Dear Friends,

It was good to see many of you today at Steakout as we begin another program year of Scouting. I am sure you received a little extra sun, and are a little tired, but I am sure you took something EXTRAORDINARY with you to share with your unit. Thank you, for being a Queens Council leader. The staff and I greatly appreciate your continued participation, and dedication to Scouting.

BOY SCOUT SUPERSTAR

Manatee teenager earns all 121 merit badges
Thomas Hall joins a small group that has all 121

By FRANK GLUCK

frank.gluck@heraldtribune.com

BRADENTON — Thomas Hall didn’t initially set out to become a Boy Scout merit badge superstar.

But while other scouting high-achievers around him were satisfied by earning a mere few dozen merit badges, the 18-year-old Bradenton high school student just kept ticking them off.

Then, about a year ago, Hall realized he had 105 and was within striking distance of earning all 121 merit badges, a feat few have ever achieved.

“I just kept getting all my merit badges and I figured, ‘I’m pretty close, I might as well go for it,’” Hall said.

To reach the 121-badge summit, Hall took a trip to Oregon to snowboard (for the Snow Sports Badge), bicycled more than 150 miles around Manatee County (for the Cycling Badge), and had to clean out a sink or toilet trap (for the Plumbing Badge).

Hall’s journey began in May 1999 when he earned his Disability Awareness Badge, and wrapped up on Oct. 29 of this year when he cast a line in a Manatee pond to earn his Fly Fishing Badge. As a result, Hall is now in rarified air among Scouts.

About 900,000 boys are active in scouting nationally, according to the Boy Scouts of America. More than 110 million boys have been affiliated with the organization since it was incorporated in 1910.

But fewer than 100 Scouts have ever earned the maximum number of badges in the organization’s near-century of existence, according to Scout experts. Hall’s feat may be a first for Southwest Florida.

“It’s extremely rare,” said B.J. Maynard, a unit commissioner for the Scouts’ Manatee County District and a 35-year veteran of the organization.

The Manatee district will honor Hall during its annual awards banquet Jan. 25.

Scouting is something of a family tradition in the Hall household.

Hall’s father, Don, is the scoutmaster for his son’s Troop 8 in Bradenton. Thomas Hall’s two older brothers also were in Scouts. All three earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

That accounts for his twice-yearly trips to Boy Scout camp, where participants can easily earn multiple badges for such outdoors skills as camping, fishing and rock climbing.

“It’s a program that really focuses on character development and citizenship development, which I think is important,” Hall’s father said. “And it uses the outdoors as a method for doing this.”

The idea behind merit badges is simple: character comes from learning something new to achieve a goal. The number and types of merit badges have changed through the years, but always have covered diverse subject matter.

Now Hall can hold his own in conversations ranging from coin collecting to nuclear science.

He has molded fiberglass, which was harder than it sounds, Hall said. He has learned how to manage his personal finances, which he labeled a yawner.

For his veterinary medicine badge he observed a veterinarian neuter a dog, not a pleasant experience at all, he noted.

Hall, who will graduate this spring from Bayshore High School, said he is proud of his accomplishment. But he talks more of the trips and experiences scouting has provided.

There was the 12-day canoe trip to Canada. He spent two weeks backpacking in New Mexico. And he spent a week sailing to the Florida Keys.

Hall plans to attend Manatee Community College in the fall. The badges have given him a broad range of information about possible careers, but he still does not know what he would like to pursue as a field.

In the shorter term, he has signed up to be an assistant scoutmaster. But his days with the organization are coming to an end, he said.

“I’ve done about as much as you can do in the Scouts,” he said. “I’m going to try to work on my SAT scores right now.”

Happy thanksgiving

Joe Bradley

Hi Joe,Attached is a collection of discount shopping deals you might want to share with all the scouters and GNYC personnel on your email list.
Happy shopping to all.

Van Christakos
CM Pack 23
Pathfinder District

Shopping Discount Codes

Bowl-a-ree Results

What if you could reach out to those you care about?
As a registered Scouter with Greater New York Councils you must care deeply about the VALUES of the boys in our program. Some of us are directly involved in providing leadership to the scouts. Others provide program by assisting on committee’s and at camp.
However you serve we thank you deeply. Every position is important to provide the program to the kids.
But there is one more area that we are struggling to fulfill that is financially.
Get ready for the big ask. Will you consider making a last minute donation to Scouting of as little as $25.00 or as much as you can. Most of us can afford one more give this year, and it will make a big difference in the life of a scout and provide needed program.
Just respond to this email and say Yes, I will help one more time. I agree with the Timeless Values Scouting provides.
You’ll discover it’s a wonderful way to connect with your friends and family and share a warm holiday feeling. Especially since your gift provides a sustainable solution and help sow the seeds of values to our scouts. Doesn’t that sound like the holiday spirit to you?
We know you care enough to make a difference in the life of a boy.
Thanks for continuing your generous support of the Scouting program in our community!
Feel free to pass this along to other friends you might think will be interested.

