Author: Cheryl Bilsland - NS District Communications Chair
Scouting for Food – March 24 @ Kroger
There are still two weeks left to participate in the National Scouting for Food drive! This coming Saturday March 24 is the day that your Scouting Unit can ask for donations from customers shopping at Kroger stores.
Remember that participation counts towards service hours!
Please check our previous article on Scouting for Food (<== linked here) for the sign-up link and more details.
Youth Protection Training v2 and Deadlines!
To reemphasize –
The BSA published training deadline for YPT2 training is Oct. 1, however our Crossroads of America Council goal is to have 100% of registered adults complete this training by April 30, 2018. One more short month left!
We want to continue to be a Pacesetter Council for the nation and set the leadership tone by having our training completed well in advance of the deadline.
Please read through our front page post (<== linked here) which gives step by step instructions on getting started and tips for navigating this training.
Also it is recommended that you use Safari (if on a Mac) or Google Chrome (if on a PC).
THANKS for all you do for Scouting!
District SPRING CAMPOREE Leader’s Guide and prep meeting 3/25!
To all North Star Units – please see the 2018 Spring Camporee Leaders Guide v2 (<== linked here!) for our Spring Camporee this year. Rick Aker (North Star District Camporee Chair) is planning on having another Camporee meeting this Sunday, March 25; email and/or blog post to follow with more information.
If you have any questions, Rick’s contact information is in the leader guide.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at our Spring Camporee!!
Reminder: OA Election Results / Vigil Nomination Forms due March 15, 2018

As mentioned last week:
Order of the Arrow Election results and Vigil nomination Forms are due on or before March 15, 2018. Please email election results as well as the forms: OA Vigil Petition Form 2018 (linked here) to Mark Pishon, email loaadviser@jaccostownelodge.org.
If you are having difficulty opening the Petition form using the link above, try this:
- Make sure you have the latest copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your device (see http://www.adobe.com/go/reader_download);
- Open Adobe Acrobat Reader and go to menu commands File => Open;
- Copy this link: https://oa-bsa.org/uploads/resources/forms/vigilpetition-2018.pdf and paste it into the “File name: ” box at the bottom of that screen, then hit Open.
- Print or save the finished form to a .pdf and then send that file to Mr. Pishon at the email address listed above.
District Spring Camporee: April 20 – 22, 2018
Our location has been confirmed!
The Spring Camporee [April 20-22, 2018] will be held at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 7725 N. College Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46240.
Unit leaders will receive the Spring Camporee Leaders Guide by COM Wednesday, March 14, 2018 via email.
The theme of the Spring Camporee is Willey’s Sirens and the focus will be on Emergency Preparedness. Scouts will be able to earn the merit badge or pin for Emergency Preparedness.
Looking forward to a fantastic Spring Camporee!
Roundtable Highlights – March 2018
From North Star District Commissioner Stephen Heath:
Thanks for all who attended our March Roundtable.
- We discussed Keys to Successful Annual Planning for our Cub Scout leaders.
- We had a great discussion about Nova and Supernova awards, and ideas on how to grow the program to help engage our Cub Scouts early-on, to develop their science and technical skills, and be ready for life in our ever changing world.
- We discussed canoeing and the Voyager program, and that we still have openings for the Spring and Fall courses. Check it out on the Council website.
- We had a good discussion about Boy Scout camporee planning, and the team will be sending out dates and locations soon. Watch for that communication.
If anyone would like further information, please ask. If you have topics that would entice you and your teams to come out to future roundtables, pass those along, too.
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The next Roundtable will be held on Thursday, April 12, 5pm at St. Luke’s Lodge.
Reminder: Please contact Troop 343 to participate in April 2 Swim Test!
As mentioned here last week:
Any North Star units interested in sharing the April 2, 2018 Swim Test opportunity with Troop 343 should contact Brian Crow (for confirmation or even just questions!) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE at ScouterBrianCrow@gmail.com.
The Swim Test is being held that evening at:
MSD of Pike Township Aquatics Center
5401 West 71st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46268
Time: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“Train the Trainer” course for Adult Leaders – April 7, 2018
There is a “Fundamentals of (BSA) Training” course offered for adults to learn the BSA Training techniques on Saturday April 7, 2018, at the Messiah Lutheran Church, 801 S. Green Street in Brownsburg.
The course is $10 and is limited to the first 20 people that sign up – first come, first serve! Register by visiting https://scoutingevent.com/160-TLT418 .
See the Train the Trainer Information 7Apr2018 flyer for more information.
Scouting for Food: March 12 – April 9, 2018
Please complete the Unit Commitment Form [<== linked here] by March 12, 2018!
Scouting for Food is a national Boy Scouts of America community stewardship project aimed at addressing the problem of hunger in local communities. Crossroads of America Council participates in this annual spring food collection program with all proceeds staying in central Indiana. In partnership with Kroger and the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, Scouts collect approximately 75,000 pounds of food through door-to-door collection or pre-packaged grocery bags in participating central Indiana Kroger stores. This campaign generally occurs between the months of March and April. Units can pick the time that best fits their calendar during this time frame and can submit for the participation patch at any time with the link provided. Participation in Kroger Scouting for Food counts toward service hours.
Our North Star Community Service Chair and contact for Scouting for Food is Mike Faulk (mythreesons08@att.net).
See the LINKS below for online forms and key documents:

- Online sign-up to collects items at a Kroger store (Saturday, March 24);
- Patch request form;
- Recording of service hours;
- CAMPAIGN PACKET;
- GLEANER’s NEEDS flyer;
- KROGER handouts; and
- CAMPAIGN FLYER .
How close can we get to 100% participation this year? In 2017 only two North Star units participated in Scouting for Food. Let’s see if we can get more units to participate in this effort to reduce hunger close to home. Looking forward to a great Scouting for Food campaign with our District!
Cub Scout Recruitment 2018
It’s that time of year again! Let’s start thinking about how we can grow our units to their full potential. Does this include inviting girls into our units? Does this include recruiting from multiple schools or starting new units in some areas? Your District Executive, Jessica Hofman would like to start having these conversations with you, as well as start developing a membership plan for the Fall. Please schedule a time with Jessica over the next two months to sit down and dive into membership logistics before back to school season sneaks up on us.
What: Membership Planning Meeting
Who: Cub Packs! Cubmaster/Committee Chairman/unit membership coordinator
Where: At a committee meeting, over lunch, or whenever is convenient!
When: At a convenient time before May
How to Schedule: Email Jessica at jehofman@crossroadsbsa.org
What: Spring Recruitment Planning
Who: Cub Packs! Cubmaster/Committee Chairman/Unit Membership Coordinator
Where: Let’s develop a plan!
When: Before Summer, let’s get new youth to camp!
How to Schedule: Email Jessica at jehofman@crossroadsbsa.org
North Star is actively searching for those that share Jessica’s passion for growing Scouting. If you’d like to join the membership team for the North Star District and help out at a District level with membership planning and execution, please reach out!
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