Samoset Council, BSA

Since our founding in 1920 the mission of the Samoset Council has been to provide the necessary support services to ensure the success of our districts and the Scout units they support. These services include, but are not limited to, annual growth, successful fundraising, quality program, property utilization, staff development, and recruiting quality volunteer leadership at every level of the organization.

The Council will be successful in its efforts when a high percentage of the units within the Council achieve Quality Unit status and the mission statement of the Boy Scouts of America is a reality in the lives of those we serve.

Looking for volunteer opportunties, contact Michael McCarthy at .

Featured News

Patch Contest Results

Results of the 1st round of entries in the Samoset Council Strop patch contest is as follows:

Patch #2 34.21% is the winner with 39 Votes Patch #3 25.43% came in 2nd with 29 Votes Patch #4 18.42% came in 3rd with 21 Votes Patch #1 12.28% came in 4th with 14 Votes Patch #5 9.649% came in 5th with 11 Votes There was a total of 114 votes. The first collectable patch (Patch #2) is now being produced by a patch company and will be available to collect or trade in a few weeks. It will be available at the Scout Shop and through our website. Watch for it! Thanks to everyone who entered and voted! Keep sending new entries for the next contest this fall!!

Online Advancement Entry is Coming Soon!

Online advancement entry is coming  soon!  August 1, 2008!  Samoset Council is excited to announce that units will be able to use Internet Advancement to record their youth member advancements from any online location with connectivity to Microsoft Internet Explorer and Adobe Acrobat for printing reports.  (Apple Based programs are not compatible.)

Samoset Council will have an Internet Advancement page on the Council Web site with instructions and a link to this new functionality.  We currently have a power point presentation on the website for your review (see below).  It will show you how the process works.

Internet Advancement makes it easy for unit leadership to record awards, ranks, and merit badges to youth via an online process.  This system is separate from Internet Rechartering, but uses a similar concept.

Reports available from Internet Advancement:

• Unit Advancement Summary shows ranks, merit badges, and awards saved in each person record for current registered members in your unit.
• Advancement Report lists each youth member that has new ranks, merit badges, and awards, if any.  This is the official unit Advancement Report to be signed and submitted to the Scout Shop for awards.  Ranks will still need board of review date and signatures. The Eagle process will remain the same. Blue merit badge cards are still required for merit badges.
• Unit Awards Summary lists the number of new ranks, merit badges, and awards by name as a shopping list.
• Advancement Update Summary lists any ranks, merit badges, and awards that were already in the member record along with any new additions. 

All units are encouraged to use this new system. In addition to all the listed benefits, please remember this program is free and can eliminate the need for other costly advancement programs. 

The council will provide each unit with a unit ID, and the unit will assign an adult to record advancements.  Ranks must be recorded based on program identifications and in the correct rank and date sequence.  Only the Eagle Scout rank cannot be awarded by this process.  That will continue to be processed through the Scout Service Center.  The signed advancement sheets and blue cards  will still be required in the Scout Shop for purchase of awards. 

If you have any questions or comments, contact your Registrar at the Council Office 715-355-1450 or 1-800-303-2195 or email lois@samoset.org .    

Please click on the link below and check out the Internet Advancement power point presentation. 

Internet Recharting Power Point Presentation

Criminal Background Checks - An Update

As dedicated BSA volunteers, you understand the importance of keeping our youth safe in the Scouting program. To ensure Youth Protection, our organization has conducted criminal back­ground checks on all new volunteers since April 2003. Because some volunteers have been contin­ually registered in the program before April 2003, some have not had a criminal background check. In the next few months, we will be communicat­ing with those volunteers on this issue.

Volunteers who have not had a background check will receive a letter from Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca. The letter will explain the need for consent to conduct a criminal background check and direct volunteers to a Web site. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act mandates that orga­nizations must have a signed authorization from the individual to conduct a CBC. Some versions of the BSA adult applications prior to April 2003 did not have a complete authorization and disclo­sure statement for a criminal background check to be conducted.

