by the parent/guardian, or Pack car pools. We suggest packs car pool. Please have every scout in a seat belt. No scouts are to ride in the back of trucks with or without toppers.

A family picnic will be on Thursday, June 27 at 5:45 p.m. Bring food for your family, a blanket, chairs, etc. Park tables are limited. The program will be performed by the scouts and start at approx. 6:30 p.m. Come and enjoy the fun. Family members, please do not arrive before 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, as the days activities will still be going on.

A PDF version of the Camp Red Arrow Guide is available for download.
The PDF version of the Parent’s Information Guide is also available
For online registration and fee payment, click here

Theme: Cub Scout Safari
Place: Camp Kootaga
When: July 25-28, 2013
Check-In Thursday after 5:00pm–Bring a Sack Supper
Check-out Sunday 9:00am

Meals include Breadfast, Lunch, Dinner on Friday and Saturday– and Contintenal Breakfast on Sunday

Cost

• Cub Scouts $45.00 each
• Sibilings Participating $45.00 each
• Sibilings NOT Participating $20.00 each
• Adults $30.00 each
• Boy Scouts $20.00 each

Registration Form:

• Click here for a registration form
• On-line Registration

EVERYONE NEEDS TO BRING AN UP-TO-DATE HEALTH FORM

Leaders guide:

Camp Kootaga

Camp Kootaga, part of the George A. Stevenson Scout Reservation, lies along the Hughes River in Wirt County, WV and is 18 miles from Parkersburg, WV on State Route 47. The reservation encompasses over 634 acres of hilly woodlands, which makes it a natural environment for the outdoor activities of Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Venturing and Exploring.

Located on the Reservation is a dining hall, 15 campsites, a training lodge with kitchen, swimming pool with bathhouse, trading post, and a series of maintenance and storage buildings. Each primitive campsite has running water, a latrine, and a permanent shelter.
Where is Camp Kootaga?

It is 15 miles east of I-77 on State Route 47.

Registration & Fees
Due by July 12th, 2013 by 5pm at Scout office.
Cub Scouts Resident Camp fee is $45.00. Leaders & Parents attending $30.00. Siblings participating in the program will be assessed the $45.00 fee.
Fees include: Friday and Saturday’s breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sunday’s continental breakfast, program materials, and all the fun you can stand!

Pre-registration – Knowing the number of Scouts, leaders and parents attending from each unit by July 12, 2013 will assist in the planning and ordering of food and program supplies. Please register on-line, e-mail, fax, or drop off the information on the registration form to the council office. The form can be found in the link below. Online registration is available on the council web site (www.allohak.org).

Registration Forms
Please note there is a registration form that must be filled out. The form covers Scout members, Adult Leaders and parents and Siblinings. Please e-mail, fax, or drop off the information on the registration form to the council office. Please remember money paid for registration is Transferrable but NOT Refundable.

Please make checks payable to:
BSA Allohak Council
If registering by mail Send to:
BSA Allohak Council
1340 Juliana Street
Parkersburg, WV 26101

Who Can Come to Camp
All registered Cub Scouts are encouraged to attend the cub residence camp. Pack leaders and parents are not only encouraged to attend but to help with their scout’s participation in the camp activities. Please encourage your newly recruited Tiger Cubs & their adult Partners to attend as well.
Check-In
Check-in on Thursday will begin at 5:00 pm. Adult leader representatives will meet at 8:00 pm on Thursday for an orientation meeting at the Dinning Hall. Please have a representative from each pack attend this meeting.

A responsible leader/parent is to check in your pack. On Thursday, the Pack Leaders will need to turn in an up to date health form parts A and B of the Personal Health History Form for everyone in attendance at the Day Camp. Packs are responsible for any prescription medicine unless discussed with the Health Officer. Please bring two (2) copies of the registration form which was sent to the Scout Office.

SUNDAY CHECK-OUT PROCEDURES
1. The camp staff will assist you in checking out as quickly as you wish. All Troops are asked to be out no later than 9:00 AM.
2. No personal gear or garbage should be left in the site.
3. All Council owned tents are to be left up. None of them should be left lying flat on the ground.
4. All fires must be completely extinguished. All non-burnable garbage must be disposed of in proper containers. Don’t leave aluminum foil in the fire ring. Secure all garbage bags and place them along the road next to your campsite.
5. The kybo (“Latrine”), and washstand must be cleaned. They should be left in a condition in which you would like to find them. A roll of toilet paper should be left in each kybo.
6. Please return items you may have checked-out from the Quartermaster.
7. Please pick up your physicals, medications, etc as you leave camp in the dinning hall.
8. Pack leaders will be responsible for ensuring their scouts are picked up by the appropriate adult. Please do not leave the Camp until your Pack has completely checked out.

Health, Safety & Security
All activities will follow the BSA guide to Safe Scouting. Scouts will need to stay away from areas that are not in use by the camp, including parking lots and any construction on the grounds.

Camp Uniform
Scouting appropriate T-shirts will need to be worn each day. All participants, youth and adult, must wear close-toed shoes when walking through camp and at all activities excluding the water activities.

