Join us to hear from our Camp Leadership Team about our 2023 Scouts BSA, Venturing & Sea Scouting camp programs. Moritz Schmid, Mayflower Council Vice President of Program will kick-off the meeting. We will then provide an update on the plans to improve upon and upgrade last year’s program and administration.
Dear Mayflower Families,
Like you, we are very excited and looking forward to Summer 2023 and everything that comes with it. First and foremost in that recipe for summer fun is summer camp.
Coming out of the pandemic, and as we look to utilize our council’s community spaces to their best ends, we have decided on the makeup and presentation of our summer camp program.
This summer, we will center our overnight programs at Camp Squanto and our day programs at Camp Resolute. This strategic change will help us concentrate our promotional efforts for each program in a single location and maximize our program offerings at each camp. As such, it will also help us to ensure we provide the best possible camp experience to our campers and leaders.
Given the long history of the council’s work at both locations, we were reluctant to take this step. However, now that we have taken that first foray into a new era of the Mayflower Council’s summer camps, we feel strongly that we have made the correct decision.
Any troop that has reserved space for the 2023 Camp Resolute season has been personally contacted and offered the opportunity, and several incentives, to try Camp Squanto. If a unit should choose to attend another camp, we will refund their site deposit fee.
Meanwhile, in this new era, we feel confident that we are staying true to the Scout Law, the council’s mission, and current best Scouting practices.
After all, Baden Powell said, “A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room.” And we believe that this is true whether it be in a day camp or overnight camp setting.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email Rick Riopelle, Director of Field Service.
Yours in Scouting,
Ian Johnson
Council President
Josh Paulin
Council Commissioner
Bryan Feather
Scout Executive / CEO
Congratulation to the following units that completed their unit recharter on time this year (by November 15). Completing their unit’s charter renewal by November 15 allowed our staff to review and reach back out to them if there were issues. Their charters will be the first ones to post in January.
Our council’s Membership & Unit Service Team is committed to helping all of our units recharter by December 31. If your unit needs assistance don’t hesitate to contact us.
System Maintenance – Saturday, November 5, 2022 – from 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
The My.Scouting and Scoutbook systems will be down this Saturday beginning at 9:00 AM for a system upgrade. All features will be offline during this time. This includes all My.Scouting tools, the training site, Online Registration, Internet Rechartering and Advancement along with Scoutbook.
Congratulations to Jim Quinlan on his receiving the Daniel Carter Beard Award from Plymouth Lodge of Masons. Established in 2001, the Award recognizes the strong relationship the Freemasons have had with Scouting since it’s founding in 1910. The award is presented to Scouters who are Freemasons and act as role models to our youth in Scouting. Jim is a member of Cranberry Harbors District as a Committee Chairman of Troop 9, Committee Chairman of Venture Crew 1620, and Founder/Committee chairman of Ship 1822 – all located in Plymouth. In his free time Jim assists with district training. Daniel Carter Beard was a Freemason and a Founder of the Boy Scouts of America. Jim is only the 17th member of Mayflower Council and it’s legacy councils to receive the Daniel Carter Beard Award.
Now available! Updates have been made to the national registration system that allows us to accept adult applications online. Now your unit can skip the paper and use a much more efficient and secure method to register adults.
In compliance with Massachusetts law, our council’s policy is to ensure that adult volunteers have the required Criminal Offender Records Information (CORI) before registering with the BSA and working with youth. This process is separate from the online registration system and should be completed before registering, just like submitting hard-copy adult applications.
The unit (chartered org. rep. or assigned delegate) approves online adult applications. Please watch the video below for review. If a volunteer is approved by the unit but doesn’t have the required CORI completed, we will suspend registration until the CORI has been verified. The applicant and unit key-3 will be notified if registration is suspended.
With this in mind, online adult applications are live and effective January 1, 2023: adult applications are to be completed and submitted using the BSA Online Registration System.
Please be aware that online registration is not currently available for youth-to-adult transfers. Paper applications are still needed for this function, but you can email the electronic version of the adult application to membership@mayflowerbsa.org.
We know that some will recognize this as another significant change to their routines. However, we all know that a Scout is Brave (and Cheerful).
