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General Information

• Boy Scout Troop 49 is part of the Potawatomi Area Council in the River Trails District.
• Boy Scout Troop 49 Charter Organization is the Delafield American Legion.
• Scouts meet at Troop meetings, held on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Thursday of every month. If there is a 5th Thursday in a month, it will be a Cantina Night with a special activity.
• Troop meetings are from 7 – 8:30PM and are held at the Aurora Hospital Draper Room.
• The 1st Thursday of each month is the Troop Committee meeting night, starting at 6:30pm. All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend, share ideas, and hear about upcoming activities. Troop activities cannot happen without adult support, transportation, and some coordination.
• There is no fee to join Troop 49; however, each scout is expected to participate in a minimum level of fundraising.
• Each New Scout receives a Scout Book, membership in the Boyscouts of America, and a Boys Life subscription.

How does a Boy Scout Troop Run?

Boy Led: Troop 49 is a boy-led troop. The Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) oversees the Troop and leads the troop meetings, accompanied by his Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders (ASPL). The scouts are split into four Patrols, each led by a Patrol Leader. The scouts in the patrols vary in age and rank. All new scouts start out in the New Scout Patrol, which facilitates the guidance they need during the early months of Boyscouting. The New Scouts join one of the other patrols when they reach the rank of First Class or have been in the troop for one year. At Troop 49, we focus on the leadership opportunities presented in a boy-led troop. The Scoutmaster has goals and expectations for the scouts who hold positions of responsibility, and mentors and challenges them to fulfill their responsibilities. Elections for positions of responsibility are held in September and March. The Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Librarian, Troop Guide, Troop Instructor, Den Chief, Quartermaster, and Chaplain’s Aide are all elected positions.

Attendance: A Boy Scout Troop is different from a Cub Scout Pack. It is up to the boys to take the time to earn new ranks and merit badges; the parents do not determine the timing of advancement. The boys must get the required work done and seek an adult leader or senior ranked scout to sign off on achievements. There are always adults and scouts available at the Troop meetings to support the scout. Attendance at meetings is critical to a scout’s success; however, the Troop recognizes that scouts can have academic and/or sports activities that may need to pull on their ability to attend meetings. That is why the Troop has a liberal attendance policy of a minimum of 12 meetings a year. If they cannot regularly attend meetings or need a period of time off they can do so. We ask that they notify the Scoutmaster and their Patrol Leader, check in with us from time-to-time, and continue to work on rank advancement or merit badges outside of the troop meetings.

Scout Meetings and Activities: In a Boy Scout Troop, the boys plan and run the meetings, choose activities, and organize most events. At meetings, the SPL and ASPL talk about upcoming events before scouts go into Patrol Corners for further discussion and planning. Then the entire group gathers for scout-led instruction and games. For most outings, a Senior Patrol Leader is selected to run an activity or camp. The SPL of the outing works with other scouts to plan the food and transportation for the outing. Adults guide and support the scouts’ planning endeavors. The Adult Coordinator of an activity helps by registering the scouts and coordinating payment. The Troop has developed an Activity Guide to help the scouts and Adult Coordinator work through the details of an outing. The Troop encourages every adult to consider where they can help the Troop. Check the Help Wanted section of the website for upcoming activities and to see where help is needed.

Committee Meetings (Adults): The Troop Committee consists of Committee Chairperson, Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Treasurer, and a few registered committee members. These volunteer positions require some level of training and registration with the Council. The Troop Committee provides lists of potential activities (although the boys are not limited to this list), keeps track of troop finances, recruitment, troop equipment coordination, advancement for the scouts and handles the legal paperwork for camps and trips. The troop adult leadership also mentors the boys through various merit badges and rank advancement work.

Merit Badges: With over 130 to choose from, the Merit Badge Program is a vital part of the BSA advancement plan. A scout must earn 13 Eagle Rank required merit badges and an additional 8 elective merit badges to qualify for Eagle Scout. Earning Merit Badges is also part of Rank Advancement. Through participation in the program, a Scout acquires the kind of self-confidence that comes from working hard and overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal. Each merit badge subject is outlined in a merit badge booklet and worksheets are available online. The scout works with a Merit Badge Counselor to learn the skills and to document the achievement.

