Operation Tenderfoot
Dear Scout Leaders and Parents:
Scouting is the greatest youth development program in the world. As a leader, you know and understand that we are making a difference in the lives of the youth that are in our programs. Boy Scouts is where a young man can grow up to be a great adult. The only problem with this picture is that we can’t do anything for a young man that is not in Scouting. That is why we have come up with Operation Tenderfoot.
Vermont has many boys that are in the 5th and 6th grades that are currently not in Scout Troops. They are not Webelos or Boy Scouts. Those young men need Scouting and need us to reach out to them. Every Troop in the Council does a great job working with local Packs on Webelos Crossovers. We also need to reach out to those boys that are not currently in a Pack or Troop. Now is the time to do that. We can get these boys to join now and become part of our new Scout Patrols and start to prepare for Summer Camp.
The Green Mountain Council is asking every Troop in Vermont to make an effort to reach out to these non-Scout youth – Operation Tenderfoot. The idea is to have an Assistant Scoutmaster go to the local school (5th and 6th graders) and announce that any boys interested in Camping, Hiking, Canoeing, etc. come to a meeting right after school. The Assistant Scoutmaster would be at the meeting to explain about the outdoor program of your Troop. These boys want to hear about camping, hiking and being in the wilderness. This adult then gives them an invitation to come to the next Troop meeting and see what it is all about.
This project is designed to get those boys that are not currently in Scouting a second chance to join. This is not high pressure sales. It is asking them to check us out and participate in all the fun we have.
If every Troop in the Council would take part in this program, more boys would be served and more lives would be affected. Please consider this small but important outreach effort. If you have any questions or want some help, please contact your District Executive or the Council Service Center.
Thank you for all you do for the boys!
Dick Kruger, Membership Vice President
Rich Stockton, Scout Executive