Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Troop 345 Committee Meeting this evening!
If you did not get a chance to join, here are some of the highlights (and be watching for other announcements posted to the website for more info on some of these topics)

Our 345 B Scouts had a great High Adventure at Sea Base in December, and it's going to be followed by the opportunity for another great event - 345 G has Philmont reserved for July, 2022!
High Adventures are great opportunities for our Scouts to be able to push themselves to new limits, and are great experiences to attend - hopefully your Scout is looking at participating in at least one High Adventure during his/her Scouting journey!

And we want to continue to be able to offer camping opportunities, though there will be constraints around COVID restrictions; we have day trips and distanced camping opportunities; check the Campouts page on the web site and get out and about to be active and outside!
Also check out the January 345 B day trip - skiing at Crystal Mountain - big discounts for our group purchase; check the calendar event for details around this activity. This was hugely popular last year, and this year's event, whilst slightly different, promises to be a fun experience!

And speaking of being outside, check out the Service Project work - events that are crafted to be outside and safe - a great chance to give back with service, and a break from the indoor cycle. Check the calendar page for events and sign up! (Including next Monday morning's project - get out and enjoy the outdoors on the day off from school!)

Court of Honour (CoH) tentative date has been pushed back to Sunday, May 23, in order to reduce potential conflicts in scheduling, and hoping for good weather. Scouts should also look at this as their target for any advancements or Merit Badges that they are looking to complete! (complete the work at least 10 days in advance in order to be awarded at the CoH)

And then what to do this Summer? SUMMER CAMP! B & G are at camp the same week this Summer (be watching for more details); we know you can't be at two camps at once, so check out the details as to what B (Cole Canoe Base) and G (Camp D-Bar-A) are doing, and if one camp works better than the other for your situation, both Scoutmasters will make accommodations for your Scout to ensure a great Summer Camp experience, even if it means your Scout attends in a smaller patrol with the other Troop. Check out the communications for Summer Camp, and reach out to either/both Scoutmasters if you need additional information. We want your Scout at camp this Summer!

Mackinaw Rendezvous - a weekend at Mackinaw Island! A lot of fun, this year on Sept 17-19. It is only offered every two years; this is one that you want to attend!

For adults - Wood Badge 2021 is scheduled for April and May - 5 days of "Steven Covey-type of business stuff", along with sessions that directly help with Scouting. Scholarships, financial assistance, and Troop co-payments are available - reach out to our many Wood Badge-trained leaders for more information - highly recommended training! (contact your Scoutmaster or Crew Adult Leader or Committee Chair for more info)

ScoutPay - hopefully this is making it easier to take care of payments; if you signed up for monthly payments but are having issues with double-billing or such, send your info to Scoutmaster Korff and she will forward on to the ScoutPay people and they should be able to work things out.

And speaking of payments - opportunities exist to help cover the costs of Scouting. We are planning on doing the Geranium sales again this year; the plants were an easy sale last year, and we are hoping to increase that success this year - watch for more information in the next few weeks. A great way to add funds to your Scout account!

Lastly - the Troop has a new trailer! Thanks to the hard work in fund raising, generosity of donations, and work on research, the Troop purchased the new trailer in December, and we are fixing it up for years of camping ahead! It helps us in so many ways, and many, many thanks to all who helped over the years to make it a reality!

Join the Kent Conservation Invasive Species Strike Team in helping to control Buckthorn and Bittersweet vines at Cannosburg State Game Area from 9:30 am to 12:00 PM on January 18th.  More information on the sign up and we hope to see you there!

Scout Dues are DUE by next Sunday November 29^th!

DON’T PUT THIS OFF – if your scout is not signed up on Scoutpay for National/Council dues by Sunday November 29^th , they will be DROPPED from the Charter ! 

• If dropped, to rejoin will require putting in a new Application with National– which we all know is a painful process.  :(
• If your scout is not continuing, please contact your Scoutmaster so we can take your scout off the list.

VERY IMPORTANT :  Each scout has 2 places they must submit dues:

Troop Dues: $125 (pay Troop Treasurer's emailed statement or pay with Paypal here: https://www.troop345ada.com/paypal/pay)

AND

National/Council dues: $126 on Scoutpay (you can pay once or set up payments on this site)

                BOYS TROOP 345: https://scoutpay.site/checkout/159869

                GIRLS TROOP 345: https://scoutpay.site/checkout/100292837

                CREW 2345 PRIMARY: https://scoutpay.site/checkout/100281468

For more info on the dues system (National/Council/Troop) please see the info on the website here for instructions and here for what the dues cover.

