We are excited about all the Scouting programs we have to offer for 2014 and hope that this will be an amazing year for you and your family!

America's Largest One Day Food Drive

Scouting for Food bag distribution is Saturday, February 1. More than 75,000 plastic bags will be hung on doorknobs throughout the counties that make up the Flint River Council.

Bag collection day is Saturday, February 8. Scouts will return to collect bags filled with donated canned goods and will take them to their local collection site.

Help the Flint River Council make this an even BIGGER success than last year!

January 11, 2014 from 8:00AM - 2:00PM

Lawhorn Scouting Base is expanding its Campmaster Corps!

Love the outdoors and working with youth? Looking for more opportunities to get away from the daily grind? Join the Campmaster Corp!

Campmasters are trained individuals or families that volunteer at camp on weekends to assist with groups. They select their own time and frequency of service, but usually serve two or four times a year. Training will include problem solving, camp operations, a tour of camp facilities and training in the general Campmaster duties.

For more information, please contact Laura Lovell at laura.lovell@scouting.org

The Order of the Arrow Ini-To Lodge conducted a Lodge Leadership Development program in December and we are ready for an exciting year! Be sure to visit the lodge website at www.ini-to324.org to pay dues, keep up with current activities, discover great places to camp with the "Where to go Camping Guide" and more!

The 2014 Event Pass is now available through Spring Fellowship, so prepay now for all your 2014 events and receive a discount!

January 24-26

Plans are set for the 214 Klondike Derby being held at the Flint River Adventure Area of Lawhorn Scouting Base. Register your Troop or Patrol for a great weekend of Scouting skill competitions, ceremonies, campfires and more!

The low camping fee of $8 per person makes this a great winter camping event for all Troops. Troops are responsible for their own food. Remember that everyone is invited, not just Order of the Arrow members.

February 8

The Flint River Council is offering another opportunity for those Scouts who completed all of the work on the Shotgun, Rifle or Archery merit badges but didn't quite meet the shooting requirements. This event is ONLY for those Scouts. Multiple sessions will be available for each merit badge.

Registered Scouts need to bring proof that they have completed all but the qualification portion of their specific merit badge to participate. Space for each session is limited to provide the instruction necessary for each Scout.

Cost is $10 for Archery, $10 for Rifle and $20 for Shotgun.

February 22-23

Lawhorn Scouting Base will host an action packed climbing and rappelling weekend at the Eagle Mountain Climbing Facility. Those over the age of 13 can also go for a ride on our 480' zip line!

A fee of $20 per Scout and $5 per parent for this weekend includes overnight camping on Saturday night in one of the platform tents in the Flint River Adventure Area. Check-in will be Saturday, February 22 at 8:00am and the activities begin at 9:00am. (If just staying for the day, no charge for adults)

March 6

Please mark your calendar for the Council Annual Recognition Banquet to be held at Fayetteville First Baptist Church on Thursday, March 6, 2014.  Each year we take this one opportunity as a Council Family to recognize the accomplishments of our Scouts and Volunteers.  The Flint River Council advanced over 165 Eagle Scouts in 2013 and we will recognize and honor these young men on this special night.  We will also celebrate the service of our new Silver Beaver recipients, announce the Eagle Scout Project of the Year and hear from this year’s Distinguished Eagle Scout. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to share a night of celebration with your Scouting family from across our entire Council!  We are now signing up sponsors for Eagle Scouts.

For more information contact Danny McCranie at danny.mccranie@scouting.org or call at 770-365-3175.

March 15

Mark your calendar now for Be Prepared Weekend at Lawhorn Scouting Base. Classes will include Cub Scout Leader Specific Training, BALOO, Red Cross, First Aid and CPR. Registration will open January 1 for this event!

The Harlem Globetrotters are also offering special ticket pricing to your Scout group for our Boy Scout Night in 2014!

Scout Night is Saturday, March 15 at 1:00pm.

Click on the Harlem Globetrotters' logo to download the flyer and contact Ryan Coller for more information!

BIKE - PADDLE - RUN

Are you looking for a fun and exciting activity for your Troop, Pack, family or friends? Next year, the Lawhorn Scouting Base will introduce the first Flint River Adventure Area race series!

Six high adventure races will make up the series. You can participate in all six, or just a few. Put a healthy lifestyle first in the new year for your family and Scouts by training for these races!

Races will be appropriate for ALL participants of ALL skill levels - whether you're a pro on a mountain bike or in a kayak for your first time. All races are open to the public as well, so put together a training team of friends, neighbors, or co-workers!

