Crossroads of America Council
National Commissioner to Speak at Commissioner College
Crossroads of America Council Dean of the Commissioner’s College (November 2-3, 2018) announced that National Commissioner Charles Dahlquist will be the keynote speaker at a reception at the Friday, November 2, 2018 opening ceremonies. The reception is open to all scouters across the council.
Accompanying Mr. Dahlquist will be Fred Wallace, Central Region Director, and a return visit from Kandra Dickenson, the Central Region Commissioner.
The college will begin the next morning.
For more information see the flyer.
NORTH STAR DISTRICT 2018 OBJECTIVES & 2017 AWARDS
Setting the Stage for Continued Growth
[INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, February 8] District Leaders, mentors, family and friends assembled at the 2017 North Star District Awards ceremony to offer well-deserved congratulations to the Leadership team and to recognize members of the District for their commitment to service. Included in these honors was the highlight of the Journey to Excellence Gold Award status earned by North Star with the overall highest score in the Council and an announcement that North Star’s contribution led to the Crossroads of America Council being the highest scoring council nationally, too. A highlighted list of honored outgoing leadership and 2017 Award Winners can be found below.
2018 District Objectives
As 2018 North Star District Committee Chair Mark Maucere outlined in his keynote address, there are four pillars on which the upcoming leadership team will be focused in order to build on the success of this past year, which are:
Membership Growth. This includes development of strategies to communicate with Charters and Schools as well as in assisting our Units with Leadership Outreach and Program Awareness. This work will help keep up the interest with new/prospective Cub Scouts and their parents in the competition for time and attention with other extracurricular activities. Our new Membership Chair is soon to be named.
Increased Unit Commissioner Involvement. Stephen Heath is the 2018 District Commissioner, and he is looking forward to building the Unit Commissioner team and for these Unit Commissioners to create stronger and more cohesive working relationships with each of our District Units as “one team.”
Program Offering. Mark Pishon as 2018 District Program Chair will bring a passion and energy to this critical pillar to enhance our current program offering as well as expand in areas that will further encourage greater recruitment, participation and retention.
Communication. Cheryl Bilsland will be serving as 2018 Communication Chair and brings corporate digital marketing and Toastmasters communications mentorship experiences to the role. We look forward to building upon and expanding our communication and outreach presence in a way that best meets the needs of the District.
Mark emphasized his “open door policy” and is humbly looking forward to meeting and working with each of you, thanking you for your service, insight, talent, energy and involvement in order to grow our District in 2018.
2017 North Star District
Leadership and Award Winners
We want to thank our 2017 District Key 3 team for their dedicated servant leadership:
John Wiebke District Chair
Con Sullivan District Executive
Jeffrey Heck District Commissioner
Hearty congratulations and gratitude for your service, goes to the following 2017 District Award Winners:
| Alec Damer | T514 | Merle H. Miller Eagle Scout Project of the Year Award |
| Austin Damer | T514 | Judge John Price Outstanding Eagle Scout of the Year Award |
| Agrayan Gupta | T56 | Dr. Bernard Harris SUPERNOVA Award (the first awarded in North Star District, based on our information) |
| John Wiebke | T358 | District Award of Merit |
| Mike Yates | T56 | District Award of Merit |
| David Sperry | T514 | Unit Leader Award of Merit |
| Michael Faulk | T56 | Arrowman of the Year |
| Bill Buchalter | P83 | Cubmaster of the Year |
| Ron Wells | T343 | Scoutmaster of the Year |
| Denise Purdie-Andrews | T69 | Firecrafter of the Year |
| Katherine Ritchie | T343 | Boy Scout Committee Chair Person of the Year |
| Todd Sanger | P514 | Cub Scout Committee Chair Person of the Year |
| Nick Griffith | T56 | Hooked on Scouting |
| Jason Chamness | T358 | Hooked on Scouting |
| Laura Gunderman | T358 | Hooked on Scouting |
| James Stiles | T358 | Hooked on Scouting |
| Amanda Walsh | T358 | Hooked on Scouting |
| Jill Williams | T358 | Hooked on Scouting |
| Mary Fenchak | T514 | Hooked on Scouting |
| Jill Carson | T343 | Spark Plug Award |
| Mark Carson | T343 | Spark Plug Award |
| Brendan Cavanaugh | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Joe Forler | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Brad Gibson | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Kathryn Gibson | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Bob Jalaie | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Dawn Pasquale | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Chris Pishon | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Chris Strachan | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Jane Sullivan | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Valerie Swack | T358 | Spark Plug Award |
| Matthew Glaze | T514 | Spark Plug Award |
| Marilyn Mathioudakis | T514 | Spark Plug Award |
| Ken Savin | T514 | Spark Plug Award |
| Lisa Savin | T514 | Spark Plug Award |
###
If you would like more information about this topic, please call Cheryl Bilsland, 2018 North Star Communications Chair, at 317-225-6102, or email c.bilsland@yahoo.com.
