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Lodge Open House |
New Lodge Strategy |
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One of the more appealing aspects of the Order of the Arrow is that it has a fair number of secrets that only members know- the sign, the obligation, and things of that sort. Because of out "secretive" nature, family members and friends often wonder what goes on at Service weekends and they sometimes figure the OA for an elaborate religious cult. Well, that may be somewhat of a stretch, but Octoraro is giving families a chance to see what really goes on. Octoraro #22 will be holding an open house down at Camp Horseshoe on Saturday, June 5th, 1999. The open house will consist of an interactive tour of the camp and the ceremony circle. This open house is designed for the parents to have a more in-depth look at what the Order of the Arrow is, and what it really does for the camp. Letters will be sent out soon with an attached form to send in. These forms will have more information about the event, and they will also be available at the OA Banquet. If you have any questions about the Open House, please email them to Open22@aol.com Drum/Dance Team At the Lodge Committee meeting in January , the Drum/Dance Team was officially approved as a new standing committee. The Drum/Dance team is responsible for inter-lodge drum/dance competitions at Section conclaves and other competitions, which is something Octoraro has missed for quite some time. The committee first began meeting back in September and interest has been rising steadily. It is now fully sanctioned and has a budget for costumes. If you would like to become involved in the Drum/Dance Team, their meetings are held every second and fourth Sunday of the month at Kimberton Fire Company (Building B) from 3:00PM -5:00 PM. For more information, please contact AJ Patton Bowl-A-ThonForget the shirts! The lodge now has a magenta bowling ball! Nine brave souls ventured to Frazer Lanes on January 9th to compete in the highly anticipated Lodge Committee Bowl-A-Thon. The bowling delegates came from all different levels of experience, and their scores were quite admirable. But once the magenta ball was found, the bowling scores just.... stunk. Well, since all else failed, we got obnoxious!
Brotherhood Bounces Back After falling short last year of the Ordeal to Brotherhood turnover rate set by National, Octoraro has managed to pull up the turnover rate to above 31%. Thanks to several incentive programs and the constant pestering from Hans Klotzbach and the Brotherhood Committee, the Brotherhood conversion was extraordinary with more than 70 new brothers sealing their membership at the September weekend alone. Because of this achievement and many others, the lodge has been able to secure the Quality Lodge Award for this year. The Chief's Bonnet Shortly after Booker T. Washington became head of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking past the house of a wealthy family. The woman of the house, assuming that Washington was one of the yard workers her husband had hired, asked him if he would chop some wood for her. Professor Washington smiled, nodded, took off his coat, and chopped the wood. When he carried the armload of wood into the woman’s kitchen, the servant girl recognized him and rushed to her mistress to tell her of his identity. The next morning the woman appeared in Washington’s office. Apologizing profusely, she said repeatedly, "I did not know it was you I put to work." Washington replied with generosity, "It’s entirely all right, madam. I like to work and I’m delighted to do favors for my friends." The woman was so taken with his manner and his willingness to forgive that she gave generous gifts to the Institute, and persuaded many of her wealthy acquaintances to do likewise. In the end, Washington raised as much money for the institute from one act of chopping wood as he did from any other fund-raising event! A great leader is never beyond hard work. The willing-ness to serve others is the essence of true leadership. Here in Octoraro Lodge 22 we all strive for true leadership through our service. No matter how small or great, service to others is a leading part of our lives and shows People we are leaders. The year for many of us has been great; we have seen the start of many new ideas and projects. I would like to thank every one that is involved with the Lodge and Council for there service and devotion to the purpose of the Order. The Lodge Committee has played a major role in moving our efforts in service along, the Youth committee with support from its many adult advisors has made many dreams become reality. I would like to thank them for their continued efforts and work in making our Lodge one of the best. The service shown by not only the committee but by the members who come to the weekends and give of their time is tremendous. Many do not witness the product of their work down at the OA weekends but I assure you that the scouts who are the soul benefactor of such service thank you a thousand times over. I sincerely encourage your leadership to continue on in your service to the lodge and the reservation. I along with my committee can not thank you enough for your continuing leadership and service. Sincerely,
