|
We hope you were able to participate in the many exciting Scouting adventures at Camp Tamarancho during this busy Fall season. November is the time to look forward to helping those in need through our our annual Community Service campaign: Scouting for Food. Please review all the program updates broadcast in the Dispatch edition below, and by clicking on the Marin Council website calendar!
Our monthly newsletter describes many ways you can be involved in fun and exciting opportunities for Scouts and leaders in the coming months. Reminder: please forward this e-broadcast to other people in your unit who may not be receiving it, or suggest they visit our website, or sign-up for a subscription here!
| | |
General
Roundtable Thursday 11/06 on ZOOM
Recruitment Season is Still ON
Trading Post News and Unit Mailboxes
Annual "Scouting for Food" Drive
BSA Rangemaster Training Day 11/16
Distinguished Citizen Dinner 12/10
| | |
Cub Scouts
Thanksgiving "Big Turkey" Shoot 11/22
Scouts BSA & Venturing
Merit Badge Counselor Training 12/06
2026 Summer Camp at Marin-Sierra
2026 National Scout Jamboree
| | Council Roundtable --- 7:30pm Thursday, November 6 | | |
Unit leaders, please remember to assign an adult from your Pack, Troop or Crew to attend our monthly Roundtable meeting! This important monthly meeting is a great way to receive Council news for the 2025/2026 calendar events, plus camaraderie with experienced Scouting leaders around Marin! Thanks for your participation and support!
| | |
Forward this ZOOM link invitation to other Scouters and parents to make sure every local unit is represented for all the information sharing and Scouting fellowship!
Join Marin Council Roundtable Commissioners
Roger Dickerson (Cubs) and Mike Blum (Scouts)!
Click on this ZOOM Meeting link (ID#415 454 1081)
| | |
Fall is New Member Recruiting Season
Scouting is Better with Friends!
| |
The Back-to-School period and Fall season is a traditional time for highlighting new member recruiting, especially with our Cub Scout packs and their elementary schools. There are excellent resources available during the next three monthly Scouting America Membership Rallies continuing on Wednesdays; register here for these valuable webinars!
FREE RECRUITER STRIPS!
In support of your Fall 2025 recruiting efforts with all of our Scout youth, Scouting America Outfitters is excited to announce a new Recruiter Strip program to reward your Scouts for inviting a friend! Starting immediately, the two-sided flyer shown above (click here to download) is available to promote our FREE Recruiter Strip emblems available to all Scouting youth.
| | What's New at the Marin Council Trading Post? | | |
The Marin Council Trading Post staff will help you with the incredible variety of uniform parts and program materials you need to Be Prepared for all your Scouting activities and events. In addition, did you know that your unit has a mailbox folder in the Trading Post where you can pick-up processed Council paperwork, event patches and awards? Don't delay any longer and send someone down to clean it out! Finally, Cub Scout Packs can pre-order the Pinewood Derby car kits for gifting or distribution during the holiday season to get ready for race events during the new year.
| | Annual "Scouting-for-Food" Community Food Drive | | |
A staggering one-in-five of your Marin County neighbors was in need of food assistance during this past year! Join Marin Council unit volunteers for our annual door-to-door community service campaign throughout assigned neighborhoods to pick-up food donations and transport them to the SF-Marin Food Bank in San Rafael. Doorhangers sponsored by the Rotary Club of Mill Valley this year were delivered in late October for distribution to units, with these guidelines to be followed at all times. Click on the links below for further details:
| | Range & Target Activities Programs | | |
Scouting events are a great opportunity to expose our youth to learning safety in the use of firearms while having fun at camp. The Marin Range & Target Activities Committee is a group of volunteers dedicated to promoting these programs. We offer marksmanship skills training in Archery, BB-guns, .22-caliber rifles, Tomahawk-throwing and Slingshot.
BSA Rangemaster Training Day: Sunday, November 16
| | |
In order to maintain these opportunities and teach firearm safety, we need adult volunteers to operate our ranges during Council activities. If you are interested in helping supervise and promote these events, we are offering BSA Rangemaster training of the standards for range supervision on Sundays this Fall noted below. The training class is about 6 hours duration. We ask for certified rangemasters to staff at least 2 events per year, two of which are described below. Click on the date above to register for this next training day!
Thanksgiving "Big Turkey" Shoot --- Saturday, November 22
| |
Marin Council Cub Scouts are invited to this exciting event to build their marksmanship skills on the Archery and BB-gun ranges. This activity is for Cub Scouts only; Tigers through Webelos (Lions are not permitted to shoot per National Council Policy, and Tigers must have an adult partner with them at all times). Reserve your fun times at the ranges by registering online today!
| | Merit Badge Counselor Training --- Saturday, December 6 | | |
Is there some hobby that you really enjoy? Do you have
subject expertise you'd love to share with an eager Scout? If so, then this in-person training session is for you! Join our own Marin Council Advancement Chair Jesse Barnett who will lead this valuable BSA training session starting at 11am Saturday, December 6 in the Massen Conference Room at the Council Service Center!