Voyageur training
Here is part of an email from Don Bievenour, Assistant Scoutmaster at Troop 56 and long-time Voyageur Staffer.
[Voyageur is a unique program to the Crossroads of America Council. It is offered to adults, once in the spring and once in the fall. T]he Fall course is usually warmer but there are no guarantees.
For those of you that have taken the basic course and want to qualify for your instructor arc, the additional requirement is one more day, a Saturday, so that your skills can be used to teach new students. Sundays are not an option because there is very little training.
Attainment of the instructor’s arc allows that Scouter to rent council Voyageur canoes, trailers, and equipment. This rate is typically cheaper that the on water canoe liveries.
I am teaching two courses at the U of Scouting: Essentials of a A Canoe Outing P180 and Canoeing in the Council P184 . The Voyageur program will have a booth on the midway.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Service Hours Reported to Date for 2017
I hope that all Packs, Troops, and Crews report more than 100 man-hours per year.
In light of that expectation, here is our best understanding of the units that have met that expectation of reporting more than 100 man-hours for 2017. This personal expectation is strongest for scout troops.
Packs 18, 72, and 358;
Troops 18, 56, 69, 72, 174, 180, 269, 343, 358, 512, 514, and 804.
The top five units for reported hours in 2017 to date are:
- Troop 174 with 2,861 hours reported
- Troop 358 with 1,301 hours
- Troop 514 with 486 hours
- Troop 804 with 422 hours
- Troop 18 with 404 hours.
An honorable mention to Pack 18 for the highest number of hours reported for a Cub Scout Pack with 118 hours.
If your unit is not showing the hours you expect, login to the Service Hours Reporting website with your unit’s Internet Advancement login and password. You can look at what is there.
For scout troops, please verify that the your Eagle Scouts’ project hours are fully reported.
Dates Added to Calendar
I have been working this morning to add dates for 2018 to the blog calendar.
Remember that this is not the official calendar of the district. That is still maintained at the CrossroadsBSA.org website. The distinction is that they can take reservations for paid events and this website cannot.
The problem is that the calendar on this website is often more responsive and complete as to a unit’s needs, so it can create confusion. We will work on improving that in the coming year.
Council Announces New Scout Executive
From the Crossroads of America website:
Crossroads of America Council is exited to welcome JOE WILTROUT as our new Scout Executive.
Joe will be coming to us from Three Fires Council in St. Charles, IL where he currently serves as Scout Executive.
He will begin this new role in early January. Please help us give Joe, his wife Sara, their 3 children a warm Hoosier Welcome!
Here is an excerpt from the Three Fires Council’s biography on Mr. Wiltrout:
On Nov. 3, 2014, Joseph (Joe) Wiltrout became the third Scout Executive for Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America. Located in St. Charles, IL, the Council serves 14,000 youth in Chicago’s western suburbs.
Joe came to Three Fires Council as an experienced, professional Scouter. Most recently, he spent three years as Deputy Scout Executive / Chief Operating Officer in the 43,000 Scout-strong Northern Star Council in Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN.
Before that, Joe spent three years as Director of Development / Chief Financial Officer at Daniel Webster Council in Manchester, NH. There, he managed a $5.2 million budget and provided leadership to several innovative special events.
Joe spent 10 years as Senior Finance Director, Field Director, and District Executive at the Atlanta Area Council, GA. He also served as Camp Director for Woodruff Scout Reservation in Blairsville, GA.
An Eagle Scout with a Bronze Palm, Joe completed Wood Badge training. He is a Vigil Order of the Arrow member. As a youth, Joe was an International Scout.
