Shawnee District Committee Meetings are held on the Third Thursday of most months. The meetings will be a zoom format. Join us on zoom at 6:30 PM.
Click the link below to get access to the zoom meeting information.
BSA and United Methodist Church Units – Going Forward
The United Methodist Church in West Virginia has recommended local United Methodist Churches not charter Scouting units. They recommend use of an Affiliated Agreement, or the Facilities use Agreement. After a detailed review of these two options, the Executive Board of the Buckskin Council has determined that the Affiliated Agreement is not a viable option for our council. As a result, Untied Methodist units will have to be chartered by another entity if they follow the recommendations of West Virginia United Methodist Church officials. Those that do so and still desire to allow scout units to utilize their facilities will need to execute a Facilities Use Agreement.
Given that a number of existing church units will need to be rechartered as a result of these developments, the Council Executive Board has authorized the formation of a Group of citizens to act as the chartering partner for any units who are losing their current chartering partner and are unable to identify an alternative chartered partner. This entity, known as the Central Appalachian Scouters' Association, will be established as a separate entity with its own EIN and will function as any chartering partner would function.
We recognize the this is a burden for our United Methodist Church sponsored units and will work closely to help shepherd you through this process. Your point of contact for questions is your District Executive or Commissioner. Alternatively, you can contact Kelly Thaxton at 304-340-3663.
For complete details, please refer to the INSTRUCTIONS TO UNITED METHODIST CHURCH UNITS.
RELEASE OF SCOUT UNIT OWNERSHIP
FACILITIES USE & INDEMNITY AGREEMENT (September 2022)
UPDATE: The Buckskin Council has conducted three informational meetings to provide details and guidance to unit leaders going forward. In these meetings, leaders were able to ask questions. We have compiled these questions and answers plus the slide deck from the presentations to help provide clarity to unit leaders.
Limited Edition Memorial Patch for Sale
Takhonek Lodge Arrowman,
Our Lodge lost a great man, Scouter, and Leader this year, Steve Hardman. It is not often that the Lodge produces a patch in memory of a member. The Takhonek Lodge Executive Committee has decided to honor Steve Hardman and what he has done for our Lodge by creating a jacket patch to sell. The patch size will be 6.875 inches x 8 inches it will be fully embroidered. Steve had a huge passion for history and re-enacting. He helped in developing the ceremony regalia the Lodge now has. He has helped plan and lead the AIA & ICE programs for the past 5 years. His knowledge in this field was amazing and will be missed. To honor Steve, we will be producing a limited amount of jacket patches, all the proceeds from these patches would go towards the continued education of the AIA & ICE programs in our Takhonek Lodge.
All of you may not have had the pleasure of working with Steve, but if you did you would never forget him. He was a man that would tell you what was on his mind, he would especially tell you if you were wrong. However, he did it for a reason, and he truly wanted you to learn from your mistakes.
Steve Hardman became a Vigil Honor member in 1994 and lead with Leadership in Service. So, what do I mean by that. Steve was proud of his achievements, but never boasted about them. Steve was a man that did things because he truly was a Brother to all, loved us all and had a passion for Scouting and the Order of the Arrow that many could only aspire to have. Here are some of the leadership roles that Steve held in Scouting and the Order of the Arrow, Assoicate Section Advisor, Lodge Advisor, and Chapter Advisor, AIA & ICE Advisor, District Chair, District Commissioner, District Jr. Leader Training Chair, Wood Badge Trained, Wood Badge Staff, NYLT Staff, Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, Day Camp Director, and served on Staff at two National Jamboree's.
Call the Buckskin Council office at 304-340-3663 to reserve your patch or patches. There is only 195 of these patches to be sold, and there is no limit on the amount one can buy. The cost for each patch is $15.00 (plus postage). Help support our AIA & ICE program and sew your patch onto a jacket or sweatshirt in honor of Steve Hardman. The patches are available now at the Council Service Center. All proceeds go toward the OA ceremonies equipment fund.