Fund Raising: Troop 49 does not charge yearly registration fees. Instead, it raises funds through product sales. For each product sale fundraiser, a portion of the sales is put in the scouts’ individual scout account and another portion goes to the Troop expense account. The Troop Sales Policy requires that each scout participate in the product sales and, over the year, bring in at least $125 in profit to the Troop. If a scout is short of this goal at the end of the year he is billed the difference. The amount of money that goes into an individual’s scout account is dependent on his sales during the fundraisers. This money can be used by the scout to pay for scout activities such as campouts and merit badge clinics; but, due to new IRS rules, no longer for personal camping equipment. The Troop funds are used to pay for expenses such as yearly membership fees for all adults and scouts, trailer insurance and storage, rank badges and merit badges, equipment, necessary adult camp fees, and other troop expenses. Troop 49 participates in the following fundraisers: Fall Wreath and Popcorn sale, Parking and Concessions for a local RC Club, Brats and Burger sale, Spring Kringle sale. We are always looking for new ideas and opportunities.

Campouts: The Troop goes to two different week long camps each year. The Troop also schedules one activity each month, usually a campout. Scouts have the opportunity to make suggestions by talking to their Patrol Leader or the Senior Patrol Leader. Currently we go to a weeklong camp at Gardner Dam, a weeklong camp at Camp Long Lake, Devil’s Lake Fall Camp-O-Ree and Hike, Home Improvement Camp, Outdoorsman Camp,  and have recently gone to Missouri’s Meramec Caverns, USS Cobia sleepover, Winter camp and Waterpark trip, Rock River Canoe Trip, and camped locally. We are always looking for new ideas and new adventures.  

High Adventure: Troop 49 aims to schedule one High Adventure Camp each year. They are planned at least a year in advance. They can be costly, which is why it is important for scouts to fundraise. Scouts must be 14 years old at the time of the camp. We recently have gone to Philmont, Florida Sea Base, Glacier National Park, Boundary Waters, and Yellowstone National Park.

Basic Camping Equipment Needs: Our Troop Trailer holds most of what the Troop needs while camping. The Troop owns several large tents, a dining fly, patrol boxes, cooking equipment, Dutch Ovens, etc. Scouts need some basic supplies for camping, including a backpack, sleeping bag, ground mat, hiking shoes, flashlight, water bottle, mess kit, etc. We encourage scouts to be self sufficient and responsible for their items. Garbage bags are not acceptable camping equipment. As skills build and scouts move to High Adventure camping, additional equipment may be needed. The Boy Scout handbook is a good place to find information and suggestions for camping equipment.

Basic Uniform Needs: Our Troop supplies a Scout Book to each Scout after registration with the Troop. Scouts wear the tan Boy Scout uniform, with green numerals 49. The Scout shirt should be worn to meetings and outings. Most of our scouts wear the green neckerchief with red trim (available from the Troop for $9). Our Troop also supplies rank and merit badges as they are earned. A sash will be needed to hold merit badges and camp patches, and should be worn at Court of Honor ceremonies. Class B activity shirts are ordered each year for scouts to wear to service projects.

Troop Service: The Troop performs community service such as the following: Delafield American Legion help, Oconomowoc Art Fair setup, Scouting for Food, Eagle Scout projects, and other opportunities as they arise.

Adult Leadership: All adults registered with Troop 49 have Youth Protection Training through the BSA. Certain adult leadership positions require additional training. Troop 49 is dedicated to the character development of our scouts. We welcome the opportunity to work with your son- we offer opportunities for growth and achievement as well as a lot of fun. When your family joins our Troop, you join a larger Scouting family- You Matter Here!

Visit our Troop 49 Web site: www.t49.scoutlander.com for access to leader emails, Policies and Bylaws, and other information. The Boy Scouts of America website is: www.scouting.org