Conduct Policy
We are all members of the Boy Scouts of America. As such, the basic rules of conduct at Day Camp are the Cub Scout Promise, Law of the Pack, Scout Oath & Scout Law. The conduct and discipline of Scouts are the parents’ and leaders’ responsibility. The camp staff is not responsible for the discipline of any Scout (unless it is a case of imminent bodily harm or property damage).

Health Forms
All Scouts and Adults must have a properly completed and signed health form (Parts A and B) in order to participate in the camp program. The official Annual BSA Health & Medical Record form #680-001 is required for all participants. The form is available at the council office and can also be downloaded to your computer as a PDF file through www.Scouting.org/forms. The new PDF version is user-friendly. The information can be saved, and thus updated as needed and printed out. Parts A and B are required for all campers, youth and adult, attending for any part of camp. This form does not require a physical or doctor’s signature.

First Aid
Emergency Medical Care will be provided at our Camp. We will also have a Health Officer on Staff that can administer First Aid.

Security
Security at the Camp is very important. Packs are expected to be responsible, to use common sense and are accountable for their youth members. Please, if you see someone who does not look like they’re there participating in our camp or looks suspicious, please report to a Staff member immediately.

The Trading Post
The Trading Post is maintained as a service to the campers. The Trading Post will be stocked with a supply of program materials, literature, snacks, soft drinks, ice cream, and clothing articles. Project materials will be on sale at the Trading Post. The hours of operation will be posted at the Trading Post.

What to Bring
Individual Equipment
Medical Form w/ Sections A and B filled out
Swimsuit & Beach Towel (Thursday)
Sunscreen
Bug Repellent
Sneakers or Hiking Boots
Cub Scout Handbook/Pen/Paper
Backpack/Day
Water Bottle-filled before arriving each day
Rain Coat or Poncho
Hat
Change of Clothes
Can bring your own tent

Pack/Parent Equipment
• File System for all camper records & paperwork Container for youth’s prescription medications (if needed) .
• Blankets or sheets to sit on.
• Camera
• Wagon to transport camper gear. (optional)
• Clip Board or something to write on (suggested)

What Not to Bring
BB Guns, Bows, Arrows, Axes/Hatchets, Sheath knives, Bicycles, Electronic Toys, Fireworks, Game Systems (DS, PSP, etc.), Mobile Phones*, Matches/Lighters*, Radios, open toed shoes, things you do not want to lose and things easily damaged by moisture & weather.
*indicates things that youth do not bring, but adults would be permitted to bring if needed.

Camp Disclaimer Policy
Neither Camp Kootaga, Allohak Council, BSA nor its agents will be held responsible for the loss of or damage to personal or unit property and/or equipment.

Smoking and Tobacco
In accordance with the policies of the BSA, smoking and use of all forms of tobacco will not be permitted.

Alcohol/Controlled Substances
The Boy Scouts of America prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances (unless properly prescribed) at camp or activities. ANYONE found improperly using alcohol/controlled substances will be escorted off of the Camp property immediately and the local Law Enforcement Agencies will be notified.

Weapons
Weapons, firearms, bows and arrows are not permitted at camp. Youth will not be permitted to bring their own BB Guns or archery equipment. Anyone possessing these items will be asked to leave camp.

Click here for the Registration Form

On-line Registration

For additional informationn concerning registration, availability of camp sites, the leaders guide and much more visit the camp’s information page.

The purpose of good Scouting and Scout camping is to train boys in good character, vital citizenship and personal fitness. The objectives of the Camp Staff and the Camp program are to serve the needs of the Troop and the Scouts. In outdoor Scouting activities, simple skills of camp craft, woodcraft, aquatics, personal fitness and living in a Democratic society are at a premium. They are important because:
1. Learning skills and advancing bring self-confidence.
2. Solving immediate camping problems brings self-reliance.
3. Vigorous outdoor exercise promotes personal fitness.
4. Knowing what to do and doing it promotes personal initiative.
5. Making group decisions and implementing them develops cooperation.
6. Facing certain hardships with buddies makes life-long friends.
7. Experiencing nature develops outdoor appreciation and spiritual awareness

Lord Baden-Powell wrote in 1919, “The objective of a camp is:
1. To meet the boy’s desire for the open air life of the Scouts; and
2. To put him completely in the hands of the Scoutmaster for a definite period of individual
training and character and in physical and moral development.”

The basis of this training and character development is the Scout’s participation and acceptance of responsibility of his Patrol. Baden-Powel emphasized this in 1936 when he wrote, “The Patrol is the character school for the individual. To the Patrol Leader it gives practice in responsibility and in the qualities of Leadership. To the Scouts it gives subordination of self to the interest of the whole, the elements of self-denial, and the self-control involved in the team spirit of cooperation and good comradeship.”

At Camp Kootaga, we intend to reproduce and strengthen the processes by which a Troop ideally operates when it is in it’s home community. We do not intend to replace the Scoutmaster, the Troop’s Leaders Council or the Leadership Corp, but rather to work with them and through them in determining the needs of individual Troops and of the Scouts in them.