Adena District Cub Scout Adventure Videos
Adena District has created a series of videos for the Cub Scout required adventures. These videos are intended to help Cub Scouts, parents, and Cub Scout leaders in understanding and completing the required advancement items for each Cub Scout rank program. While a handful are still in development, we want to share these with you so your Cub Scout may still earn their rank during this program year.
In some videos the presenters cover the material in such detail that the scout should be able learn what he or she needs to know. A parent or leader could then ask the scout to explain the material covered and what that means to the scout to receive credit for that requirement. Other videos help explain what the scout will need to do, such as take a hike or visit a fire station or police department. Once these activities have been completed, then the scout can be credited for these requirements. Everyone needs to remember that advancement is intended to include the participation of the scout. Often what the scouts may learn about themselves during the journey to completing the requirements is worth more than the requirement itself.
In a number of the videos, we have incorporated segments created by other councils. We found it unnecessary to “re-invent the wheel” and appreciate the work and time these councils contributed to making the den meeting resources available to us.
Presenters in these videos include Alvin Watts and Bridget Pauley, both program specialists for the Buckskin Council, BSA, and Carl Sullivan, District Executive.
These videos address required adventures for the Cub Scout ranks. Elective adventures have been covered in part by the video segments created by other councils. You may find some videos related to these elective adventures at the link below.
Visit Adena District's Youtube page for the entire video playlist.
Restructuring Update November 16, 2020
November 16, 2020
Dear Scouting Family—
As the national organization reaches a significant moment in its bankruptcy case, the Buckskin Council wants our Scouting community to know that we share in the Boy Scouts of America’s heartfelt support for victims of past abuse in Scouting.
Tens of thousands of individuals submitted claims nationally in advance of the November 16th deadline set by the court in the national organization’s Chapter 11 case. We are moved by their bravery. Millions of youth across our country have benefited from Scouting for more than 100 years, but the number of individuals who have been affected by past abuse is devastating.
Now that all claims have been filed, the next step will be for third-party advisors to review the claims in order to uphold the integrity of the process, while the national organization works to develop a plan of reorganization to fund the proposed Trust.
It is important to note that while any instance of abuse is one too many, the overwhelming majority of abuse claims filed in the national organization’s bankruptcy case relate to allegations of abuse that occurred before our modern youth protection policies were put in place more than three decades ago.
I want to underscore what many of you already know: The safety and protection of the children in our programs is our absolute top priority. The BSA has multi-layered safeguards in place, all of which act as barriers to abuse, and I can assure you that our volunteers and staff members take these measures extremely seriously. I encourage you to review our safety policies and procedures to better understand our commitment to youth safety and ask that you share this information with friends, neighbors, and family members who ask about this topic. Some helpful resources include our Youth Safety Infographic and Video.
The Buckskin Council remains committed to delivering Scouting’s unparalleled experiences to young people throughout our communities, and we thank you for your continued support. If you have any other questions about the policies in place to keep kids safe in Scouting today, please feel free to contact us at 304-340-3663. If you have questions about the recent news regarding the national organization’s bankruptcy case, please reference this FAQ.
Yours in Scouting,
Brian Doughty Donna Kelly Jeffrey L. Purdy
President Council Commissioner Scout Executive
November Roundtable – Virtual Training Videos
So you weren't able to attend the virtual November Roundtables but wish you had? You're in luck! We recorded them and here they are.
All of the District Roundtable staff hope you use them to inspire your own virtual den meetings and troop meetings.
Struggling with virtual meetings? Not sure what they look like, how they flow? Let us help you at the November Roundtable! You can attend this month’s round table on 3 different days by attending any of the district’s roundtables.
November is all about showing how a virtual scout meeting can be done – we will break out to highlight Cub and Troop meetings separately. Troops will be modeling Winter Cooking and Cubs will learn about Curiosity, Intrigue and Magic- if you need both the Cub and the Troop meeting join us on another date or speak to your DE about a video of the meeting!
November 3rd @ 7 pm Kootaga and Seneca
November 5th @ 630 pm Adena and Chief Cornstalk
November 19th @ 7 pm Shawnee and Mt. Dominion
Attend any or all of them! Sign up below to get the Zoom links for all three roundtables.