FOS Donation Card

Joe Bradley
Pathfinder District, Queens Council
Boy Scouts of America

P.S. All gifts need to be made by December 31 to qualify as a 2006 tax deduction. But why wait? Why not finish up your holiday gift giving today!

The age-appropriate activities, skits, games, songs, graces, and stories on my scouting site will improve the program of units in the Pathfinder District.  I also have rank advancement, merit badge, and award information.  The content is clean, very easy to use, and up to date.

I’ve linked to your www.pathfinderdistrict.org site on my BSA Districts page at http://www.BoyScoutTrail.com/links/bsadistricts.html. 
I’m hoping you will check out my site’s content and consider adding a link to it – please see http://www.BoyScoutTrail.com/links/linktous.htm for sample html of a link.

Please email me when you link back – I’m afraid my directory has grown too large to keep one-way links active and I’m cleaning them out.
If you prefer to not have links to your site, I’ll quickly remove mine if you just let me know.

Thank you,
Scout Master
scoutmaster@boyscouttrail.com
http://www.BoyScoutTrail.com/

Joe Bradley

11/14/2006
Scout hopes to keep waterways clean 

Source: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17466070&BRD=1918&PAG=461&dept_id=506840&rfi=6

Eagle candidate installs medallions on storm drains
MOUNT OLIVE TWP. – Boy Scout Kevin Cosman hopes to help the environment while at the same time educating the public about the dangers of contaminating the storm drain system.

As part of his Boy Scout Eagle project, Cosman, a high school senior, has placed 116 medallions on the various grates that cover the storm drains near Mount Olive High School, alerting people not to dump into the drains, which ultimately flow into the area rivers and streams, including Budd Lake and the south branch of the Raritan River, which ultimately finds its way to Raritan Bay.

The storm drains divert water from rain and snow to the waterways, preventing flooding and sending the water back into the environment. Cosman, a member of Troop 249, said residents should understand that the storm drains channel water to rivers and streams and not to the public water purification systems.

Cosman, 17, placed four inch wide medallions on the storm drains that read, “No dumping, drains to waterways.”

“First things start on the town level and the people in the town. Individually things can be fixed. I want to leave my mark behind,” he said.

He said that if his medallions cause even one person to stop dumping in the drains, “It was worth it.”

“I want to say I helped my town out. I can make a difference even if no one knows about it. One person can make a difference,” he said.

Eagle Project

Cosman has lived in Flanders most of his life and thought that labeling the drains would be a worthwhile project for his Eagle requirements.

Cosman said he hopes his efforts result in cleaner water draining into area waterways.

Cosman, friends and members of his Scout troop have installed plaques on 90 percent of the storm drains in Flanders. Tim Quinn, the township public works director, said the project saved his employees the 10 to 14 days it would have taken to tag drains.

“He did a fantastic job” said Quinn.

The public works employees have been working on the project since 2005 when the state mandated that medallions be in place by next year.

The town had placed about half of them in drains in Flanders and Cosman said he and his team placed the others this past spring. Cosman said it took two days to install the medallions.

“It’s a little more than you would think, between labeling, inspecting and identifying the storm drains,” said Quinn.

Kevin’s father, Sam, said the work went very well and that much of the work involved surveying and tagging the sewers.

Kevin Cosman said he had to map out the drains, check if they were in good condition, and if they needed to be cleaned.

“I did a binder full of paperwork,” he said.

Cosman also created a flyer, which he distributed to the neighborhood to inform why people shouldn’t dump in the storm drains and how it could hurt the environment.

Scoutmaster Jeanne Daoust said a minority of Boy Scouts attain the Eagle rank and that the involved process is designed to show leadership skills.

“Kevin’s project idea was a really good idea,” Daoust said.

Cosman said many people are unaware of how dumping grass clippings and other debris could effect the environment.

“The fertilizer from the grass clippings makes the water plants grow too much and chokes out the rivers,” he said.

The medallions were placed in sequential order and had to be noted to allow monitoring by public works employees.

When Cosman first heard of the idea last January from a Scout parent, he thought it would be fairly straight forward. The task proved somewhat complex and lengthy.

Eagle Scouts must complete community projects that take a minimum of 100 hours to complete. In addition to qualifying for various merit badges they also must pass an interview by a Scout board of review. In Cosman’s case, the plan also had to be approved by the Township Council.

Daoust said Eagle projects must have a positive and lasting effect on the community.

“Kevin has the organizational skills to be an Eagle Scout,” she said, adding that only 4 percent of all Boy Scouts complete the requirements and reach the highest honor of Eagle Scout.

“He has a good heart and is well liked by adults and his peers,” she said. “He is an asset to the troop.”

Cosman plans to attend college and gain a degree in engineering or science. His grade point average is 3.6.