APRIL
2 District Committee Meeting, Coyle’s Restaurant, West Branch, 6:30 PM
9 Cub & Boy Scout Roundtables, West Branch Church of Christ, 7:00 PM
9 OA Mtg, West Branch Church of Christ, 7:00 PM
9 District Commissioner Meeting, West Branch Church of Christ, 8:30 PM
13 Boy Scout Leader Training - Details TBA

A tremendous Thank You goes out to Julie Sekely and Dave Lauria for planning such a great Klondike at Kirtland Community College. Congratulations to our overall Webelos winners; First Place - the Patriots from Pack #3990, Second Place - the Eagles from Pack #3990, and Third Place - the Sled Dogs from #3982. The Webelos Spirit Award went to the Fireballs from Pack #3993. Patrols taking top honors in the Boy Scout competition were; First Place - Duct Tape from Troop #911, Second Place - Wrath from Troop #971, and Third Place - Eagles from Troop #990. Special thanks to all of our adults who volunteered to be judges for the competition. Great job Julie & Dave!

Rechartering is just around the corner, March 14th and 16th to be exact. Please note that this is a change from the dates printed in the Council Calendar. Our annual District Recharter Days will help you ensure that your unit charters are defect-free and ready to go. Our District Recharter Team will be at the Ogemaw Hills Free Methodist Church on March 14th from 5:00 - 8:00 PM, and also at the East Tawas Episcopal Church on March 16th from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. Please be sure to have your charter packets, applications, proper signatures, and a blank check with you when you arrive.

Our District Committee is still looking for individuals willing to help with Commissioner Service, Boy Scout, and Membership needs. District activities need District support to make them happen. Camporees, Klondikes, Pinewood Derbies, and other events do not happen by themselves. Our District Committee would very much like to increase the number of activities we offer, but we need your help in order to make them happen.

Did you know that you can keep up on District activities & events on line? Just visit http://www.lhacbsa.org/news/ausable.htm for the on-line version of AuSable News in the Scouter. District news can also be found at http://www.lhacbsa.org/ausable/ and is just a click away! Two great ways to keep up on what’s happening in the AuSable District. For those of you who are not on the District e-mail list, please send a note to bjmurray@freeway.net to be included and kept up-to-date.

Have all of your new/current leaders been invited to Roundtable? Why not start the new year off with a commitment to have 100% of your boys’ leaders fully trained and kept up-to-date with all of the proper tools & information on how to deliver the best possible program to our most important resource - the boys! Roundtable is the second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 PM, West Branch Church of Christ.

Congratulations to our district’s 2 Scouters chosen to receive the District Award of Merit presented at our District Dinner in February. The District Award of Merit is the highest honor a District can bestow upon a volunteer. Connie O’Connor currently serves as Committee Chair for Troop 974 chartered to Holy Family Church in Tawas City and has held many pack and district titles. Connie also has found time to teach Sunday school and has been involved with Scouting since 1991. Rod Troyer currently serves Troop 983 as Assistant Scoutmaster chartered to the Comins-Fairview Lions. Rod has served in many district positions and earned numerous awards. In addition, Rod has served his church as a Youth Leader, Trustee, and Usher.

What a great recognition for 2 such dedicated Scouters.

Kudos to AuSable’s Popcorn Chair Pat Rohrer for another successful popcorn sale. AuSable led the Council with a 14% sales increase in 2001. Our District’s top salesman also happens to be the #1 salesman in the Council. Mathias Justin from Troop 974 in Tawas City, sold an incredible $3,247.00 in popcorn! Placing 2nd & 3rd in our District sale were Matt Viaene from Pack 3971 who sold $1,641.00 and Christopher David from Troop 971 who sold $1,262.00.

February. The District Award of Merit is the highest honor a District can bestow upon a volunteer. Connie O’Connor currently serves as Committee Chair for Troop 974 chartered to Holy Family Church in Tawas City and has held many pack and district titles. Connie also has found time to teach Sunday school and has been involved with Scouting since 1991. Rod Troyer currently serves Troop 983 as Assistant Scoutmaster chartered to the Comins-Fairview Lions. Rod has served in many district positions and earned numerous awards. In addition, Rod has served his church as a Youth Leader, Trustee, and Usher.

What a great recognition for 2 such dedicated Scouters.

Has your unit begun planning for summer camp? This is where we put the "outing in Scouting." Every unit’s goal should be to provide a summer camping experience for their boys. Our Council is very fortunate to have 2 outstanding camps at your disposal. Please look over the summer camping schedule and see how many boys you can get to camp this summer!

Our Council’s Scouting for Food drive kicks off on Saturday, April 13. Collection bags will be available at the March Roundtable. Please ensure the success of this year’s drive by having a SFF Chairman in your unit. Last year our District collected 12,498 food items with 15 units participating. Imagine how well we could do if everyone participated! If your unit didn’t participate last year, please consider doing so this year. This is a wonderful "good turn" opportunity for your boys. Bag collection will take place on Saturday, April 20. Please be sure to coordinate your coverage area with neighboring units. Also, be sure to submit an article & picture to your local paper.

Webelos Crossover - Scoutmasters, do you know who your new Scouts are? Cubmasters, have you made arrangements for your boys to cross over into a troop? Now is the time to ensure that your Cub Scouts will transition smoothly into Boy Scouting. Webelos Leaders, please take a moment to see that all of your boys successfully cross over into a troop. Better yet, why not help to ensure their success and become an Assistant Scoutmaster and help oversee the new Scout patrol?

Speaking of Webelos, Webelos Leader Outdoor Training will be held at PBSR from April 26 - 28. This outstanding opportunity is available to all current & upcoming Webelos Leaders, and is a great way to get yourself ready to take 4th & 5th grade boys camping. Registration flyer is available at the LHAC Service Center, Roundtable, or at our District web page. Questions? Please contact Robin Taylor at 989-865-9435 or e-mail at doodlebob305@juno.com.

Congratulations & thank you to Kim Baker who has agreed to serve as our District’s Cub Scout Chair. Kim brings with her a wealth of experience and talent to our District Committee. Please take a moment to extend a warm AuSable welcome to Kim.