TROOP 243
November 1st, 2008
Boy Scouts of America
Chartered by St. Barnabas Catholic Church
3044 Hikes Lane           Louisville, Ky  40220

Dear Parents and Friends of Troop 243, 

Troop Outings & Activities – November starts up with us paying a visit to Quest Outdoors who will share with us some knowledge related to backpacking and hiking.  With Pack 756 we will participate in Scouting for Food then the troop will hold the November Court of Honor.  Camping and hiking will be the highlight as the troop stays 2 great nights in the Red River Gorge working on both climbing and camping merit badges.  We wrap up with game night the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Note:  The Court of Honor will be held in the caféteria.

Troop and Patrol Meetings on Wednesdays - All are welcome.  Scouts in Class A uniforms are expected.
November 5th, 7:00 PM – Troop Meeting @ Quest Outdoors
November 12th, 7:00 PM – Patrol Meeting
November 19th, 7:00 PM – Court of Honor - in St. Barnabas Caféteria
November 26th, 7:00 PM – Game Night

Boy Scout 100th Anniversary Jamboree 2010 – We have an update on the 2010 Jamboree.  The total cost of the 100th anniversary BSA Jamboree will be $1750.00, which includes transportation and all food.  The scout can save $150.00 by paying a $100 deposit to the scout center by December 31st, 2008.  Participating scouts must be 12 years of age and a first class scout by July 1st, 2010.  If you know a Webelo 2, some of them will be old enough so they can register.  They just have to reach the rank of 1st class.  The crew will use a commercial bus to make the trip.  This will be Troop 243’s only high adventure for 2010.  Jerry Zimmerer will be scoutmaster of one of our council troops.  Tom Kennedy, Will Kennedy and Frank Hulsman have all applied to be adult leaders.

Merit Badge Counselors – Jerry Zimmerer is recruiting merit badge counselors so if he approaches you and you have knowledge to share with our boys, please volunteer your time.  Locations and times of the classes are at the merit badge counselor’s discretion.

Meeting Planning – In the coming months we will have meetings that revolve around Public Service.  If you have any expertise, experience or suggestions please contact Joe Lynch and help us make the meetings interesting!

Troop Leadership meetings – The PLC will be held at 4:00 on Sunday November 30th.  On Monday November 24th we will hold the Assistant Scoutmaster (7:00), and the Committee meeting will be held at 8:00 November 24th.

Adult Quartermaster advisor - Paige Shenk volunteered to assist our troop's quartermasters.  Thank you Paige!

November’s Camp Out – We will be traveling to Natural Bridge for our next camp out.  While there, some of us will work on the Camping Merit Badge and others will work on the climbing merit badge.  Rocksport will supervise our rock climbing as our scouts climb up prepared rock faces and belay climbers.  Hikers will make camp Friday night, break camp Saturday morning, hike into the gorge about 2 miles then have lunch.  After lunch the group will walk back out, re-establish camp, have dinner and cracker barrel using the equipment they carried with them.

Kroger Gift Cards – We encourage all parents, members, relatives and friends to use Troop 243’s Kroger gift cards.  Whenever you see Frank Hulsman at any function it is likely that he has a few Kroger gift cards with him.  Please stop Frank at any time and ask him for one of these cards and he will give you one on the spot.  Tom Kennedy also has a couple in his briefcase.   The revenue from this gift card and the Thornton’s gift card is the source of funding for the troop’s bus, which continues to be free to the scouts.

Air Guard Honors Veterans – On November 9th from 2:30 to 3:30, the Ky. Air National Guard will sponsor a ceremony to honor our veterans.  They are offering space for any pack or troop’s color guard to participate by being a part of the ceremony.  The hour will include speeches honoring our vets and a fly by. If you are interested please place this on your calendar and you will hear more.

Scouting for Food – Times for Scouting for food have been confirmed as it appears on the calendar.  November 8th we will meet at St. Barnabas at 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM on the 15th.  We expect that pack 756 will once again find a sponsor for coffee, hot chocolate and doughnuts.  The Southeast Area Ministries is an organization that maintains a pantry of food that is used to help folks in temporary need of support.  Scouting For Food is one of their largest sources of food.  When we deliver our collection of food, shelves that we frequently find close to bare when we arrive are left overflowing due to the generosity of the areas from which we collect.  On a national basis, only the post office collects more food in one event than Scouting for Food.  Please come out, have a good time and do a good turn.

Miscellaneous News – Several opportunities are being examined for December’s camping trip including Harrison County Indiana Forest and possibly Camp Ransburg.  

Yours in Scouting,
 Bruce Bohn
Troop Secretary