Mt Diablo Silverado Council Friends of Scouting Campaign
Hi Pack 1776,
Every February our Pack participates in the annual Friends of Scouting fundraising campaign for the Mt Diablo Silverado Council, and I’m writing to ask you to join my family in supporting this effort for the Council. I will be giving a brief Friends of Scouting presentation at the Blue & Gold dinner this Friday, and I put together the information below to hopefully answer some questions you may have.
Why support the Council?
The Mt Diablo Silverado Council serves over 14,000 scouts in Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Lake, and northern Alameda counties. The Council’s 2011 annual budget is $2,984,598 and 29% of those funds come from the Friends of Scouting campaign. Here is how the Council spends the $2,984,598…85% on programs and activities, 9% on fundraising, and 6% on administration. So you can be assured your contribution will be used wisely for programs and activities. The activities and services provided by the Council are training, camp Herms and Wolfeboro, recruiting materials, administrative services, professional services, insurance, and most everything we need to run Pack 1776.
How do I donate?
Pledge cards and envelopes will be passed out by the Den leaders to the families in their dens at the Blue & Gold dinner Friday. Families are asked to complete the pledge card, and then return the pledge card and their donation or pledge to their Den leader Friday night. I need to turn in the pledge cards and donations next week.
What are my options for donating?
Cash, check, or credit cards are accepted, and should be collected the night of the Blue & Gold dinner. Donating Friday may not be convenient for some, so pledges are another convenient option and can be spread out over time. Pledges for $25 can be taken and reminders mailed. Pledges can be annually, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly.
How much should I donate?
The Council estimates it costs approximately $185 annually to support each scout, and this is the amount Council hopes each family will contribute. Pack 1776 families have been very generous in the past…some families give more than the recommended amount, some give the recommended amount, some give less. At the end of the day, this is a personal decision, and all contributions regardless of amount are appreciated.
Is my donation tax deductable?
Yes!!!
Want to supersize your donation?
Check with your employer to see if they have a matching gift program.
View the presentation by Lynne Leach, Mt Diablo Silverado Council President, former member of the California State Assembly. The presentation is only 4 minutes long, and provides additional information.
On a personal note, fundraising is not something I gravitate to, but I sincerely believe in the Boy Scouts of America and support the Mt Diablo Silverado Council Friends of Scouting campaign with all my heart. As a boy growing up, I was both a Cub Scout and Boy Scout in the Mt Diablo Silverado Council, and I was fortunate enough to attend many of the events and camps supported by the Council. As a Boy Scout, I went to Camp Wolfeboro 4 consecutive years and had the time of my life. In scouting I established friendships with guys that are still great friends to this day. I could not have experienced all that I did if it weren’t for the generous folks that supported the Council then. Now it’s time for me to give back, and I hope you will join me and support the Council’s Friends of Scouting campaign.
Please contact me directly with any questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Steve Jackson
Committee Chairperson, Pack 1776
Friends of Scouting Chairperson, Pack 1776
Scout Night with the Sharks Vs Dallas Stars
Date: Saturday, March 5, 2011
Time: 7:30pm
Location: HP Pavilion at San Jose
San Jose Sharks has announced their FINAL Scout Night of the season. Your San Jose Sharks including Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley will take on Brad Richards and division rival the Dallas Stars! So come out and support your San Jose Sharks by taking advantage of this special offer! See flyer for detail and ordering information.
Following is a list of upcoming Scout Days/Nights:
02/26 (Sat): Monster Jam
08/28 (Fri): BSA Motorsports at Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Spring Camping – SAVE THE DATES!
Date: Friday, April 29, 2011 3:00pm - Sunday, May 1, 2011 12:00pm
Location: Woodlands Youth Camp / Joseph D. Grant County Park
SAVE THE DATES!! Only an hour from San Ramon and near Mt. Hamilton/San Jose is the Woodlands Youth Camp located in the Joseph D. Grant County Park. We will have space for up to 200 campers and cars are unlimited. Chemical toilets are at the site but flush toilets and showers are a short walk away. Camping, hiking, and other attractions are in the park for all to enjoy.
Details will follow in an eVite and will be posted here. Stay tuned.
SAVE THE DATES!!
Scott & Scott
BINGO Night
Date: Friday, February 25, 2011
Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: MPR, Coyote Creek Elementary School
Attire: Class A uniform
Cub Scouts dressed in Class A uniform may assist in calling the BINGO numbers. Cub Scouts will still need to purchase their own BINGO cards to enter the MPR. (There is a capacity limit.) Help is needed setting-up prior to the event. Please arrive around 5 PM in Class A uniform to help. Email both John Pluth and Scott Evans to request a spot and participate. First reply, first serve and we will share calling duties with the Girl Scouts. There are 10 BINGO games and participation is NOT guaranteed!
