It’s been a fun start of the year with the Raingutter Regatta and local hike! Some more information and upcoming events below.
In this issue:
- Winter Camp
- February pack meeting – Feb 19
- March events
- Spring camping
- Welcome new committee chair, Ed Hartwell!
- Closing thoughts from outdoing chair, Miriam
- Friends of Scouting campaign
- BALOO training-save the date!
- Pack Calendar – check out exciting events to look forward to!
- Winter Camp – Camp Sheppard
Winter camp is now full. If you signed up for February 14, you can let Naomi know (can respond to this newsletter) to try and connect members of the pack who are going. https://seattlebsa.org/camping/camp-sheppard/.
- February pack meeting – Blue & Gold and Crossover – February 19, 6:30 pm
We will have a special pack meeting to celebrate our Arrow of Light crossover to Scouts, BSA and celebrate the birthday of scouting and Pack 428! We will have games and treats.
- March events
- Pinewood Derby: Do you have a bandsaw? Our Pinewood Derby is coming up soon and we’re looking for a parent who could help with woodworking tools/space for the pack for families with less tool access and experience. Someone with a bandsaw and the space to host an “open house” (something like a Saturday afternoon for 2 hours) where 20-30 families might drop by would be ideal. Belt sander a plus but not required 🙂
- Scout night with the Kraken. March 12, 2025 7:30 pm at Climate Pledge Arena. Tickets can be purchased individually.
- Scouting for food.
Scouting for Food is a massive, annual, council-wide food drive. This community service project is a dedicated opportunity for our pack to help fight hunger locally. Each year, scouts collect thousands of pounds of food for local food banks in the Chief Seattle Council area or for operations that serve these food banks. This year, Pack 428 is partnering with Hopelink. Hopelink’s Food Program operates 5 food markets with locations in Bellevue, Redmond, Shoreline, Kirkland, and Carnation. At no cost, clients can shop at the market as they would in a typical grocery store by choosing the items that best fit their household needs.
Scouting for Food fliers will be handed out at the pack meeting on March 19th. Scouts should pass out the fliers to friends and neighbors anytime between March 19th and March 22nd. Then on Sunday March 23rd, Scouts will collect the donations and bring them to Ben Rush. The Pack 428 Food Sorting Party will be on Sunday March 23rd, 2:00pm, at Ben Rush Elementary (bring donations to the teacher parking lot for unloading).
*Fliers will also be emailed out in March for those who won’t be able to attend the pack meeting and would like to print from home.
- Spring camping
We’re tentatively aiming for the May 16-17 weekend. More details to come.
- Welcome new Committee Chair!
Many thanks to Ed Hartwell for answering the call to be our next committee chair! Ed comes to us from the Bear den. The committee chair is the main admin behind the scenes. This person runs monthly leadership meetings, organizes volunteers, acts as liaison with council and generally keeps our pack running smoothly.
Ed can use your help! We are still looking for two more parents to join our team in the roles of events coordinator and awards chair. Neither role is a huge commitment, but they both are critical to keeping the pack running smoothly. As you know, many hands make light work, and our team of volunteers needs to be deep to make sure we can run the best program possible for our kids! Please contact Ed directly if you are willing to help out. Training will be provided. ewhartwell@gmail.com
Monthly leadership meetings
All parents are welcome to participate in our monthly leadership meetings to hear more about how the pack works and give insights and ideas. Next meeting will be February 24 at 7:30 via Teams.
- Reflections from outgoing chair
Pack 428 – it has been wonderful to journey with you these past seven years. When our family joined Pack 428 in 2017 we were brand new to Cub Scouts and Scouting America (formally Boy Scouts of America). What we found was a quality scouting program that focused on character building, family involvement and fun outdoor experiences. It has been a blessing in both of our boys’ lives (and the rest of the family as well).
I want to thank you all for being such a great community. Thank you, leaders – especially Tomas and our den leaders for faithfully running a wonderful program for our kids year after year. I would encourage any one of you to get involved with our pack. Ask your den leader what help they need. Lead a summer activity. Sign up to get BALOO trained (see below). Or, when you’re ready, take on one of the leadership roles. Maybe you have a younger child at home who will need a Lion den leader in the future. Consider it. It has been rewarding to help not only my own kids, but our local community, in this way.
I wish you all the best, Pack 428!
- Friends of Scouting Campaign:
Did you know that almost all of our dues go to Scouts BSA national? Of the dues each scout pays, only $20 goes to our local council. However, our local council does so much!
Your donations to the Friends of Scouting campaign:
• Keeps camp affordable
• Maintains camp properties
• Provides camp scholarships for youth needing assistance
• Makes Scouting possible for over 1,200 underserved youth
• Ensures trained and dedicated professional staff in each community
Our council relies on donations from community members to provide services to our scouting community. You are a part of this community! Please consider making a donation to the Friends of Scouting campaign using this link: Chief Seattle Council, Boy Scouts of America (funraise.org)
- BALOO training:
Our pack needs more parents to attend BALOO training so we can continue to offer overnight events. (A BALOO trained parent is mandatory for overnight events.) It’s fun and a great way to help the pack. Reach out if you’re interested so we can send registration links when it opens.
Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO). 2025 Training Weekends (BALOO is usually Friday-Saturday (but might be Saturday to Sunday).
· Camp Edward, April 11-13
· Camp Pigott, June 6-8
· Scout-a-Vista, September 26-28
· Camp Parsons, October 3-5
- Pack Calendar:
| Pack Meeting | Outing | ||
| Feb 19 | Blue & Gold/ Crossover | Feb 14-16 | Winter Camp |
| Mar 19 | Pinewood Derby | Mar 12 Mar 23 | Kraken Night Scouting for food |
| Apr 16 | Bike Rodeo | Apr 26 | Bike Hike |
| May 21 | Garden | May 16-17 | Spring camping |
| June 11 | Rank up |
Cub Scout Pack 428 