Good afternoon, Constellation District. It is great to see and hear about so many great Scouting events that are underway to start our Scouting year. On top of the camping trips, service projects, popcorn sales, and other activities our units have going on, check out these additional things to know about in the District and Council.

• District Roundtable: October 22 (new date)
• Cub Scout Fall Festival: 6 Dates in October and November
• Fall Recruiting Events
• Scouting for Food: November 9 and 16 - Door Hangers Available Now

Plus, some Dates to Know

this month's Safety Moment on Campfire Safety, and

Council's DEI Nugget on Religious Inclusion

District Roundtable

October 22, 2024, 7:30 to 9:00 pm

(Note the new date)

Location TBD

The quarterly Constellation District Roundtable is back in October! Our theme for this Roundtable is Rechartering. With some changes in store for this year, it isn't too early to get started. While an introduction to the process can be found here, come to the Roundtable to learn more, get help, or just catch up with some other units.

Roundtables are at their best when we can learn from each other. So whether you are new to Scouting or a seasoned veteran, we hope you can make a special effort to join us for learning, sharing, and fellowship.

Cub Scout Fall Festival

Six Dates to Choose From

October 19, 2024

October 20, 2024

October 26, 2024

October 27, 2024

November 2, 2024

November 3, 2024

Get excited for the most fun you can have as a Cub Scout this Fall - join us for FALL FEST at Camp Hart!! Cubs will have a chance to carve pumpkins, go bouldering, shoot BB's and Archery, learn about STEM, make crafts, and more! There are 6 days to choose from, but register soon, as dates will sell out.

Best part - bring a friend, because new Cubs attend for free!

Click here for more information and to register.

Fall Recruiting Events

Fall is prime recruiting season for Scouts. Fall camping and other activities are perfect events for new Scouts, and every Pack should be doing a Fall recruitment event. And if you have already have one, it is still a great time to have another. With the start of school craziness behind us, October offers fun and fruitful opportunities before Halloween (trunk or treats for example). Have an event scheduled? Submit the details using this link. Need ideas? Reach out to our Membership Specialist, Rhys Wallace and he can help.

Need additional help? Flyer printing and Facebook ads are available for your unit. We also have additional promotional materials are available with our “membership in a box”. Yard signs for both Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA are also available. Visit the council office to pick up some. And make sure your Unit's BeAScout Pages (i.e., Pins) are up to date with your meeting times, contact info, and any fun upcoming events. Contact Rhys for help with any of your recruiting needs.

Scouting for Food Collection

Door Tag Drop-Off November 9

Collection November 16

Scouting for Food 2024 is just a month away. The door hangers are printed and ready for pick-up 24 hour a day from our District Scouting for Food Chair, Kate Hiebert.

We encourage all Units to participate in this fantastic service project for the Greater Philadelphia area. We are looking for all Units to collect in their local communities. Please take a look at this map of areas Units are collecting in and figure out coverage for your unit.

Every year, the Constellation District helps collect food for families in need in our communities. Last year we filled close to 400 boxes with over 6.5 tons of food (roughly 13,000 packages) at our collection site, which was supplemented by other Units who organized their own collections directly. Let's look to do even better in 2024!

Dates to Know

And take a look at the Council's Calendar and Council's Program Update for other opportunities and to learn more about each event.

District Roundtable: October 22, 2024 (rescheduled)

Join your fellow Unit Leaders to discuss topics of interest. No registration required.

Cub Scout Fall Festival: Six Dates in October and November at Camp Musser

October 19, 20, 26, and 27; November 2 and 3.

Halloweekend at Resica Falls: October 26, 2024

Come for the day's activities or camp for the whole weekend.

Incident Reduction & Reporting Training: October 26, 2024

BALOO Training: November 2 to 3, 2024

Training for Cub Scout leaders, held at Camp Musser. 

IOLS: Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills: November 2 to 3, 2024

Training at Camp Musser for Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, and any Adults who regularly attend camping trips. 

Scouting for Food Collection: November 16, 2024

With Door Tag Drop-Off November 9.

Questions? Contact our District Coordinator, Kate Hiebert, for info.

Eastern State Penitentiary Scout Day: November 17, 2024

Scout Night at the Flyers: November 19, 2023

Activities, patches, and photos on the ice. Information and registration here.

District Safety Minute

Campfire Safety

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting chillier, making the perfect conditions for the ultimate Scouting activity: the campfire. Now is a great time to refresh yourself on the basics and to make sure your Scouts know them as well.

BSA Guidelines on Campfire Safety

Behavior Around Campfires

Council DEI Nugget

Religious Inclusion

Religious inclusion creates a respectful environment that celebrates the diverse religious beliefs found in our community. Here are a few terms that can help guide your worship service, so that it reflects sensitivity and inclusion for your unit:

A non-denominational service honors different strands within a single, specific religion

A nonsectarian service honors doctrine of various sects of a religion.

An ecumenical service honors a number of different Christian Churches.

An interfaith / interreligious service honors and involves persons of different religious faiths, e.g., Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Unitarian-Universalist, Shinto, Native Spirituality.

An inclusive program should extend to all parts of the service, including the call to worship, invocation, benediction, reading, prayer, and music. Here’s are some tips that can help you.

Key People to Know

Constellation District Volunteer Leadership (Key 2)

John Cluver, District Chair

Rob Shillingford, District Commissioner

Service Area 2 Professional Team

Ryan Martin, Team Lead and Fundraising Specialist

Rhys Wallace, Membership Specialist

Aaron Munson, Service & Program Specialist

Constellation District Website: Click Here

Constellation District Instagram:  @constellation_district 

Constellation District Facebook page: Click Here

Do you have news or photos on a new Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow induction, or anything else to share on the District's Facebook page? Contact our Public Relations Chair, Rose Sutkowski, to get it posted.