All participants will receive a limited edition 2014 race series t-shirt. To register, click on the links below!

February 22 - Mountain Bike Challenge
March 15 - Duathlon: Bike and Run
May 10 - Flint River Canoe Race
August 2 - Kayak Skills Competition
September 20 - Thunder Mudder Run
November 15 - Backcountry Trail Run                                                         

Reserve your spot now for Camp Thunder in 2014 and experience all the thrills of summer camp along with whitewater rafting! With so many amazing things on the horizon in 2014, don't be the Troop that misses out on the adventure.

NEW FOR 2014 ONLY!

Some weeks of camp are 85% full! Special promotion for Week 5 & Week 6 is also filling quickly! Get your Troop their $50 off per Scout by calling now! Good only for first 200 Scouts for those weeks.

Call the Camping Department at (770) 227-4556 or for details and to reserve your campsite. See you at Lawhorn!

 As you know, the BSA has been providing Chartered Organizations general liability insurance for covered claims resulting from engaging young people and volunteer leaders in the Scouting program.

In addition to maintaining and providing general liability insurance, the BSA will now also defend and indemnify employees, directors, officers, members and volunteers of a Chartered Organization who act in good faith against whom claims are asserted based upon following BSA membership standards.

Below are links to the resolution, the communication sent by the BSA Membership Impact Department to the national leadership of Chartered Organizations, and a brief question and answer document.

BSA Resolution
Communication from BSA Membership Impact Dept
FAQ's

Founder's Award

The Founder's Award honors Arrowmen in the Order of the Arrow for unselfish service above and beyond their normal duties to their lodge, and is the highest honor that a lodge can bestow upon one of its members. The award is reserved for an Arrowmen who demonstrates to fellow Arrowmen that he or she memorializes in his or her everyday life the spirit of achievement as personified by founder E. Urner Goodman and cofounder Carroll A. Edson.  Only two awards may be presented by Ini-To Lodge each year.

Congratulations to this year's recipients, Bob Sharp and Patrick Mapp!

Thank You for Your Military Popcorn Donations!

With your support to our Military Popcorn Program, we were able to provide local military organizations such as HeroBox and the Peachtree City Army & Marine Corp Recruitment Center with an exceptional amount of popcorn during the holiday season!

Thank you for supporting Scouting and thank you for supporting our Troops!

January 25, 2014

Join Scout Leaders from throughout the Southeast for a full day of leadership development and community collaboration at Patriots Point on the Charleston Harbor. This is a day full of keynote speakers, breakout session, a luncheon and more!

The cost for this event is $10. Registration is online at PatriotsPoint.org/ScoutSummit and is due by November 15. Click below to learn more.

Robert M. Gates, a Distinguished Eagle Scout and our nation’s 22nd secretary of defense, has been elected to the national executive board of the Boy Scouts of America. Gates will serve as a member of the executive committee and as the national president-elect.

Gates’ appointment was made upon the recommendation of national volunteer and professional leaders, including the BSA national nominating committee.

For the full article click on the link below.

In order to continue to deliver the nation's foremost youth program, it is occasionally necessary to increase membership fees so that we can offset rising administrative costs. For this reason, the Boy Scouts of America is increasing its membership fee from $15 to $24 per year to all registered Scouts and adults effective January 1, 2014.

Has your Unit looked at the requirements for the Council Scout Safe Award?

You may qualify to receive a ribbon and a certificate that you can proudly display in your meeting place. Show that your Unit is one that strives to put the safety of its youth and volunteers first!

Catholic Scouts interested in earning religious emblems should contact their Troop Leaders or their Church.          

Boy Scouts can earn Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII while Cub Scouts can earn Light of Christ and Parvuli Dei. For additional information about these emblems, visit www.aaccos.org or contact Ynes Ortega at ynes.ortega@gmail.com

The Hornaday Award is the foremost conservation award in the Scouting program. Six Scouts and four volunteers have been recognized with a Hornaday Badge in the Flint River Council since 2010. Units also have an opportunity to earn a recognition for conservation service.

If a Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or Venturer is interested in the Hornaday Award program, the following steps should be taken PRIOR to beginning with any work outside of the Merit Badge requirements:

1. Read all information regarding the requirements and expectations on the National BSA Hornaday webpage.
    
2. Contact the Council Conservation Committee, Keith Larson at 678-525-7713 or keith_larson@bellsouth.net

In observance of the holidays, the Council Service Center and Griffin Scout Shop will be closed January 1, 2014 for New Years Day and January 18-20 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.