The Lamplighter - January 2025

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Welcome to The Lamplighter

The Official Newsletter of Scouting America

In Central Illinois

This edition of The Lamplighter is being sent to EVERY leader and family in the W. D. Boyce Council

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Have a question, idea or something you want to see in a future issue? Please email Charlie Zimmerman, Council Field Director, at charlie.zimmerman@scouting.org

🎉 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Scouting America 🎉

Join us on Friday, February 7, at 10 AM, as we celebrate 115 incredible years of the Boy Scouts of America and unveil our new identity as Scouting America!

📅 Date: February 7

🕙 Time: 10 AM

📍 Location: Peoria Scout Service Center

🌟 Highlights:

· Unveiling of our new sign

· Open house event

· Hot cocoa bar

· Delicious cake

Come share in the excitement and community spirit at our rebranding celebration – and don’t miss the opportunity to continue the celebration at Scout Night with the Rivermen the following evening:

Hockey Action with the Peoria Rivermen

February 8, 7:15 pm - $18

Celebrate the rebranding of Boy Scouts of America to Scouting America with reduced-price tickets to see the Peoria Rivermen take on the Evansville Thunderbolts and $3 hot dogs all night long. $3 of every ticket purchased through this link will also come back to support W. D. Boyce Council.

Buy your tickets here:

https://wdboyce.org/rivermen

The Peoria Rivermen will also be wearing special DC Comic jerseys presented by Gift of Hope.

UNIT RENEWAL – Is Your Unit OVERDUE? RENEW NOW!

If your unit did not compete its renewal before the end of the year, you may begin to encounter issues with Scouting systems. More importantly, your unit is no longer in good standing, a status that allows you to obtain rank advancement materials, other awards and be covered by Scouting America insurance.

A representative of each unit Key 3 must complete the process for renewing a charter online as well as key paper documents. Through the process, the adult leader roster is also checked to ensure the Chartered Organization is in concurrence with the selections.

Key points to be aware of if your renewal is past due:

· If key roster spots were filled by individual who have failed to renew their own memberships, those individuals will now HAVE TO renew before your renewal can be completed. Other individuals cannot simply be moved to cover those position.

· Youth Protection Training MUST be completed for anyone whose training has expired.

Please be sure to contact your Unit Commissioner or Mike Heger if you have questions on your Unit Renewal. More information can also be found at https://wdboyce.org/unit-renewal.

The assigned time to complete this annual process has now passed. Please go to My.Scouting.org today to ensure the youth in your unit are not adversely impacted by this oversight.

Are You Due to Renew? Online Membership Renewal Is The Way to Go!

Online Membership Renewal Reminder

As a reminder, Scouting membership is now a fixed 12-month term from the anniversary of an individual registering, regardless of when their unit renews. And Scouting families and volunteers can directly renew their memberships online.

To check your renewal status or that of your child, login to My.Scouting.org and click on the “My Application” icon, then select “My Renewals” near the top of the page. If a membership is due to expire within the next 60 days, a “Start Renewal” button will be displayed. Click the button to begin the process.

Units still have the option to renew members as well, and more information about this process is available here: https://www.scouting.org/renewals. Check with your unit leadership if you have any questions.

Unit leaders with questions can contact the Scout Service Center. However, please be aware that due to issues caused by late unit and individual renewals, responses times may be longer than usual. Thank you for your patience!

Merit Badge University

Excitement is building for the 2025 Merit Badge University, returning to the Peoria Riverfront Museum and Caterpillar Visitor Center on Saturday, February 15 from Noon to 4 pm. Scouts can register and attend individually, although troops are encouraged to travel together if possible for efficiency!

With 17 badges being offered, the only question is: What badge will YOUR Scout earn?

Registration is open through February 7 – but space in each Merit Badge class is limited, so sign up NOW!

https://scoutingevent.com/138-2025MeritBadgeUniversity

Puttin’ On The Glitz! Annual Council Recognition Dinner

Plan now to attend the 2025 Annual Council Dinner at 6 pm on March 15, 2025, at Metamora Fields. Join us for a delicious dinner and an evening of fellowship and fun as we celebrate recent Scouting accomplishments and recognize the newest recipients of the Silver Beaver award.

As this year marks the 85 ^th anniversary of Cub Scouts, your snazziest blue and gold attire is encouraged as we “put on the glitz” to celebrate in style!

