The "SPARTAN DEATH PATCH" is now available to commemorate the Spartans that held their ground at the Battle of Thermopylae. These Council Shoulder Patches are individually numbered 1-300. They are only $10.00 each and you may choose the number of your patch if it is still available. Is there a birthday, unit number, or other number that is special to you? If you are from Troop 87 that might be the patch you want. Other fun examples are listed below. (Please entertain us by letting us know why you chose a specific number)

If your last name is Valentine - 214
Math wizard - 123
UFO Conspiracy Theorist - 51 (Area 51, get it?)
Restaurant Owner - 99
Independence Day - 74
Michael Jordan fan - 23
Jackie Robinson - 42
NY Yankee fan - 27 (Championships)
College Professor - 101
Marathon Runner - 262
Born on Sept 6th - 96
Drive across America (Route) - 66
Clint Eastwood fan - 44
CB Radio - 104
World Traveler - 80 (Days)
What percent do you give - 110
Work around the clock - 247
Golfer - 18 (holes)
Ways to leave your lover - 50
Speed Limit - 65
Love potion - 9
Revolutionary War - 76
​
Send email to s_j_herring@yahoo.com with your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice. These are going to go very fast, and yes........you're welcome.

Snow will soon be blanketing the slopes of Vermont. The Ski resorts are busy preparing for yet another great season. All are looking forward to a great 2020 season with new lifts and many new program features. It’s promising to be a very white winter in Vermont!

The Green Mountain Council Ski and Snowboard Madness program is designed to bring Scouts, Venturers, Explorers and Scouters to ski the mountains of Vermont. The ski plans are designed to be flexible in order to meet the needs of all levels of skiers from advanced to those who just want to ski and sleep to those beginners who want to learn how to ski or snowboard.

The Green Mountain Council staff is doing everything it can to keep pricing affordable and hold increases to a minimum for everyone. For the skiing, food, and lodging, you still can’t find a better deal.

Registration forms and fees must be received at least two weeks prior to the event as weekends fill up fast. Don’t delay! Join us on the slopes of Vermont for a fun-filled and action packed weekend of skiing and snowboarding!       
 
Click here for registration and pricing information.                                                                 

​Dear Scouting Family:
 
As you may have seen or read in some earlier communication, the National Executive Board of the BSA announced National Registration Fee increases effective with our new re-chartering year (January 1, 2020).  The breakdown of fee changes is:
 

• Unit Charter Fee will go from $40 to $60 per year
• National Registration Fee for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturers and Sea Scouts will go from $33 to $60 per year.
• National Registration Fee for Adults and Explorers will go from $33 to $36

 
In addition, the Green Mountain Council Executive Board approved an insurance fee increase from $2 to $7 per registered member, which is over and above the National Fee increase.  A January 1st fee change means units will be charged the new fees when processing their rechartering paperwork in November and December.
 
We know that Scouting remains one of the most valuable investments all of us can make to support the young men and women today, so they can become the leaders we will need and want for tomorrow.  It is important to note that even with the fee increase, the Boy Scouts of America remain one of the best programs that help build character and provide leadership development opportunities that is unparalleled with any other youth organization.  When you compare the myriad of activities a child may participate in, Scouting program fees are substantially lower than many other youth program registration fees.
 
It is our goal to be able to fulfill the promise of Scouting to all youth, and with your help and understanding we will continue to bring the value driven programs of Scouting to our communities and families.  While we recognize that rising participation costs are a concern for families, I ask that you consider how Scouting is more than a single short-term program or activity.  The values, life lessons, and personal development each child is afforded through the Boy Scouts of America become part of his or her character-indelible traits as they mature into adults.  We have a strong program that is helping to give young boys and girls a solid foundation of life skills that help them discover and reach their full potential.
 
For years, the Boy Scouts of America has intentionally suppressed the National Registration Fee to try to keep Scouting affordable to all families.  However, it is just not sustainable and is no longer possible for the BSA to subsidize fees at the level it has in the past.  Unfortunately, that means a fee increase to all of us. 
 
Thank you for your support and understanding of this change in fees.  I ask that you continue to support Scouting knowing the many positive benefits the program provides for you and the youth and leaders who together make up our family in the Green Mountain Council.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Edward R McCollin
Scout Executive/CEO

The Council Service Center staff and other key leaders have received many questions regarding the recent email sent from the National BSA headquarters regarding the new Criminal Background Check form.  This form was sent to every registered adult in the country who has an active and current email address.  The form needs to be signed by the recipient and will be done every five years.
 
A Frequently Asked Question sheet was developed by the National BSA team and can be found by clicking here.  This will help answer many of the questions we have received to date.  In addition our Commissioner teams and staff at the Council Service Center stand ready and willing to help as needed.  

Criminal Background Check Form

Jamboree-on-the-Air, or JOTA, is the largest Scouting event in the world. It is held annually the third full weekend in October. JOTA uses amateur radio to link Scouts and hams around the world, around the nation, and in your own community. This jamboree requires no travel, other than to a nearby amateur radio operator’s ham shack. Many times you can find the hams will come to you by setting up a station at your Scout camporee, at the park down the block, or perhaps at a ham shack already set up at your council’s camp.

Tell Me More
Scouts of any age can participate, from Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA and Venturers. Once at the ham radio station, the communication typically involves talking on a microphone and listening on the station speakers. However, many forms of specialized communication may also be taking place, such as video communication, digital communication (much like sending a message on your smartphone but transmitted by radio), or communication through a satellite relay or an earth-based relay (called a repeater). The exchanges include such information as name, location (called QTH in ham speak), Scout rank, age, and hobbies. The stations you’ll be communicating with can be across town, across the country, or even around the world! The World Scout Bureau reported that the 2017 JOTA-JOTI had over 1.5 million Scout participants from more than 160 countries.

