Give the gift of Scouting!  

The holidays are just around the corner – think Scouting!  What a great gift idea for parents, grandparents and all families to give their youth.  Just think about it.  A yearlong gift of friendships, adventures, outdoor skills and camping – just to name a few.  Scouting is a gift that keeps on giving as our first year Lions ultimately become Eagle Scouts.  

This is a great way to present our programs as you continue recruiting new members.  Look at your Journey to Excellence (JTE) Scorecard and see where you are on new scouts.  If you are a Cub Scout unit – how close are you to our Membership Committee’s 2019 Hero Challenges?    

7 Up Club:  all packs are challenged to have 1 Lion Den AND 1 Tiger Den of 7 or more Scouts by December 31.  This 7 Up Club will be invited to Fire Mountain for a FREE day of fun with a fishing frenzy, archery and more! 

 Drive for 5!:  all Family Scouting Packs are challenged to add 5 or more girls (from last year’s total) to their unit by December 31.  All young girls in the Pack will be invited to spend a FREE afternoon and evening campout with some of our local Scout BSA Troops for girls, at Fire Mountain!  

Your unit may be just a Scout or two away from these challenges.  Free hero capes and handbooks are still available for new Cub Scouts joining through the end of the year.  Do not let them miss out!  There is so much energy and excitement as they wear their red capes. 

I would like to send out a special thanks to all of our leaders, parents, volunteers and everyone else who helps share the amazing program of Scouting.  We have over 6,000 youth currently registered in our Council and that is as of October 31.  I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year will bring.   

As the membership committee works on goals for 2020, your unit should be thinking about them as well.  It is never too early to start.  How many youth do you want to add to your unit and how are you going to do that.  How does your New Member Coordinator fit into the equation?  Create your action plan and set your sights on 2020! 

By Denise Lesniak 

SR VP Membership 

Mount Baker Council