- Last week I registered 11 deacons for our week-long summer camp and signed them up for merit badges. Now I have to track down $100 from each boy to help offset the lack of money in our ward budget. No, we don't do fundraisers at the request of the Stake President.
- Attended a 2 hr. long board of review last Sunday hosted by our troop committee (but the committee chair skipped out...). While the boys shuffled in and out of their reviews, I sat down with each of them and our advancement chair to make sure they were all up to date.
- Planned and carried out the combined activity tonight (thanks Jen, for your help!).
- Plan and carry out a camp out this Friday-Saturday.
- Arrange to have my advisor teach this Sunday because Jen's teaching RS and I will have Austin.
- Help plan and present the Court of Honor next Wednesday.
I am skipping Roundtable tomorrow. If any of you have the calling of hymn book coordinator or ward librarian, count your blessings. I covet your position.
7 comments:
We understand what you're dealing with. No fun. And it's harder to do your calling when there isn't the support you'd like from other leaders. No one wants to be a one man show.
I hope you find some down time soon. Good luck. And I want the door greeter calling. I'd be great at that!
In our ward we are only allowed one fundraiser and the one they pick every year is super lousy. I don't understand why they do this fundraiser at all since each boy gets around $20 if that to help towards camp. Our camps here are around $200 per boy sometimes more. There was one year that we didn't send all our boys to scout camp because of lack of funds. In my opinion if the church wants all the boys to participate in Scouting more and especially go to camp, they should help out much more than they do, or allow a decent fundraiser to take place. Best of luck with all you have to do to get it all done.
The camp actually costs $135 per boy plus a week of food. The ward is covering the food and $35 and only making the boys cover $100.
I'm torn on the idea of fund raisers. They would give us a lot more flexibility in terms of what we can do, but undoubtedly, the burden of the logistics for all of those would fall to the leaders. And frankly I love not having to worry about it.
We have one family who is sending two boys to high adventure and one to scout camp this year. Lots of money! -Jess
Working with the young men is perhaps the busiest calling in the church. It just never ends. There is always something to do. However, when the Bishop called me in his office and released me, I cried because I loved it so much. You are really lucky, Jess. As difficult as it is, you will one of men those boys remember most throughout their lives. I still remember the first and last names of every scout leader I ever had.
As far as fund raisers are concerned, I am a big fan. They can be great opportunities for the boys to learn how to plan and prioritize. The burden of logistics don't all have to fall on the shoulders of the leaders. There is a reason we call YM to be patrol leaders and quorum leaders. Give them a chance to lead and let them do the work. They will surprise you.
I hope your trip this weekend goes well. You sound like the kind of scoutmaster I wish we had.
Sounds busy. Mike dislikes YM's and hopes never to be called as the scout master. I hope things calm down for you soon.
Mike will learn to love it once his boys get involved. It's a great program for the youth -- assuming the leaders do what they're supposed to. Basketball every week is the opposite of what you're supposed to do. I'm proud to say the Scouts in our ward (12 and 13 year olds) haven't played basketball on a Wednesday night in the year and a half I've been the Scoutmaster. -Jess
Just to clarify:
I do like the young men's program. I really don't like camping. I generally like the other aspects of scouts--minus the crazy people who are so in love with scouting that they can't understand why anyone would prefer to sleep in their own bed in a house rather than in blanket with a zipper under a very thin piece of fabric.
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