Red Jacket District Newsletter

District Director Corner
Need your help with the April Phone-a-Thon!

Do you wish you had more members in your unit?  Do you want to help youth get back involved in Scouting?  Then come and make phone calls to families in your area and tell them why they should re-join Scouting and become a member of your unit!  This is a proven way to get former Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers back in the program!  It works every year and we want you to benefit. 

Please call myself or Christina if you have any questions.  Please RSVP to this email and let me know if you or other adults can make it.  We need your help!

Wednesday April 18, 5:30pm-8:30pm
APEX, 35 Long Ave. 
Hamburg, NY 14075

We will provide some munchies and beverages.  Consider bringing a dish to pass to add to the feast!

Herbert H. Schmidt III, MPA
District Director - Red Jacket District
herb.schmidt@scouting.org 

Red Jacket Commissioner Meeting is March 28th, 2012

Join other Commissioners in the Red Jacket District for a working session to identify challenged units, develop improvement plans and share experiences.  All Commissioners in the Red Jacket District are encouraged to attend and participate.

Meeting starts at 7:00 PM and runs until 9:00 PM.

Meetings are held in the Conference room at the Hamburg Administration Building

For more details, see the Event Page >>

Red Jacket District Committee Meeting is April 4th, 2012 

This meeting is open to all district committee members, members at large, and any other Scouters interested in the functions of the Red Jacket district.  Break-out sessions will include:  Advancement, Training, Activities, Membership, Finance, Camping, and Marketing!

Coffee and Networking starts at 6:30
Meeting starts promptly at 7:00 PM

>> The March meeting is held back at West Seneca East <<

For more details, location and contact information, check the Event Page >>

The Good Turn for America
Saturday, March 31st

Boy Scouts of the Greater Niagara Frontier Council and Tops Friendly Markets again team up for The Good Turn for America.  This is an annual event collecting food and other items for local pantries.  Boy scouts and Cub scouts from of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church and Nativity of our Lord Church will collect food and personal items for the local food pantry on Saturday, March 31st, from 10am to 4pm at the Tops store on Southwestern Boulevard at Union (Lowes plaza) in Orchard Park.  Food items of need are non-perishables such as canned meats, fruits, soups, vegetables, tuna fish, sauces, spaghetti, rice.  Health Aids of need are deodorants, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, disposable razors, toilet paper, baby formula and diapers, detergents, hand cream, cleaning supplies.  Scouts will also accept bottles and cans for deposit as well as cash donations.  We appreciate your support!  For more information or to register, visit The Good Turn for America Event Page >>. 

Summer Camp Swim Tests - April 4th

Boy scouts and leaders headed to GNFC Summer camp or a Birchbark Expedition, this is a great opportunity to get your swim test done.

Wednesday April 4, 2012
Hamburg High School

See the Event Page >> for more details.

Jim Turner - Scouter Gone Home

Jim Turner, an Orchard Park School graduate, Gulf War Veteran, and the beloved Cubmaster of Pack 616 out of Northwood Elementary, West Seneca has "gone home".  At the age of 41, he passed on February 22nd after his brief battle with pancreatic cancer.  Jim leaves behind his wife and three young boys.

Those wishing to help the family can make donations to:

Turnout for the Turners
M&T Bank
2180 Union Road
West Seneca, NY 14224

Life to Eagle Orientation

For all Life Scouts that are planning on making the rank of Eagle.  Attendence in at least one of orientation session is required before initiating your Eagle project. 

In addition to the Life Scout, a parent/guardian should also plan to attend.

Class "A" uniforms for the scouts.  Bring a pen/pencil and notepad to take notes.

Wednesday March 28th at 6:30pm

Eden United Methodist Church
2820 East Church Street
Eden, NY
 

For more information and to register, see the Life to Eagle Event Page >>

2012-2013 Program Planning Calendar Advertising

Each year the Greater Niagara Frontier Council, Boy Scouts of America publishes a Program Planning Calendar. The calendar includes 14 months of dates, activities, maps, directions, fundraising, training and more, for assistance to our leaders in Western New York. We make the calendar available to 10,700 families and distributed to leaders, parents and council level volunteers. It is 100 pages and is bound.