Camp will be more than out-of-doors; it will bring an intense and vital training session for the Troops that come and for the boys they bring. Its is a vital part of the Scouting program and will endeavor to build Scouts and Troops by supplying them challenges, opportunities and rewards of Scouting in an intensive and reinforcing way. This assists the Scouts and Troops to determine their own Program and effectively operate through their own Leadership.

Rules for acceptance and participation in all sessions of Camp Kootaga are the same without regard to race, color or national origin.

For additional informationn concerning registration, availability of camp sites, the leaders guide and much more visit the camp’s information page.

The Allohak Council is offering, starting in 2014, to offer two high adventure opportunities for Scouts each year. In 2014 the trips are to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, and Sea Base in the Florida Keys.

For more information click here

For FUN and ADVENTURE come on down to the RIVERFRONT for the Adventures of Blennerhassett Day Camp 2013!!! The day camp will be held June 12th thru June 15 at Civitan Park in Belpre, Ohio, next to the Ohio River. Come on out and join us!!!

Cost (Due by May 17th, 2013 by 5:00pm at the Scout Office
Cub Scouts Day Camp $40.00
Webelos Overnighter and Day Camp $50.00
Leaders & Parents attending Wednesday $5.00
After the deadline cost per scout will be $65.00
If you pay at camp $80.00
Boy Scouts participating on Staff $15.00

Click here for the Leaders Guide that has all the informaiton you need.

Click here for an Adult Registration Form (MS Excel Spreadsheet) [This form is also in the Leaders Guide]

Click here for a Youth Registration Form (MS Excel Spreadsheet) [This form is also in the Leaders Guide]

Click here to register/pay online

For online E-Training click here. This will give you the opportunity to take training given by the National Boy Scouts of America. You will create a “MyScouting” account (if you have not done so already) and as you complete training, it will update your records at the council leve if you follow the procedures correctly.

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YOUTH PROTECTION REPORTING POLICY
By Scout Executive, Dale Musgrave

“All persons involved in Scouting shall report to local authorities any good faith suspicion or belief that any child is or has been physically or sexually abused, physically or emotionally neglected, exposed to any form of violence or threat, exposed to any form of sexual exploitation including the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child pornography, online solicitation, enticement, or showing of obscene material.
No person may abdicate this reporting responsibility to any other person.

The Scout Executive should also be contacted immediately to remove the individual from our membership ranks and so the Scout Executive can prepare to handle media contacts.”

To make a report to the Scout Executive, call Dale Musgrave at:
Scout Service Center: 304-991-3481
Cell phone: 304-981-3481
Home phone 304-893-6413

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Youth Protection Notes
By Steve Cogar, Vice President Youth Protection
The Boy Scouts of America takes great pride in the quality, integrity, and professionalism of its volunteer adult leaders. Without our fine leaders, the BSA program could not be delivered with the exceptional level of vitality and success it has enjoyed for the past one-hundred years. BSA has long known that one key to success in leadership is training. Effective leaders are set-up to succeed, not to fail, through various training programs that both enhance their ability to provide Scouts with a quality program and protect their safety while doing so.
BSA Youth Protection Training is an integral part of the training regime in Scouting. In the Allohak Council, we are proffering a new initiative in Youth Protection Training that takes the form of a challenge for all registered leaders. That challenge is simple – take the Youth Protection Training every year even though BSA only requires that it be taken every two years. Toward that end, the Allohak Council is committed to making the training available in a variety of ways.
The BSA website is an easy way to complete most BSA required training. For Youth Protection Training, if you have access to a computer either at home or at a local library, simply go to http:/myscouting.org. If you have a user name and password, login and take the training. At the end of the approximately 20 minute session, you will be able to print a certificate of completion. The Council will automatically have verification that you completed the training. If you do not have a user name and password, the login page allows you to create an account which affords you access to all training, including Youth Protection. To do so, just follow the prompts, remember that your Council is Allohak #618, and have your eight digit Scout Identification Number from your membership card available.
The Council is also committed to other innovative ways of providing the training. One goal is to provide each unit leader with a Training DVD that may be played at committee meetings or lent to individual leaders. Once the video is viewed, the leader must contact the Council Service Center at 1-800-654-5272, and speak with John Burns to certify that that training took place. In addition, the Youth Protection DVD will be available at many Council functions such as merit badge midways, universities, and colleges; as well as Summer Camp, camporees, and adult leader training. Leaders who are waiting for Scouts to finish merit badges or who otherwise have about twenty spare minutes at these events will be able to quickly update their Youth Protection training.
The BSA recognizes that one key component in their effort to protect Scouts from sexual abuse is Youth Protection Training for adult volunteers. The Allohak Council, your Council, supports this mindset and believes that we can continue to cement our position as a Council that thrives on innovation by doing more than is required. Login to myscouting.org or ask your leader for a copy of the Youth Protection DVD today. Your Council and your Scouts will appreciate your efforts!