Educated at the University of Florida, Joe has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture. Married to his wife, Sara, for 23 years, they have three school-age children.
In his spare time, Joe enjoys hunting, college and professional sports, and coaching youth football.
Welcome to the Crossroads of America Council, Joe!
Governor’s Luncheon December 18th
The 22nd Annual Governor’s Luncheon is Monday, December 18, 2017 from noon to 1:30 pm at the downtown JW Marriott Hotel.
The Governor’s Luncheon serves as the kickoff for our 2018 Friends of Scouting Campaign. 
For many of our units, fundraising to support scouting is not an easy task. The leaders do not do sales for a living or uncomfortable asking for money.
The Governor’s Luncheon is an easy way for each unit to participate in fundraising. Think of all the people who support or send well-wishes to your unit. Send them an invitation to attend the Governor’s Luncheon with you.
Historically, the luncheon has been an extremely impressive event.
If you are sure that someone has already been invited and you don’t want to trouble them, submit their name at this website. They will get you a response as to whether that prospect has already been invited. If they have not, you can ask guilt-free.
When the donations are made, people you invite from your unit can designate that your unit be credited for that donation. That way you won’t ask the same person twice at the next Court of Honor or Blue & Gold Banquet.
For more answers, contact District Executive Jessica Hofman.
Help us make 2018 the best year for Friends of Scouting ever!
Farewell to Patrick Sterrett
This is the last week for Patrick as our Council Scout Executive before he becomes the Assistant Chief Scout Executive for Operations.
Check out the Facebook feed on this page for more about Patrick in the news.
We wish Patrick many years of joyful scouting in Dallas.
North Star DE Change
We are sad to formally announce that, on November 1, 2017, Con Sullivan, our District Executive since May 2015, will be transferring to Hou Koda District (Plainfield, Speedway) as part of his promotion to Senior District Executive at the Council. During Con’s tenure, North Star went from being threatened with dissolution to the highest scoring district in the Crossroads of America Council’s Journey to Excellence in 2016 with 2250. As he leaves in 2017, North Star is already at 2225 (with some JTE scores from units not yet submitted and no information for the fourth quarter yet).* We wish him well in his new assignment (just not too well, so as not to beat North Star).
Unlike in many transitions prior to Con’s arrival, Council has already appointed his successor, Jessica Hofman (jehofman@crossroadsbsa.org). She will become our District Executive on November 1, 2017.
Jessica came to the Crossroads of America Council in April of 2016, where she has served as Sugar Creek District’s DE (Lebanon and Crawfordsville). She has her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Purdue University and just recently finished her Masters in Business Administration degree from Indiana Western Governor’s University. She is a resident of northern Indianapolis. Jessica’s strength is in membership and she has a passion for program.
____________
*Other districts have stepped up this year, so the competition is tougher: Del-Mi at 2250.
BSA rolls out 100% co-ed
You may have heard, but all programs will be co-ed by January 1, 2019. Cub Scouts start, as I read it, June 1, 2018.
Here is the announcement from CAC Council Commissioner Ron Penczek:
Team,
I wanted to take a moment to forward on to you official communications from our National Council regarding girls in Cub and Boy Scouting. While it is too late for my girls to stand beside their brother in earning Eagle Scout, I am very excited to bring our program of citizenship, leadership and fitness to girls around the country, I hope you are as excited as me. I know for some Scouters, this change will be concerning and their concerns are not without merit, but as a Commissioner Corps, I am sure we can help deliver a positive message. We can be the agent of change that helps everyone to see the benefits of such a change and help implement such change in a positive way.
Please cascade this to your District and Unit Commissioners and begin talking with your units about this change.
I look forward to talking with you next week.
Kind regards,
Ron
BSA Expands Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts Programs to Welcome Girls
The BSA’s board of directors has unanimously approved welcoming girls into our Cub Scouts program and delivering a Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
The historic decision comes after years of receiving requests from families and girls. The BSA evaluated the results of numerous research efforts, gaining input from current members and leaders — as well as parents and girls who have never been involved in Scouting — to understand how to offer families an important additional choice in meeting the character development needs of all their children.
Linked below (or attached) are a few resources to help you learn more about today’s decision, as well as respond to any inquiries you may receive. As always, please direct all media queries to pr@scouting.org:
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next →
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
You must be logged in to post a comment.