We're asking for your help to pitch advertising insertions in this year's calendar, putting local business in front of the 10,700 families in the council.  Each business card insertion is $75 and goes a long way to help defray the costs of the calendar production.

For more information, see the Program Plan Calendar Advertising Application >>

Get Ready for a Beach Blast!!

May 18-20, 2012

Show & Do Service Weekend & Leave-no-Trace Camping Adventure

Hosted by the Red Jacket District Activities
& Civic Service Committee

For more information and registration, visit the Spring Camporee Event Page >>

District Executive Corner: Spring Round-up Time!

It just about that time of year.  We are gearing up to do Spring Recruitment Flyers and need your information by March 23, so that we may get the ball rolling, please fill out the Spring Recruting Request document>> and send it back to me when it is complete. 

Please note that Spring recruitment will only be held for units that have a summer program, which means one activity per month in June, July and August as we cannot recruit scouts and have them not participate for three months.  If your unit does not have a summer program, generic council information will go out and callers will receive information on the closest unit who is having a summer program.

Flyers will be distributed to Kindergarteners only unless there is a severe need to fill other dens in your pack, if that is the case please indicate that in your request.

Christina Beikirch| Red Jacket District Executive
Christina.Beikirch@scouting.org

Marketing Corner - Communicating with the Local Press

By Alan Percy, RJD E-Communications Chair

 One of the most frequent questions I get is "how do I get my event or news covered by the local press?"  The answer and your success in getting coverage of an event depends on understanding the way press works and their priorities.

First, understand that the press of today is not the same as just a few years ago.  Newspapers, radio and television have been facing tremendous financial pressure and as a result, smaller workforces that have more to do and less resources to accomplish their work.  They have little time to research, edit and publish content unless you make it easy.

The key to successful coverage falls into a few criteria:

1. Is it interesting?  Will their readers care?
2. Is it relevant?  Meaning, does the event affect the community/audience that the media covers? 
3. Is the information you provide complete and easy to report? Making reporting on your material easier than the other things begging for coverage.
4. Is your contact a champion to youth or scouting programs? 

The first step is identifying your press "advocates".  Unfortunately, larger media outlets including the Buffalo News, local TV stations and radio stations are not a good fit for all but the most significant scouting events.  Your best chances are the community news paper editors.  The local Bee, Orchard Park Press, Hamburg Sun are good examples.

Here's a complete list of the Bee Newspaper Editors >>

Next month we'll cover how to properly prepare materials for the local press, including standard format for press releases.

Tech Tips

This month I found a series of great videos showing a number of basic knots that all scouts (and scouters) should know by heart.  Each of the videos is exactly 30 seconds long - matching most scout attention spans.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL10DB542966E08DA9

Enjoy!

Dutch Oven Cook-Off and Trailer Round-up
Scheduled for May 16th, 2012

The Main Dish….Chili!

Open to all GNFC Units
Hosted by the Red Jacket District

Wednesday May 16th 2012
5:00-8:00 PM Cook-off & Trailer Show

ALL CUB SCOUT, BOY SCOUT, VENTURING & EXPLORING LEADERS ARE INVITED!

Trailer Round-Up

Bring your TROOP, PACK, or Crew trailers, polish them up, and show them off!                                               

Prizes will also be awarded for the “Biggest Trailer”, “Best Scouting Design,” & “Best Use of Space.”

For complete event details and rules, see the Event Registration Page >>

Newsletter Submissions Wanted

Share your news, successes, community service projects or upcoming events in the Red Jacket Newsletter.  The Newsletter reaches roughly 1,000 scouting volunteers, parents and staff in the Red Jacket District on a monthly basis.

Send your comments, suggestions or news to rjdmarketing@wnyscouting.org >>

This newsletter is written and distributed by the volunteer committee of the Greater Niagara Frontier Council, Red Jacket District of the Boy Scouts of America.