Friends of Scouting
Many of you have participated in Council events like family camps, day camps, webel-o-ree, marksmanship days, etc. just to name a few. These fun and educational programs would not have existed without your support. Accept the friend request and be a friend of Scouting.
You will hear more about it soon. Meanwhile, find out more about the Friends of Scouting campaign at the Council's website and this video.
Pinewood Derby Wrapup
Pack 1776,
Our Pinewood Derby was a rousing success and I want to congratulate all of the Scouts that participated. We saw some amazing looking cars and some of the fastest times we have ever had!
A very special thanks goes out to our Pinewood Derby committee members Harry Beck and Joe Magdaleno! Harry did a ton of planning and hosted workshops and the official weigh-in. Sam, whose son will be bridging to Boy Scouts this year, handed over the reins of the event to Harry and we want to especially thank him for all the work he has done this year and in the past. With such a huge event, it is the efforts of several years of Pinewood Derbies that makes things run so smoothly. We have a track that is phenomenal, complicated software and people that know how to run it and many others behind the scenes that make this day happen for the kids.
There were some errors with the sibling races that we have already addressed. Unfortunately, this caused the rankings to be incorrect. We have posted the actual times of all races on the website so that everyone can view the raw times as well as the finished rankings for Scouts. Since we did have Scouts that did not race a car, we had extra medals and all siblings that raced should have received one. We do not normally provide these and cannot provide trophies to siblings due to the Packs limited resources and the fact that siblings do not pay dues. If a sibling race participant did not receive a medal, please let me know and I will try to get one for them.
All Scouts that raced should have also received a temporary drivers license. I provide these and ran out of supplies to finish the normal drivers licenses before the race. These are now all finished and I will be outside the school office Thursday, 02/03 after school to hand these out. I will be in uniform to help Scouts find me. If your Scout is unable to pick up their license tomorrow after school, I will turn these over to their Den Leader to hand out at your next Den Meeting.
Congratulations Scouts on one of the most exciting races I have seen! Our top winners for Pack 1776, Brandon B, Marc R and Jacob L will represent us well at the Blackhawk 500!
And again, thank you to all of the Committee members, volunteers and parents that helped make this event happen.
Yours in Scouting,
Cubmaster Macey
Smoke Signals – February
Smoke Signals is a monthly newsletter published by Mount Diablo Silverado Council. The February issue is now available for download.
Find out what happened at L.E.A.D. and read on for news on Friends of Scouting, Equipment Swap, National Scout week, Cub Scout Day Camp, and many more.
Lowe’s Pinewood Derby Days
It may be a little too late to talk about this, but if you are like me who feel that Pinewood Derby has just begun, with a strong urge to dig up those long tossed physics textbooks, or if you are suddenly bombarded with energy terms at the dining table, this might be for you.
Lowe's at Dublin (call ahead for other locations) will be hosting Pinewood Derby Days on the following Saturdays from 11am to 1pm:
- February 5, 2011 (Nah! You won't want to miss the Pack hike for this one!!)
- February 19, 2011
- March 5, 2011
Let the excitement lives on and head over there to pick up a few more tips (as if you haven't gotten enough from the pros at last Sunday's race). Be Prepared! for the next PWD, which is right around the corner on April 23! And for the patch collectors, they have got you covered. More info here.
February Hike – Lafayette Reservoir Recreation Area
Date: Saturday, February 5, 2011
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: Lafayette Reservoir Recreation Area
Parking: $6 all day in the lot or metered parking (0.25$ for 15 minutes)
This 4.7 mile loop hike is moderate, with a total elevation change of about 700 feet. There are two trails at the reservoir. We will go on Lakeside which is paved, nearly level and easy. Coffee & hot chocolate at Starbucks Lafayette after the hike: 3540 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette
[stextbox id="info" caption="Hike Statistics" align="center"]Distance: 4.7 miles
Time: 2 hours
Trail surfaces: Dirt fire roads.
Be sure to read: Hike info and area info[/stextbox] [stextbox id="info" caption="What to Bring" align="center"]Rain jacket (or umbrella), boots, water, snacks, dress in layers[/stextbox] [stextbox id="info" caption="Directions" align="center"]From CA 24 in Contra Costa County, exit Mount Diablo Boulevard/Acalanes Road/Upper Happy Valley Road (exit 11). Drive east on Mount Diablo Boulevard about 1 mile, then turn right at the Lafayette Reservoir sign. Stay to the right, drive uphill on the one way street, then bear left, toward day use parking.
View Larger Map [/stextbox]