Tickets are $45 thru February 28 (then $55 thru March 6) and are now on sale at the following link: https://scoutingevent.com/138-2025CouncilDinner

Adult Leaders Still Wanted for the 2026 National Scout Jamboree

Country roads are calling to take you back to where you BELONG… the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, for the 2026 National Scout Jamboree!

Planning for our council’s participation is already underway, but we still need adults to travel with our contingent! If you are an adult leader interested in going with the our contingent as a Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Crew Adviser, or Associate Adviser, please fill out an application by FEBRUARY 14 - and prepare to ELEVATE your Scouting experience in 2026!

https://wdboyce.org/jamboree

Last Call for District Awards

Scouting wouldn’t exist as it does today without the dedication of our volunteers, many of whom are highly deserving of special recognition. Nominations for awards other than the District Award of Merit are due January 31 and may be submitted using this form.

Upcoming Adult Training

We expect the best from our Scouts and they have the right to expect the same from us, so make a New Year’s Resolution to get trained in 2025!

General and position-specific training is available at NO COST to all adult volunteers at training.scouting.org, plus the following opportunities are available locally:

Rangemaster Training - March 16

9 am – 2 pm, Ingersoll Scout Reservation

This vital training will enable you to help provide some of the most popular experiences Scouting has to offer. Just $15 – or no charge if you’re volunteering at Cub Day Camp this summer!

https://www.scoutingevent.com/138-2025RangemasterCourse

IOLS / BALOO Training - March 22-23

Ingersoll Scout Reservation

To safely offer Scouting’s outdoor program you need a certain set of skills and knowledge. BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) helps leaders become more aware of outdoor activities and help them use Cub Scout outdoor skills.

Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (also known as “IOLS”) will teach you how to build a fire, use an axe, cook outdoors, use a map and compass, responsibly care for the outdoors, and much more!

https://www.scoutingevent.com/138-2025IOLSBalooMar

Wood Badge Training - May 2-4, May 23-25

Ingersoll Scout Reservation

Designed to help you become the best leader you can be — at home, at church, in your community, at work, and, of course, in Scouting.

https://www.scoutingevent.com/138-2025WoodBadge

Drive For Five Shows that Dynamic Recruiting Works!

Full dens deliver better experiences for Scouting families. With our Drive for Five promotion last fall, our goal was to end 2024 with at least 5 Scouts in all our Lion & Tiger dens. These are are years when intentional parent & child activities are critical, and the Cub Scout program helps reinforce family bonds while also growing skills, confidence and friendships. And full dens make Cub Scouting more fun!

The incentive: Lion and Tiger dens with fewer than 5 Scouts* who reached 5+ Scouts by December 1 earned free Pinewood Derby car kits and admission to their district Pinewood Derby for EVERY Scout in the den! Lion and Tiger dens with 5 or more Scouts as of September 30 just needed to add three more Scouts to qualify for this promotion as well!

The result: We gained 20 new Cub Scouts, and distributed over 50 Pinewood Derby cars. That’s a great example of how dynamic recruiting – all year ‘round, and at the pack and den level – can help your pack THRIVE.

The best way to build your pack and dens throughout the year is to simply REACH OUT and invite family friends to join you at Cub Scout events. And they don’t have to be complicated or require lots of planning. In fact, “Normal Friend Activities” that simply gather families together for fun and friendship can be the best way to demonstrate that Cub Scout families enjoy the same things that all families do – we just do it together to multiply the good times! And any parent can plan one – in fact, it's a great way to get involved even if you’re NOT a registered leader in your pack or den.

For more ideas on “Normal Friend Activities” and other ideas, check out the following links:

Help ScoutReach in Peoria Thrive in 2025!

ScoutReach is back and better than ever with a new time and location! Join us from 4-5 pm every Wednesday, February 5 through March 19, at Elise Ford Allen Academy (1704 W Aiken Ave, Peoria, IL 61605).

Kids love the Scouting experience, and you’ll find the experience incredibly rewarding as you share in the fun and learning. No special experience or training is needed, aside from Youth Protection Training. We’re excited to kick off this season of ScoutReach and hope to see you there!

For any questions, please contact Ian Phillips at Ian.Phillips@scouting.org

2025 Guide to Advancement Now Available

The Guide to Advancement is the official source for administering advancement in all Scouting America programs: Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scouts. It is intended to efficiently meet the needs of those who would most often consult it and has been designed to maintain the integrity of the Scouting program.

Additional information and best practices, as well as the most current version of the Guide to Advancement, appear on the Advancement Resources web page, www.scouting.org/advancement.

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Thanks for reading and for your support of Scouting!