Please contact the Membership & Unit Service Team if you have any questions or join us during any of our upcoming Live Office Hours, where we can answer all your questions.
The attached user guide is for for parents and/or volunteers to transfer between councils using the online registration system. This allows you to login and transfer from one council to another, and once the application is approved and the overnight sync is run all the training and advancement records for the member will follow.
Amber Bock, Superintendent, Westborough SchoolsAmber Bock’s professional experience includes over thirty years of leadership experience in the public school setting. Currently she is the Superintendent of the Westborough Public Schools where she has led the district for the last eight years. Prior to that she was the Assistant Superintendent for six years in the Weston Public Schools, following fifteen years of work as a principal in Sutton and then the Wellesley Public Schools. Amber’s teaching experience in the Newton Public Schools as well as Elyria Ohio combine with her years of leadership experience to provide her with a range of professional experiences in varied districts and communities.
Amber is an active member of the Westborough community, serving on a range of personal and professional projects to support Westborough as a connected and caring community. She serves on the boards of Westborough Connects, The Good Scout Committee and a variety of town committees. Amber teaches for the MSAA Leadership Program instructing future educational leaders for their Leadership Licensure Program, and provides private leadership and instructional coaching. Amber brings a depth of experiential knowledge about the importance of developing strong collaborative relationships with families and with the broader community. Over her career she has led varied program initiatives that have brought parents and faculty together to forge partnerships to solve problems collaboratively.
Karen Henderson, General Manager, Westborough TVMs. Henderson, a longtime Westborough resident and active volunteer, has served since 2014 as General Manager of Westborough TV, the town’s local access television station. She was previously involved in national training and website management at the HR and benefits firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide.
Originally from Guilford, CT, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Vermont. While at UVM, she met her now husband, Scott Henderson, and the couple relocated in 1995 to his hometown of Westborough where they have raised their children. Ms. Henderson and her family reside in the Parkman Parsonage, a local historical landmark home built in 1750 for the first Reverend of Westborough, Ebenezer Parkman.
Ms. Henderson is the current President of the Board of Trustees for Project Graduation Westborough, serves on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Spinney Vision Scholarship Program, and is a member of both the Superintendent’s Advisory Council and the Westborough Athletic Boosters Association. She was an elected member of the Westborough School Committee for six years (2006-2012), serving twice as chair, and then completed a partial term when appointed by the Board of Selectmen to fill a vacancy in 2013. She has actively participated in a variety of parent groups at every school level: as a member of the Armstrong Parent Group, and as a member and President of both the Mill Pond and Gibbons Parent Groups. Ms. Henderson was a member of the town’s Cable Advisory Committee from 2012-2014, and currently serves on this committee as an advisory member. Over the past 20 years, she has made time to volunteer in classrooms, coach several youth soccer teams, and chaperone school events. Since 2017, she and her family have been entrusted with the task of watering the Westborough Garden Club’s 28 downtown planters from spring through fall to help beautify Westborough’s downtown.
The Good Scout Award is bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated integrity and genuine concern for others in both their professional and personal lives.
The recipients need not have been Scouts but must carry the “Spirit of Scouting” into their adult lives. They are people who have been unselfish in their service to others on an individual and community basis. They seek no return for their service other than the satisfaction of aiding their fellow citizens, their community, and their nation.
The Good Scouts are people who truly capture the respect and imagination of our youth.
If you have any questions, please email: Westborough Good Scout Committee
Earlier this summer, the Venturing Crew 29 and BSA Troop 64 Scout earned the accolade during the American Legion Camporee at Gardner’s Camp Collier.
Recently, the Mayflower Council was thrilled to learn that Dante D. received the American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year Award at the America Legion Camporee, held June 17-19, 2022, at Camp Collier in Gardner, Mass.
“My Eagle Scout Project was to re-side the tool shed at my middle school, Mullein Hill Christian Academy, and to clean up the surrounding area,” explained Dante in the write-up of his project, which garnered the attention of the American Legion.
“Before I could start any work on the shed, I had to take measurements to see how much siding I would need to cover the shed,” added the Scout. “Then I had to research and see which siding would be the best based on durability, longevity, appearance, and cost.”