ADULT LEADERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS:  The Scoutpay website is now set up to pay for your membership too.  $54 for the upcoming year.  Best to do a one-time payment for that.  Make sure you choose the website you are Primary on.

If your Scout is in need of uniform parts, now through November 30, you may fill out the attached form to request a donation for your Scout. If you would like to help a scout in need, stop by the Scout Shop and pick up a donation tag off the giving tree through December 18 and support your local Scouting community.

Scoutpay is Here!  We will be handling the National ($66) and Council ($60) dues on the Scoutpay website portal.  Troop dues ($125) will be paid to the troop directly.

You can choose to spread the payment across the year.  The website will let you pay either a $126 one time payment (takes you thru 12/2021) OR you can select a $66 downpayment with $11/month autopay thru 12/2021 if you would rather spread the payments out.  Hint: If you have a scout that will be “retiring” during the upcoming year, making payments could save you money if you cancel once they age out, unless they will be joining the Crew.

Make SURE you click the correct Troop link when paying for each scout!

If they will be in the Crew as well as a Troop, ask Kim Mast which to register in. 

Read thru the hints below before clicking the links. 

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Troop 345 Committee Meeting this evening!
If you did not get a chance to join, here are some of the highlights (and be watching for other announcements posted to the website for more info on some of these topics)

We continue to hold meetings for the Troops and Patrols, though meetings have generally moved online as we are losing daylight for the next six weeks (good news, the daylight hours increase again in late December! Take your positives where you can get them!)
We are also still doing campouts and service projects - keep an eye on the calendar and signup to participate and do fun things during these trying times - our activities are a good distraction, and fun!

Scout Dues for the Troop have been sent out - this is the money that we use to run our program, purchase the badges, provide the Troop supplies - details in the e-mail from our Treasurer on how to pay those.
ScoutPay is also up and running - this is the money that goes to Michigan Crossroads Council and National to offer Scouting (with one of the benefits being that your Scout carries insurance for authorized Scout events) - please watch for details in the next day or two on that.
Note that they have monthly payment options as well as full payment - whichever works for your budget. We feel it's a great value for the ideals of Scouting and character building, and is along the line of pay-to-play for the various high school/middle school activities.

Fundraising - this can help your Scout cover the above expenses - wreath sales are going on right now, and watch for Erik Litts' e-mail around orders and pickups - these wreaths are really great, and pretty easy to sell (and make money for the Scout account)!
And we're also looking at the Geranium sale for around Mother's Day 2021 - watch for more info as we get closer to that opportunity!

Service Projects - if we can do bike build this year, we'll certainly try; keep an eye on the calendar for that; event usually 2nd-ish Saturday in December.
And if the Scouts have ideas on what they would like to do for Service Projects, let your patrol leadership and Scoutmaster know - we want to give back as Scouts, and offer projects for which the Scouts want to participate.
Our Service Project coordinator Tracie Sanford also has records of previous projects, and we should be able to still provide service opportunities, even with the social distancing and such.

Pencil in the Court of Honour for Spring 2021 - right now we are looking for Sunday afternoon, March 28. Subject to change, but let's get a marker for completing Rank Advancements and Merit Badges.

Recruiting position and Secretary - we REALLY need the participation of the parents for this Troop to run, so please consider signing up for one of these positions.
Neither one should become life-consuming, as we are limited on our ability to host Webelo patrols (the Recruiter position), and we only do one meeting a month (the Secretary position).
Please reach out to dan Boughton or Kim Korff / Kim Mast for any of the details if you can help us out.

Lastly, a big shout-out to parents who have served the Troop 345 group for several years now, but are taking well-deserved retirements of postions -
Martie DeVries - Advancement Chair
Anita Gorsuch - Service Project Coordinator
Jamie James - Treasurer
Thank you for all that you have done for the Troop!

Next month's Committee meeting will be on Monday, Dec 14, 7:00 pm; please join us if you are able to!

Until then, stay safe, well, and healthy!

dan Boughton
Troop 345 Committee Chair