When Is It?
Jamboree-on-the-Air is held the third weekend in October. There are no official hours, so you have the whole weekend to make JOTA contacts. The event officially starts Friday evening during the JOTA Jump Start and runs through Sunday evening.

How Can I Participate as a Scout?
Contact a local ham radio operator or a local amateur radio club. You can find a searchable database of clubs at www.arrl.org/find-a-club . This website is operated by the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio, which is cooperating closely with the BSA on JOTA and many other activities.
Your local club may be able to direct you to its planned JOTA activities. Or, if there are no planned activities, you can either work with them to get something set up or arrange to visit a local radio operator’s ham shack at a scheduled time to participate in JOTA.
​
How Can I Participate as an Amateur Radio Operator?
Contact the Green Mountain Council Service Center at 802-244-5189 or email at info@scoutingvermont.org, and a staff person can share your information with the local leaders in your specific community to set something up.  

Below are the current Scouts BSA girl troops in the Green Mountain Council.  They are organizing and growing on a weekly basis with two of the troops (1709 and 2019), already having a long-term summer camp experience at Mt Norris Scout Reservation.  In addition, there are two or three more girl troops in various stages of organization that will soon be chartered and on the books.

Please keep these troop leaders in mind if or when you might meet families who have girls of Scouts BSA age that want to join Scouting.  The leadership of these troops may also be a good resource is you or someone you know in your community may be thinking or planning to organize a Scouts BSA girl troop. 

Troop 1709
Bethany United Church of Christ, Montpelier
Scoutmaster – Rachel Keast – 1709troop@gmail.com

Troop 802
Friends of Monkton Methodist Church, Monkton
Scoutmaster – Karen Parker - samdog@gmavt.net

Troop 2019 – Pittsford/Rutland
St. Alphonsus Parish, Pittsford
Scoutmaster – Michelle Smith - michie3146@yahoo.com

Troop 3752 – Winooski/Colchester
St Francis Xavier School, Winooski
Scoutmaster - Suzanne Blanchard – troop3752vt@gmail.com

Below is a letter from Ed McCollin, Scout Executive/CEO for the Green Mountain Council related to the earlier letter from the Chief Scout Executive and how the insurance costs are impacting the Green Mountain Council membership.  


​

​To:  All Volunteer Leaders of the Green Mountain Council
 
From:  Ed McCollin – Scout Executive
 
National BSA and Green Mountain Council Fee increases
 
Since 1978 the National BSA Council has provided liability insurance coverage for all Councils in the Country.  This coverage includes Chartered Partners and their officers and all registered adults in the Green Mountain Council.  Each Council pays a portion of the overall premium for this coverage determined by the size of the Council
 
Recently, the Boy Scouts of America at the National level has been dealing with several legal issues involving historical claims of child abuse by former adult leaders.  While there are no pending claims in Vermont, this has nonetheless been a very challenging time for our organization in both the public perception of Scouting and the financial burden it has caused with the affordability of the BSA General Liability Insurance Premium (GLIP). 
 
To that end the Boy Scouts of America is evaluating the affordability of delivering the Scouting program and has formed a team of volunteers and staff from across the country to consider the best way forward.  This path will likely require a national membership fee increase for youth members and adult leaders effective January 1, 2020. This prospective change is being driven by the significant cost increase of the liability insurance the BSA must carry to cover all official Scouting activities. The registration fees are not controlled or decided by our local Council.  We have not yet been informed of the amount of the increase as it awaits National Executive Committee approval, which is expected on October 23, 2019.   In addition, the Green Mountain Council Executive Board understands that our portion of the liability as well as other insurance premiums have, and will continue, to rise and that action is necessary to help offset those additional expenses. 
 
The Green Mountain Council pays almost $40,000 in insurance fees for its members which is just under $7.00 per registered participant. This coverage includes the Council portion of the liability premium, Accident and Sickness, Directors and Officers and Auto, which includes liability coverage for all registered leaders transporting youth for Scouting events.
 
To help offset these rising costs, the Green Mountain Council Executive Board is expected to approve a $5.00 increase to the current $2.00 insurance fee, for a total of $7.00 per registered youth and adult. This will be over and above the National BSA registration fee once it has been announced.
 
This fee increase will affect ALL units in the Green Mountain Council. Unit leaders starting their recharter paperwork in October will be able to complete roster work, but payment will not be finalized until November 1, 2019.
 
We recognize the challenges of the timing of these fee increases as units have already begun collecting fees for their 2020 registration renewal process. We sincerely apologize and hope you understand that the National and Green Mountain Council Executive Boards would not be pursuing this path were it not necessary.
 
We also know this is neither easy information to hear, nor to convey, but we want to be transparent as we have information to share so you can prepare appropriately. The rechartering system will still open on October 1st with payment to begin November 1st.
 
I am available to speak to anyone to answer questions and/or explain in more detail these decisions.  I can be reached via email at edward.mccollin@scouting.org or at the phone number listed below.

The Early Bird signup deadline for 2019 Powwow is Friday, Oct. 4. View the current course list here. Notice that there are a few highlighted instructor vacancies that we would like to fill, so please email jeffrey.bouffard@yahoo.com if you can help (and take advantage of the instructor discount!).
 
Spread the word that this year there will be afternoon classes specifically for Troop leaders covering Troop Annual Program Planning, the Scoutmaster Conference, and the Eagle Advisor Position. In addition, there are many other class offerings appropriate for Troop leaders, including two Scoutbook classes (an intro and a deeper dive) that will each be offered twice to give everyone the opportunity to become comfortable with this valuable tool.