Note: The Boy Scouts of America’s criminal background procedures fall under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. The checks conducted on our behalf by our vendor report criminal activi­ty—not credit or financial history—on an indi­vidual.

The letters with the Web site information are scheduled to be mailed by June 2, 2008. The Web site address is www.bsacbc, and the site will be ac­tive from June 1 until August 1, 2008.

On the site, volunteers will be asked to:

Review a disclosure and authorization •  statement

Click “Agree” to proceed•

Enter information necessary to conduct •  the CBC, such as their Social Security number

Verify and submit the information•

Volunteers who choose to decline the authoriza­tion for a background check will lose their BSA membership. A new BSA application (or Ex­ploring adult roster form) will be required (with CBC authorization) in order to renew their membership status, and at that time, a criminal background check will be conducted.

Volunteers who receive the Chief’s letter, but do not complete the Web site process by August 1, 2008, cannot renew their registrations at rechar­ter time.

If you need assistance, please call the Council Registrar, Lois Watford (800-303-2195 or 355-1450) and have your letter with you.

Samoset Council Welcomes 10 new Leave No Trace Trainers

On April 12th and May 3rd, Samoset Council held its first Leave No Trace Trainers Seminar. Leave No Trace( LNT), an educational program dedicated to responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors be all people , is being integrated into all levels of the scouting program, Cubs, Boy Scouts and Venturing.

The BSA National Task Force on Leave no Trace has asked all BSA Councils to begin a training process to develop at least one LNT Master Educator in each council and one LNT Trainer in each district. Ultimately, our movement would like one LNT trained individual in each unit to assist us all by educating and implementing the Leave No Trace Principles and Practices into our unit activities.

LNT Masters and Trainers are authorized to present and hold LNT awareness sessions for Scout units, roundtable sessions, camporees, other training environments and groups outside Scouting to assist them in learning the principles of leave no trace and employing them in their outdoor programs.

Congratulations to our ten new LNT Trainers, David Cantrell, Peggy Leet, Scott Werner, Frank Larson, Mark Paprocki, Robert Jaworski, Joe Daniels, Curt Wolfgram, David Weber, and Steve Conner.

We are presently planning another LNT Trainer Seminar for the fall of this year. Interested parties can contact LNT Master Educators John Paprocki jtpaprocki@yahoo.com with any questions.

Michael R. McCarthy Joins Samoset Council as New Scout Executive

Samoset Council of the Boy Scouts of America is pleased to announce that Michael McCarthy has accepted the position of Scout Executive and CEO for the North Central Wisconsin area effective May 5, 2008. Originally from Missouri, Mike brings over 16 years of experience with the Boy Scouts of America to this position, having served Boy Scout Councils in St. Louis Missouri and Minneapolis Minnesota in the areas of fundraising and program administration.  Mike continued to advance within the BSA to his current position of Director of Support Services for the Northern Star Council in St. Paul, MN where he has given leadership to all areas of program delivery including adult leader training and administration of one of the largest camping programs in the country. 

Mike is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Education.  He is an Eagle Scout, a Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow, and Wood Badge trained.  He is currently a Den Leader for his son’s Cub Scout Den.  Mike has been very active in both his church and the community. 

The selection committee was presented with a slate of excellent candidates and they found Mike’s experience and skills sets to fit extremely well for this opportunity.  Not only does he posses the professional experience and interests, he is also an excellent communicator and works hard to build relationships at all levels in the council.

Mike is quoted as saying, “I am excited about this great opportunity to serve youth and families in the North Central Wisconsin area.  My wife, children, and I are excited to become a part of this great community and I look forward to extending the Scouting program to the youth and families of the community”.

Samoset Council serves over 5000 youth in North Central Wisconsin through the work of over 2000 volunteer leaders.  The Scouting Program educates youth in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and the outdoors.

Please join the selection committee in welcoming Michael, his wife Sarah and their three children, Hannah, Andrew and Elena to Samoset Council and North Central Wisconsin.