Monthly Archives: April 2007

Medical forms due for Summer Camp

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Hi, all,

It’s that time of the year: medical forms update.

For scouts:
I should have your class 1 or class 3 medical forms on file that must be up to date within 24 months. Class 3 is much preferred (and that’s what I have for most of you) and it is a must for anyone planning to attend the upcoming summer camp.

If there have been any changes to your medical history (including allergies) or your insurance company since your last updated form, please send me an updated class 3 form.

For summer campers, it is essential to have your class 3 forms to be valid throughout the entire camping period. 8/18/2007 is the last day of our summer camp. Therefore, your class 3 medical form (and hence your last physical exam) must be no earlier than 8/17/2005.

I will be sending out individual emails later this week to remind those who must update.

For adults:
If you plan on doing any overnight trip with the scout troop, you should have a class 3 medical form on file with me that is current within 24 months for those of you who are under the age of 40, and within 12 months for those who are 40 or over (yes, sort of age discrimination but it’s for your own good.) In particular, if you plan to stay overnight at the summer camp (even for one night), your class 3 form should be valid within 12 (or 24 if you are a “young” parent) months at the time of your stay.

Summer camp:
All scout medical form updates should be completed within the next three weeks, so that we can send the forms to the summer camp staff. So, please help me by sending me the updates and responding to my email later on this week.

Thanks,
Franco Wong

NOTE: The Class 3 Medical Form can be found in the Information Sheet at the “Sign up for Summer Camp” post.

UPDATE 5/1: Here’s a direct link to the Class 3 Medical Form. Also, here’s a filled-out example.

Pancake Breakfast Review

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Hi all,

A big Thank You to all who participated.

As you know the big issue was the weather. I think the town did the
right thing in canceling, as safety was the first consideration. As we
were little effected by the weather indoors, we did not have to cancel.

We served about half as many people as we usually do. This of course
had a financial impact on us. The current net is about 40% of the usual
net of the past couple of years. This is not very good. As Hank said
we will survive if we tighten belts a little.

On the other hand there may be other opportunities to raise funds this
year. We will continue to explore options and will communicate them
with you as we encounter them.

That said, it was another superb Pancake Breakfast. I cannot thank all
of you individually, even though you all deserve it! I would, however,
like to mention a few of the highlights. Bear with me, it is long, but
there are a lot of good things to report.

Click here to read more …

Charles Hatvany

Final payment for summer camp due

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Hi all,

The final payment for summer camp is due this Thursday April 26th. Please print Form 2 from the web and either bring it with a check to the Troop meeting or mail it to me. The address in on the form.

Please be prompt since we need to deposit the checks and then write a BIG check to the camp.

I encourage all scouts to ride the bus at least one way, both ways if they are staying two weeks.

See you Thursday.

–Jeff Shorter

Thanks for coming to Pancake Breakfast

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Several people have asked me about the impact of the cancellation of Patriots’ Day outdoor events on our breakfast. I will tell you what I told them.

I have always said that the breakfast means much more than just money to the troop. It is a connection with the town. It is a chance for our friends and neighbors to come down to see us and have breakfast with us each year. We found out in 2000 when we had to serve on Saturday what we learned again today—we really like being part of the larger celebration of a unique event in the history of our nation, but we don’t need another event to bring in a crowd. We can, in fact, be the event.

As a selectman, I agree 100 percent with the decision to cancel. I know it was a tough one for the Town Manager and the Celebrations Committee to make, but given the weather and the risk to participants and spectators, they were correct. Moreover, the early notice gave us a chance to do some contingency planning of our own and that planning has pointed the way toward a better way to do things. Moreover, some of the infrastructure improvements the coordinators made this year—like the increased number of Cambro beverage containers and the pancake storage container—were keys to our being able to serve breakfast to a crowd today which we simply couldn’t predict.

We probably served a shade under 900 paying customers on Patriots’ Day. But they were customers who came down to see us just because they wanted to see us. Not the re-enactment. Not the parade. A soldier from His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot dropped $100 on the table to pay for his breakfast. He used to be the SPL of Troop 160. A Lexington police officer paid even more than that. Troop 119 supported us. A Daisy Girl Scout troop stopped by. The Town Celebrations Committee took over a whole table. Three Selectmen were there. Many people said “Keep the change” to the two JASMs handling the money.

We will have to tighten our budget belt a bit this year. Maybe we’ll defer the purchase of some tents and we’ll take one last look at the old stoves before we buy new ones. We’ll try to take better care of our equipment. We made enough, however, to be able to continue to support our level of camperships and other financial aid we offer. But what we got today was worth more than money. Our friends and neighbors supported us and with fewer customers this year, we had time to talk to many of them.

During the gas incident a couple of Thanksgivings ago, a Keyspan worker impressed by the help they got from the citizens of Lexington, asked me if I understood that I was living in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting. Well, yes, I did, and after today I hope you do, too.

The Pancake Breakfast coordinators did a superb job this year as did all the Scouts and parents who helped. It was, in fact, a very good year. Thank you to all.

-Hank Manz