District Executive News
Submitted by Nancy Wooldridge on Tue, 2008-03-04 20:30.
February
Hi Rancho Del Mar! We had a great Roundtable last night! Thank you to everyone who came out on Valentine's Day, we hope your Sweethearts did not mind. Attached is our February newsletter, there are a lot of exciting things happening in the district! For contributing pictures or stories about your unit for our newsletter, please contact Stephanie Schuetz at stephanie.schuetz@cox.net. And thank you to Stephanie for volunteering to take on this project, it looks great! Camporee is March 28th-30th at Firestone's Memorial Mesa. Contact Nancy Bixler at nancy@creativeformsdesign.com for more information. FOS - If your unit has not signed up for their Friends of Scouting presentation please contact Larry Voelz at luvv123@aol.com or myself. I will get you more information next week about the Spring Recruitment, we are getting a lot of positive feedback! Have a great long weekend! NancyJanuary
Happy New Year Rancho Del Mar Scouters! I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season and that the year is off to a great start! We have some exciting things happening in our district, the most exciting is that we have a new District Chairman. Robert Gardner, a former Scoutmaster and local resident for many years has accepted the position, we are awaiting the committee ballots to confirm him. In addition to Robert's many years in Scouting he and his wife Debbie have raised five Eagle Scouts. He was recommended to this position due to his involvement in the community, his leadership abilities and his desire to continue to be involved with Scouting. Please be sure to attend Roundtable January 10th to welcome Robert to this position.
Speaking of Roundtable, this is the monthly event that helps everyone stay informed about upcoming events. There are fliers, announcements and of course networking that can help you be an effective leader, which in turn makes a more interesting program for our youth. Roundtable is the 2nd Thursday of every month except July when we are dark. We start gathering at 7 pm with the official program starting at 7:30.
January also brings the start of our Friends of Scouting Campaign. There are different segments to this Campaign with every unit participating. Our FOS volunteers will be contacting each unit to schedule a presentation. Please remember this fundraiser is what makes it possible to have a program for our youth; if you would like to be involved with it let Jillian or myself know.
See you at Roundtable!
Nancy
December
Can anyone else believe it is the middle of December already? December brings with it the time to reflect on the past year and plan for the upcoming year. We can hopefully use our hindsight to improve and enjoy what 2008 holds for us, not only as individuals but also as a District.
Right now Jillian, Peter and myself are focused on helping everyone complete their re-charters so that our district has them all in on time. In addition to them being due, and avoiding any problems of having a late re-charter, there is also the “it’s off of my desk” factor. Although the package is a bit overwhelming looking when you open it , it is really pretty simple once you get started. And best of all, once it is complete your records are current and you do not have to think about it for another year. I highly encourage as with all unit tasks, that you make sure once you know it that you teach it. Many of you have heard my motto “Everyone does something and nobody does nothing”, this thinking will keep units strong and growing which serves not only our current group of Scouts but hopefully the ones that are not yet old enough to join.
Our 2008 Friends of Scouting campaign is getting started. There will be a sign up sheet at the December and January Roundtable’s asking for the date and time to plan for your presentation. We are also planning our Kick Off Dinner on February 28th at the Disneyland Hotel with our speaker, Steve Young, Hall of Fame Quarterback. As a non-profit organization, this campaign is vital to the success of our program. Please talk to Jillian or myself if you have any questions about what you can do to participate in making 2008 a success!
Day Camp is one of the biggest foundations of our Cub Scout program. We currently need several key volunteers to help run our 2008 camp. As always, if you volunteer your child can attend free of charge and any younger ones can attend the sibling camp which is always a huge success with our future Scouts and Venturers. Again, please talk to Jillian or myself about how you might be able to help, we promise a very rewarding experience!
As the end of the year draws to a close I know the things for which I am most thankful are family, friends and Scouting. We all know that each day in the Scouting world is not always easy and without challenges; but we also know that when the day or year is said and done, it is all worth it. Scouting makes our world better, we have youth who are not only having fun but are service minded, better able to work out challenges, and have the finest role models on the planet. Thank you Rancho Del Mar volunteers for making a difference not only with your own child but with an entire community.
Yours in Scouting, Nancy Wooldridge District Director - Rancho Del Mar Orange County Council
Orange County Fires
Regarding the emails I sent out regarding sleeping bags needed for the firefighters. I apologize for the confusion and mixed messages I was just wanting to do a good turn and get the word out. We had several units drive out and find out that the sleeping bags were very needed and appreciated, we had one group who was turned away.
This fire effected me greatly, although we are not on the edges of Portola Hills, we were packed and ready to leave, images of the Laguna Beach fire were heavy on my mind. From my front steps Monday night the sky was a glowing orange the likes I have never seen. It surrounded approximately two thirds of our hill, came to within about a third of a mile on one side of my home, and many friends were in immediate danger. It was my Scouting family that made me feel better; we were on the phone every few hours, we spent time sitting on a street corner and a few of our families shared a big pot of chili on the lawn of Scoutmasters home, which is directly across from a park where the fire burned up to, Tuesday night. Our SM is a Deputy Sheriff and when he had cell phone reception he was able to call in updates that we would not have otherwise known. There were a few hours that he was unable to get out of the canyon and had no cell phone reception, I was very happy to see him Monday night when I drove the neighborhood at 11:30 pm before attempting to sleep, which was on the couch with everything ready to go on a moments notice.
I will be sending out some information for helping our Sheriffs and Firefighters. They are still out fighting the fire and working long hours. Cook's Corner, the infamous biker bar, is providing a place for them to go and people have dropped off many supplies; hygiene items, tee shirts, underwear, socks and food. Cook's has continued to pay their employees and to cook the food that has been dropped off feeding them every day. Although a few homes have been lost, most have been saved, I am truly amazed.
One of our great moments in this fire was one of our Scout's Eagle project in the Whiting Ranch parking lot off of Gleen Ranch Road. He just finished it a few weeks ago, putting the final touch on it Sunday evening. They had forgotten their camera and after knowing where the fire was, we all shed a few tears and consoled the family. Tuesday night we found out that the project is still standing, the fire coming within three feet and burning around it.
Please keep those effected and those battling the fire in your thoughts and prayers. Again, sorry for the conflicting emails. Thank you for making me feel like not just your Scouting professionial but part of your Scouting family.
Nancy Wooldridge
Spring Recruiting Please contact your District Professionals Nancy Wooldridge (Santa Ana/Irvine) or Jillian Sandoval (Costa Mesa/Newport) for help organizing a Spring Recruiting drive at your church or school.