No Eagle Scout Project is easy. But Dante’s was especially detailed. Author’s note: Dante’s dedication while completing the task is evidenced by the no less than six Scouters who wrote in this summer to mention it and his American Legion award.
“I contacted a local contractor to ask him if he could donate any materials for the project,” explained Dante in his documentation. “He helped me come up with a list of needed materials, such as corner pieces, flashing, and other smaller items that would be required to finish the project.
“Once I had a list of the needed supplies and a budget, I contacted local businesses to get donations not just for materials for the project but also for other items such as food and water for the volunteers.”
Working in a short amount of time, Dante made the most of his materials and volunteers.
“The work happened over two days,” continued the Scout. “On the first day, we removed any protruding objects and replaced any of the rotting wood found at the base of the shed.
“On the second day, we finished siding the shed,” he wrote. “Then we had to wrap the shed in Tyvek wrap to prevent future water damage to the shed or siding. We then began to side the shed, having two groups of people, one cutting the siding and the other placing it onto the building.
“We also placed down a rock bed around the perimeter of the shed and pulling weeds. Once this was all done, we put up some signage and did some touch-up painting around the roof and door of the shed,” wrote Dante.
The results speak for themselves. The work performed by Dante and Co. will have a significant impact.
With the shed re-sided and no longer exposed to the elements, the school’s equipment — the bulk of it being landscaping equipment and machinery — would not be damaged. The new siding also extended the shed’s longevity, helping the school save money on buying and repairing damaged gear.
As a result of Dante’s hard work, the Massachusetts American Legion later recognized him as their Eagle Scout of the Year.
Click here to learn more about Eagle Scout Projects (and the Mayflower Council).
Give out prizes to those in attendance
Ready to join? Fill out application online
Choose a parent who will lead your “Slices for Scouting” party event.
Duties will be to lead the next steps.
Order your Slices for Scouting Kit below!
Determine date, time and location for the unit Slices for Scouting Party with parents/unit leadership.
The council video will go “live” on YouTube at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 1 and be available any time thereafter.
Learn more at our New Member Pizza Party on Friday, October 14th from 6 to 7:30PM at First Congregational Church, 123 Main Street; Milford! Click the link below for your personal invitation!
Text for parents to send to friends:
Hi (NAME)! Our Scout unit is hosting a pizza party to kick off the new school year and I’d love to invite you and (SON/DAUGHTER). We’ll have pizza, prizes and would love to share some of the fun we have in store to get our kids unplugged, outdoors and having fun this year!
Text for Slices for Scouting Party Host or leader to send to Scouts who dropped or have requested more information from your area (the Mayflower Council will send you a list of any prospects):
Hi (NAME)! My name is (YOUR NAME) and I’m with Scout (troop/ship/crew NUMBER). Our Scout unit is hosting a pizza party to kick off the new year of Scouting and I’d love to invite you and (SON/DAUGHTER). We’ll have pizza, prizes and would love to share some of the fun we have in store to get our kids unplugged, outdoors and having fun this year!
Social Media Images to Include (right click to download)
Slices for Scouting Party host should follow up with parents about attendees and prepare the pizza order.
Assign an adult or Scout to create a short photo slideshow presentation of your unit’s adventures. This is an easy, friendly way to get your Scouts talking about the fun things you do!
Party packs will be delivered the week of September 22.
It will include your $30 Dominos gift card which should cover at least 3 medium pizzas. (You may need to order more.) It will also include prizes, quick start guides and more. Instructions & tips for a successful event will also be included.
Follow up with prospective Scout parents with the following:
Hi (NAME)! It was so great to have you at our pizza party! I hope you enjoyed it. Do you have any further questions? I’d also like to invite you and (SON/DAUGHTER) to our upcoming Scout meeting on (DATE/TIME) at (LOCATION/ADDRESS). It’s going to be super fun!
Hosted by You, Sponsored by the Mayflower Council
Keep it Personal: Have each parent invite one other new parent/child
Keep it Simple: You may elect to have a game or activity or keep the “party” as simple as you like.
Keep it Small: this allows for more conversation and questions with new parents & Scouts.