In 2017, Troop 1 attended summer camp at Henson Scout Reservation from July 9th to July 15th, in Rhodesdale, MD.

 

The Troop 1 Committee understands that some have been asking whether the Troop will be sponsoring a Build A Bear outing this December, as we have done in the past.  However, we understand that others may have expressed concern that, with the time and cost of the many family and other get togethers during the holiday season, they would prefer not to have to attend another outing.

We believe we have solved the problem by making the Build A Bear outing purely VOLUNTARY this year for any Scouts, parents, leaders or friends of Troop 1 who wish to attend.  In the past, this has been a fun event not only for the boys but also for parents, family members and friends.  As in the past, ALL are welcome again.

First, some logistics:  This year’s Build A Bear outing will take place on Sunday, December 6, 2015, at 6:30 pm at the Willow Grove Build A Bear Workshop, located on Level 2 in the Willow Grove Mall (just a few stores away from JC Penney).  The price starts at $12.00 to build a teddy bear.  The average clothes outfit for a bear is $8.00.  Therefore, the total cost per bear will be in the range of about $20.00 for those who are concerned about budgets.

Please make certain that you bring either cash or a check if you plan on attending this year.  This is so the Troop can pay for the whole group and, that way, we can save on the tax.

Not only is the approximately $20.00 cost per bear actually less than the $25.00 that might normally be charged for a camping trip, but this will also be an approved service project that can go toward Second Class, Star and Life service requirements for a Scout’s advancement.

And here is the really good part that makes this outing in keeping with the spirit of the holiday season:  All bears that we build will be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to be given to sick and needy children who greatly appreciate the donation, especially during the holidays.  In fact, one of the reasons why the Committee decided to sponsor Build A Bear again this year is that the Troop had been contacted by CHOP asking if we planned on donating bears as we have done in prior years.  It seems that the bears that our Troop has made and donated in the past have been greatly appreciated by the sick boys and girls that are CHOP patients.

To that end, all of the bears that Troop 1 builds and donates will be delivered to CHOP on Thursday, December 10, 2015, at around 11:30 am.  CHOP has asked us to deliver the bears by this date so they can be given to the children in advance of the religious holidays.  This also explains why the outing will take place on the evening of December 6; we cannot do it any later and meet CHOP’s delivery deadline and we wanted to give adequate time for sign up by not scheduling it any earlier.

We will have a sign up available at the Troop meeting tonight and next Monday for any parents, boys, friends or family members who are interested in attending the Build A Bear outing on December 6.  We will also add the event to the Troop’s calendar on line and on Facebook.  Please use any of these methods to sign up or send me a responding email if you are interested in attending.  However, please note that we are only asking for sign ups to give us an estimate of how many people are expected to show up.  Since this is a voluntary event, you are free to show up even if you do not sign up or not to attend if you did sign up and your plans change.  However, we do hope to see as many as possible on December 6 in keeping with the spirit of the holiday season.

Please feel free to contact me (Marty Judge), Frank Whalen or Bill Niehoff if you have any questions.