Scouts, Parents, Leaders, and Volunteers,
Welcome to all the new people involved in scouting, and welcome back to those scouts and parents who are returning. This year, we had a terrific cub scout round up. Your participation has made Pack 101 the largest pack in our whole Council, which encompasses all of far Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and parts of Tennessee. Way to go, Massac County!
You should be contacted shortly by the leaders for your groups for your first meeting. The first meetings should begin sometime during the first full week of September. In order, your leaders are:
Roger Pugh (that's me, the temporary Tiger Den leader) Tigers are designated as Den 5.
Adam Cohoon, Wolf Den leader. His group is very large, so we will actively look to recruit another parent as a leader! But, until then, he and his wife Raven will run the Wolf group. Wolfs are Den 4.
Shannon Crockett, Bear Den leader. He runs Den 13.
Clay Blankenbaker, Bear Den leader. He runs Den 3.
Matt Alsip, Webelos 1 leader. He runs Den 2.
Valery Sronce, Webelos 2 leader. She runs Den 1.
If for some reason, you have not been contacted by your leader in the next few days, please email or phone me and I will make sure you get the information you need. My email is pugh@shawneelink.net and my phone is (618) 524-8340.
As soon as all of the meeting times and places are ironed out, I will send out an email and a newsletter with that information and other scheduled events so you can plan ahead and put Cub Scouts on your calendar.
I would like for all of you to stay as informed about Cub Scout events as possible. To that end, we have a blog and a facebook page on which we update information regularly, post pictures, and answer questions. You can find our blog at http://cubscoutpack101.blogspot.com and you can find us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metropolis-Illinois-Cub-Scout-Pack-101/133467963360177 so please follow our blog and "LIKE" us on facebook. This will be the cheapest, fastest, and most comprehensive way that we can stay in touch about Cub Scouts.
Each year, I include a little background information about me in this welcoming email, so if you are returning, you have seen this part before (although it has changed a little bit)!
I would like to give you some insight into why I have volunteered as a Cub Scout leader for the last several years:
In my "real job," I am a staff person at the Achieve Program, a program of comprehensive academic accommodations and supports for students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. I have worked in the Achieve Program for over a dozen years, and in that time have helped hundreds of bright, but struggling students excel at the university level. It is very rewarding work. I am currently completing my Ph.D. in Special Education at the University.
When my son was six, several years ago, my wife signed him up for Cub Scouts. I had never really been interested in scouts. There hadn't been a Pack or a Troop in my town when I grew up, and I really didn't know or care what they were about. Honestly, I thought scouts were a "throwback" to an earlier time, and maybe not too relevant today.
However, my wife insisted, because she knew the values that are the core beliefs of scouting ARE relevant and valuable to boys now, perhaps now more than ever. She became a leader, and over time, as it was obvious that my son was enjoying himself and learning some good skills too, every once in awhile, I "had" to go help the group do something. Soon, I was helping every week, and before I knew it, I was my wife's assistant for her den. Since this was the same role I seemed to fill around the house, we both adapted to it pretty quickly ; )
I worked in this capacity with her for two years. At the end of the second year, Joe Ogle, who was the "founding father" of Metropolis scouts, and who was our Unit Commissioner, asked if I would consider being the Cubmaster for the Pack. I told him as long as I had help, I would "do my best."
Well, I have had wonderful help over the years, from many caring, intelligent, and genuinely good people, several of whom volunteered to be leaders for the dens. Even though my son has long since left Cub Scouts and is now a Boy Scout, each year I ask each of the leaders and our Pack's board whether they would like for me to continue as Cubmaster, or if they would prefer I would step down. I made a promise to Joe Ogle before he died, that as long as I was able, and as long as the Pack leadership wanted me there, that I would be honored to serve this Pack in the capacity of Cubmaster. My son is going to be 15 this year, and is progressing towards his Eagle project in the Boy Scouts, and again this year, I have the honor to serve as the Cubmaster for Pack 101.
This year, Melissa Rushing is our Assistant Cubmaster, and has proven time and again to be invaluable to our Pack. Valery Sronce has been a leader for four years, Matt Alsip also for four, Clay Blankenbaker for three, Adam Cohoon for two, and Shannon Crockett for one. In the next few weeks, we will have trained at least one new leader for our newest group of scouts, our Tiger Cubs. You can depend on these leaders to deliver a fun, meaningful, and useful program to your children. Because our Pack has grown to be as big as it has ever been, I will be actively seeking parent participation for new leader positions to offer quality programming and a great scout experience for your family. I look forward to a great year in scouting.
Welcome to Pack 101!
Roger Pugh
Cubmaster
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