Trail Talk – 1/5/26

Good afternoon Troop 244!!!

Wow! The first trail talk of 2026! It was so weird putting 26 in the date of this week’s trail talk but here we are, a new calendar year! I hope that you all enjoyed your time off of school. Parents, if you were able to get time off of work, I hope you enjoyed that as well. I hope that you all found some time to be with family, friends and to let yourself just rest and rejuvenate! I can say that I was with family and friends and let myself rest as well. Not sure about the rejuvenation part though!

IMPORTANT NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEK:

  • PATROL LEADERS’ COUNCIL(PLC) – THIS TUESDAY AT 6:15 P.M. All SPLs, ASPLs, PLs, Troop Scribes, Quartermasters and Guides should be attending. Meet in the fellowship hall.
  • Power Up Packs Service Opportunity – We have noticed that some scouts have a hard time fulfilling their service requirements, especially on the weekends. I have signed our troop up to help with Power Up Packs this Wednesday from 6:30-7:15 at Kastin Industrial Park (8135 Cox’s Dr, Portage, MI).
  • JANUARY CAMPOUT: PIONEER SCOUT RESERVATION – JANUARY 16TH – 18TH, 2026.  $45 per scout, $20 per adult. You can still sign up for this campout through Zeffy! Right now, we have about 17 adults and scouts signed up. The boys are currently winning the nice cabin! Girls, get in there and sign up! You can pay and turn in the permission slip(attached) to Sherry on Tuesday night! The PLC wants to have us work on the MovieMaking Merit Badge. You MIGHT get to use DEVICES on this campout for that merit badge! WE NEED TO KNOW WHO IS GOING PREFERRABLY BY THIS TUESDAY SO THAT WE CAN ARRANGE FOOD AND TRANSPORTATION.
  • MERIT BADGES – This Tuesday, we will start up merit badges again. If you did not finish a merit badge in the last session, then you should plan to continue in that merit badge until you do finish it. If you have finished, then you will see me on Tuesday night about getting into a new merit badge for the next session. Whenever you finish a merit badge at a troop meeting, please make sure you come and find Christy or me.
  • MERIT BADGE UPDATES – Scouting America’s Advancement Committee has made updates to over 80 merit badges. These updates took effect on January 1, 2026. If you are already working on the merit badge previous to January 1st, you can follow the old requirements. If you start any of the merit badges with updated requirements after January 1st, then you need to follow the new/updated requirements. I am attaching the updates they made to this email.
  • Updated TAX Information for Charitable Giving  – Starting in 2025, taxpayers who do not itemize can claim an above-the-line deduction for cash donations to qualifying charities, up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. This means that even those taking the standard deduction can benefit from charitable giving.
  • Mackinac Service Contingent Dates – July 18 – 25th, 2026 You will need to submit an application by February 10th. Applications will be available at any of the Callout Nights for the 2026 Troop. Those nights are Jan. 27th and Feb. 5th at 7:00 pm at First Congregational Church in St. Joseph. There is also a Callout Night, specifically for Portage, on February 2nd at Portage Chapel Hil Church on Oakland Drive. Question, ask Mr. Carr.
  • Pictured Rocks Backpacking Trip – I will start working on reservations for this trip this coming Saturday and Sunday. I spent time looking at what I need to do to make reservations over the break and now I am prepared to jump right in to do it as soon as I am able. The reservations for the first night and the backpacking part of the trip won’t open until this weekend, so I am going to jump on that as soon as I am able…even if I stay up until the stroke of midnight to make the reservation as soon as I am humanly able to! 😊 Once I have reservations set, I will put out an information email to everyone going and I will also schedule a meeting for this trip as well.
  • SUMMER CAMP 2026 June 21 – 27th, 2026 PIONEER SCOUT RESERVATION! We will begin signing up for summer camp NEXT Tuesday! We are looking at the cost this year of $450/scout and $210/adult. Pioneer raised their prices approximately $20 over last year. This price includes the summer camp fee, t-shirt, and transportation. Summer Camp is one of the best things a scout can do to 1. Have a great outdoors time with their fellow scouts and 2. To advance in rank.
  • Scout Sunday EXTREMELY URGENT! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Sunday, February 8th. Please plan to attend 1 of the 2 church services at Pathfinder Church on Sunday, February 8th, which is Scout Sunday. This is one of our ways to thank the church for all of the ways that they support us in scouting. We have things that many other troops do not have, and we are so grateful for it. Please wear your uniform and come to either the 8:45 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. service. Please be there about 15 minutes early. I may need some scouts for a flag ceremony.
  • Philmont 2027 – Start making payments and start physical preparation. It is never too early to start!
  • Troop 244 Payment Portal – Zeffy. Our Zeffy page remains open for you to make payments or by troop merch! Wanna pay for the campout, Pictured Rocsk, SwampBase, Registration, etc. Go to the following link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/ae9ef6d1-d95d-497f-bbb2-628736bd4b03?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2JxFwNYscci1euCT8Pe2CU0xH82wHLqKJ_k7xvHpOi_cTzmUBCmfzkB_0_aem_Xl9toW0W0_LleQxg1UYLpg

Scoutmaster Minute  – “The mission of Scouting America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.”  This statement was taken directly from the Scouting America website and is the mission of the Scouting America organization. The Vision statement is very similar to it: “Scouting America will prepare every eligible youth in America to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law.” Bringing up youth to follow the Scout Oath and Law has always been one of the most important aims of Scouting. Notice that it does not say the mission is to “create Eagle Scouts”. Not everyone is going to make it or even want to make it to the rank of Eagle Scout. However, the mission is quite clear on what we are to do as an organization. But, one might ask, how do we do that? What a lot of scouts and others don’t realize is that the “method” by which we fulfill the mission and vision of Scouting America is done through the various activities and things that are troop does on a regular basis. The advancement program. The campouts. The high adventure and mini-high adventure trips. The service opportunities. Marching in the Memorial Day Parade. The Holiday Food Drive. The one that I want to focus on right now is the Advancement Program. If you are a member of Scouting America then as a member, your goal is to fulfill the mission and vision of Scouting America. On Tuesday nights and at other times, our scouts work on Rank Advancement as a way to fulfill that mission and vision. Scouts that are working on T21, you are on the first steps of your journey to fulfill this mission and vision. Scouts that are working on merit badges, those merit badges are your path to rank advancement and therefore your way to fulfill that mission and vision. The requirements and merit badges we ask you to do are HOW you become a person that learns to follow the scout Oath and Law in your everyday life. When you don’t complete those requirements or merit badges, you are keeping yourself from getting the full experience of completing that journey. Does it matter if you earn your Eagle Scout? NO. Would we like you to earn your Eagle Scout? YES. Earning the Eagle Scout though is not the mission or vision, it is the means by which we fulfill the mission and vision. Even if you don’t earn your Eagle but you have given it all towards that goal, you are working to become a person who follows the Scout Oath and Law in their everyday life. Earning merit badges and doing T21 isn’t just about earning the Eagle rank. It is about the Scout Oath and Law. During this next part of the Scout Year, I challenge each of you to get your merit badges completed. To go back and finish any partials you have. To “RANK UP”. Not because I am asking you to earn your Eagle but because by doing these things, you are learning and that learning is what brings you closer to being a person that will follow the Scout Oath and Law every day of their lives.

“What Troop Does More!!” – 244!!!