The pandemic continues to impact Scouting. Thankfully the generous donations in 2020 from our Scouting Alumni, and our Scouting families supported the youth, adult volunteers, and the Edmund D. Strang Scout Reservation. Last year we raised $14,145 to support Scouting in the Housatonic Council.

We are preparing for the 2021 Great Give and we are inviting our families to help us make history again in 2021. In 2021 join our campaign and help us reach our goal of $16,000 and 100 donors!

Tell your friends and family members about the important work we do and ask them to join in helping to make a difference. Every donation unlocks additional matching funds and prizes of more than $215,000. Early giving opened today April 23!

If you want to give during the Great Give mark your calendar for May 4th - 5th, starting at 8:00AM on May 4, visit thegreatgive.org and donate to the Housatonic Council, Boy Scouts of America. All giving will end at 8:00PM on May 5, so make sure to get your gift in on time!

If you have any questions or would like more information, let us know. Contact John Zseller by email or at 203-734-3329 x 304. Thank you in advance for your generosity to the Housatonic Council!

May 8, will be our second Preparation Day. LUNCH will be available, but dress to get dirty.

We have used the term "workday" for a long time, and we all know what this means. We will work hard to get camp PREPARED by cleaning it, improving the camp facilities, and preparing OUR camp for the upcoming summer after its long hibernation.

There will be one more Prep Day - June 5.

HOUSATONIC COUNCIL - First Preparation Day at the Edmund D. Strang Scout Reservation has come and gone. We have begun the preparations to welcome our Scouts upon their return this summer for our 60th Anniversary.

THANK YOU to our Council Alumni, Camp Staff Alumni, the Burlinsons, Troop 3, Troop 55, Order of the Arrow, and Council Executive Board members who joined us at camp to begin preparations.

Projects included wood chipping, Troop 55 built benches in Paugassett, Troop 3 collected and cut wood for Mohawk, the Dining Hall, Bassett Lodge, Tierney Lodge and the Training Center were swept and cleaned. Order of the Arrow prepared for the upcoming Ordeal.

Join us for one of the upcoming Camp Preparation Days on May 8 or June 5. We need and look forward to your help

THANK YOU to all our units who contributed photos and stories for "CONGRATULATIONS TO..." This section of our newsletter continues because of your contributions. Continue to submit your stories and pictures of what your unit is doing. Please add an email for other leaders interested in contacting you, so they can do what you did in their unit.

Follow UI, Part of the Avangrid Family by following them on Twitter at @avangrid, @UnitedIllum or www.facebook.com/avangrid.  

Dear Scouts and families,

You can’t spell Scouting without “outing”, and we are excited to invite you to a weekend of celebrating the great outdoors! Momentum: Discover, a nation-wide, virtual event hosted by the Order of the Arrow will take place April 23rd-24th. Momentum: Discover will bring us back to our roots and help us re-discover the joy of camping! The event will feature more than a dozen hours of live, original content focused on the outdoors. Competitions with the national officers of the Order of the Arrow, training sessions, and special guests are just a sample of the many activities to participate in over the weekend! All Scouts are invited to take part, regardless of membership in the Order of the Arrow. More information about the event can be found at momentum.oa-bsa.org.

We hope you’ll participate in this great event. You can watch the livestream for free as a basic delegate or register as a premium delegate. Premium delegates get the full event experience in exchange for a $25 registration fee: access to the community platform, the event wide game, access to archived content, and the Momentum: Discover patch and sticker.

There’s nothing like the great outdoors and we hope you will join us for this fun event for the entire family. Visit momentum.oa-bsa.org to learn more and register for Momentum: Discover!

Yours in Scouting,

Paugassett Lodge Leadership

If you have not handed in your paperwork or are still working on your program, please be sure to send your application as well as the fee into the Office of Education Evangelization and Catechesis (OEEC) by May 1, 2021.

Scouts and their parents expect all Boy Scouts of America activities to be conducted safely. To ensure the safety of participants, the Boy Scouts of America expects leaders to use the four points of SAFE when delivering the Scouting program.

What is Wood Badge? Wood Badge focuses on preparing adult leaders to deliver the mission of Scouting.

Join online for a one-hour virtual, interactive program. Learn about the role of an engineer of motorcycles as you complete the nine requirements to earn your Engineering Merit Badge.

Program offered every Saturday at 8:30 AM CDT and Tuesday at 6:30 PM CDT

Program Fee: $20 per Scout Includes activity booklet, program instruction and special

H-D Museum patch upon completion. Program Activity Booklet and Blue Card will be sent electronically to the registered scout. The H-D Museum patch will be mailed to the scout.

Register online at h-dmuseum.com (see ‘Tours’ page for link).

This program is available for private Group/Troop scheduling. Please call 414-287-2799 or email

GROUPS@h-dmuseum.com for more info.