You'll learn the best BSA methods for delivering the Merit Badge program to Scouts interested in your vocation, or avocation. The training will last about 90 minutes, and result in your permanent certification to counsel Scouts on Merit Badges of your choosing. More details can be found by contacting Jesse Barnett by email or by registering here today!
| | Distinguished Citizen Award Honoree John Carroll | | |
Since 1990, the Marin Council has honored individuals that have distinguished themselves through their leadership, their values, and their dedication to our community. Over the course of those three decades, exemplary leaders in fields ranging from business to education to government service to philanthropy have been recognized for their service to Marin and especially the young people of Marin.
It is our pleasure to recognize as the Marin Council, Scouting America 2025 Distinguished Citizen, Superintendent John Carroll – an educator, administrator, advocate for youth, and Eagle Scout and Marin-Sierra camp staff alumni.
| | |
The 34th Distinguished Citizen Dinner will be held in Superintendent Carroll’s honor on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at the Spinnaker Restaurant in Sausalito. We hope you will join us to celebrate the many contributions John has made to our local community and recognize his leadership. Sponsorship opportunities are available to support this event. To request an invitation to join this celebration, please email Office Manager Cynthia Mueller.
| | National Youth Council Selects Local Scout for 2026! | | |
We’re thrilled to announce that Scouts BSA’s new National Youth Council has been selected! There are 40 outstanding Scouts chosen from a pool of more than 200 exceptional applicants representing troops from councils across the nation. This diverse group of youth leaders will play a vital role in shaping the future of Scouts BSA programming. Please join us in congratulating our own Marin Council Eagle Scout Skylar L. from Troop 1015 in San Anselmo! Skylar attends the Branson School in Ross where she is the Website Editor of "The BLAZER" student newspaper, and is a brotherhood member of Talako Lodge, Order of the Arrow!
| | Reserve your Scouts BSA Summer Resident Camp Week | | |
After another successful Summer reviving the excellent Scout programs and Camp traditions at Marin-Sierra, we were excited to celebrate the camp's 75th anniversary in August! Many of our camp forms have already been updated and the Marin-Sierra webpage has all the exciting details to plan your best week ever at Scouts BSA resident camp! This annual Summer experience is critical to delivering the promise of adventure and the mission of Scouting America to our youth!
Choose your unit session from:
Week #1: June 28 - July 4
Week #2: July 5 - 11
Week #3: July 12 - 18
Week #4: July 19 - 25
Click here to place your unit reservation at the best alpine Summer camp in California!
#MayTheForestBeWithYou #AdventureOn #ScoutMeIn
Click here to submit an application for the most Summer fun on our Camp Staff team!
| | |
The National Scout Jamboree Returns Next July 2026!
Held every 4 years at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, WV
| | |
The National Scout Jamboree is the premier event for Scouts, Venturers and adult leaders from throughout the Scouting America organization. Our Council contingent might include a multi-day tour of East Coast historical attractions and our nation’s Capital area prior to attending the NSJ. Regular fees are estimated at $5200-$5600 and includes the BSA Jamboree fees for food, camping and programs plus the air travel, tour and guides, bus travel, restaurant and hotel, and contingent recognition items such as patches, ballcap, neckerchief, etc.
More details and BSA NSJ registration can be found here!
Contact MJ Andrews about our Marin Council contingent plans!
| | |
A Monthly News Bulletin for OA Lodge Members
| | October Wrap-Up: Talako Lodge had a fantastic second month of the new program year! We kicked it off the month with volunteer support for the Cub Camping Connection weekend, followed by a hugely successful new-member Induction! Many new ordeal candidates were excited to survive the weekend and several returning arrowmen were awarded with their brotherhood rank. A few days later we on Tuesday, October 14, we had a spooky-fun, Halloween-themed lodge meeting with trick-or-treat activities and lots of candy! | |
November Plans: Sure to be a busy month for all of our arrowmen and new inductees where we will first hold our monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 11. Next, we are looking forward to serving the Marin Council and SF-Marin Food Bank with the annual Scouting-for-Food donation drive on Saturday, November 15. Talako Lodge members will carry on the tradition of unloading and sorting all of the food that your packs and troops work so hard to gather from our local neighborhoods. We also can’t wait for a Talako fellowship weekend where we will bond together as the arrowmen of Talako Lodge and get ready for the holiday season.
| | We currently have a large selection of Lodge Flaps available, which can be ordered online; check out our Talako Lodge Trading Post to purchase our awesome memorabilia! If you have any questions about the National Order of the Arrow organization, or the local Talako Lodge in Marin, please don’t hesitate to contact by email Talako Lodge Chief Mason Chiu. | | |
Scouting, we are . . .
Prepared. For Life.
| | |
At the Marin Council, we will continue to do our best to keep you informed of updates to our program calendar. We will also strive to highlight new ways for your family continue to enjoy and benefit from Scouting both at home and outdoors during these promising times.
Please check our Council website homepage regularly for the most current information and event calendar, and the frequent social media activity on our Facebook and Instagram pages linked below, as well as those for Camps Tamarancho & Marin-Sierra.
| | | | |
