Welcome to Troop 127. I hope that your Scouting experience will be one that you will remember with pride for a lifetime. With that thought in mind I would like to bring

up a few points that will make the difference in what you get out of the program.

First let me say that as a young man I came from a single parent home. My Scoutmasters were instrumental in forming my idea of what it was to be a citizen and how a person was supposed to behave. I owe a debt to those unselfish men who gave their time and resources that I am now repaying with interest. It is a debt I cheerfully repay and enjoy doing. As a youngster I never guessed that Scouts could be so much fun for Adult leaders as well!

That brings me to my first point, parents we need your help to make this Troop function. The men you see at the meetings and on the outings are volunteers. Don’t think there is nothing you can do. Your life experiences are valuable! We need you to help teach these young men the lessons you have learned in life. There are over 100 merit badges offered through Scouting and one may be just up your alley! You can be a merit badge counselor. You can encourage your scout to advance through the various ranks as well. There are many opportunities to serve on the Troop Committee or in fundraisers also. Let’s set an example for our boys and show them how and not just tell them! You must decide what is important and what is not, what works you do that will endure and what will be of little consequence. An investment of your time in your child is an investment that will pay dividends for decades! The limiting factor in our Troop is the number of selfless volunteers who will go the extra mile.

My second concern is the expense of being a scout. Scouting has certain requirements just as if you were entering your son in Little League or any other sport. It would be impossible to play Baseball with out the proper equipment, and indeed is would be unsafe for a coach to allow a boy to play with out or with poor equipment. The fun in scouting is the outing and our Troop has been oriented toward an outdoor backpacking program from the beginning. It simply is not possible to get the most out of our Troop without the proper backpack gear. It would be dangerous for a boy to go on an outing ill-equipped and as Scoutmaster I am deeply concerned with your son’s safety. Therefore I will not allow a boy to go on an outing until his equipment is in good repair. A good source of second hand equipment can be found on the internet.  A complete uniform is also a requirement. If finances are a problem please let one of the Assistant Scoutmasters or myself know. We will do what we can to help.

If you have any ideas that may benefit our Troop please let me know. If there is any way I may be of service to you please feel free to call on me. As Scoutmaster I intend to give you every opportunity to excel in Scouts. Now what you make of those opportunities is up to you. Feel free to contact me at any time  at jrcengineering@aol.com.

Your servant in Christ,

William J. Getty

Scoutmaster, Troop 127