John Callahan Convention Info. The Conventions Committee has been up to a lot these last few months. We have been planning for the upcoming conclave hosted by Wyona #18 at Camp Laviagne in June. If you still would like to go, some alternate spots may still be available. We are looking to design a T-shirt for the delegation and your input is welcomed. We also have been working on a patch design for the next NOAC. NOAC 2000 is around the corner and it will be held in Knoxville, Tennessee. Preliminary sign-ups are now taking place- sign up at the banquet! If you have any ideas, or would like to attend either event please contact Ed Dougherty Jr. at Scoop531@aol.com. News Briefs
Upcoming Events April 30-May 2: Spring Work Weekend at Camp Horseshoe May 1: Lodge Committee Meeting 4:30 PM at Camp Horseshoe June 4-6: Summer Work Weekend at Camp Horseshoe June 5: Lodge Committee Meeting 4:30 PM at Camp Horseshoe June 5: Lodge Open House at Camp Horseshoe June 11-13: 1999 Section NE-4A Conclave Hosted by Wyona #18 at Camp Lavigne If you have any ideas, comments, concerns, or articles, please contact Andrew Coe at arc150@psu.edu.
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At the January Lodge Committee meeting, a new lodge strategy was unveiled that promises to solidify the efforts of the lodge into one all-inclusive scheme. Known as the "5 Ms", the strategy is a guideline for what all Lodge Committee members should be doing to support one another and the lodge. John Callahan unveiled this strategy at the January Lodge Committee meeting, and it outlined the following: Momentum- The chief along with the lodge advisor provides the momentum, as he is the driving force behind the lodge and can motivate and direct others to achieve the lodge’s goals. The chief will maintain a strong link with the council, and integrate the council’s goals into the lodge, while buffering council and adult politics. He will assign adult advisors to assist in achieving these goals, but ensure that the adults serve only as advisors; for as always, our lodge is a youth run organization. The chief will provide an open environment to discuss ideas free from consequence. It is the Chief’s primary responsibility to establish a common goal for all members and provide a place for leadership to thrive. Money- Our treasurer and the fundraising committee will be assigned to this project. They will plan a fundraiser that not only pulls from our membership but also from the community. They will work to secure grants, donations, or endowments for the Order and the Camp. Their main goal is to establish a working budget to monitor and predict lodge expenses. We want to plan for future spending, make our funds go further, and spend more wisely than before. Manpower- The lodge currently has no idea what kind of resources lie in its own members. Our lodge needs to use 100% of its resources. A survey will be taken, and a database will be established to record member’s prior contributions, skills, facilities, machinery, and trades. Service weekends will be revamped to use this valuable information to its fullest extent. A detailed list of all the projects needed to be accomplished during the weekend and what resources are required will be sent along with the registration forms. Crew leaders will know what people are coming to the weekend as well as the resources those people will bring with them. Materials- An effort should be made to utilize the resources and connections of our members to provide non-money gifts. Donations such as machinery, materials, and trade skills should be pressed from local businesses and even agencies. A list of potential donators should be made and their donation pursued. Media- Media is the key to making the above points successful. The lodge secretaries will spearhead this point, and will inform the community of service the lodge is providing. The media team will provide accurate "press releases" of events in the lodge, advertisements for fundraisers etc. They will search out media outlets such as the council newsletter, local newspapers, and even television stations. They will correspond with the government officials, the families of our lodge members, and the lodge representatives in each troop to inform them of our activities and accomplishments. The above points are each seperately to be assigned to a lodge advisor and a youth representative. These teams will invent their own strategies to accomplish their assigned tasks and each will have complete autonomy. I believe that by making these points our focus for the coming year, our lodge will be stronger, more effective, and able to continue its mission: "To support the Boy Scout program". New Jacket PatchYou've heard about it, you've seen a sketch and you've been patient- well, it's here! Yes, the new Octoraro Lodge 22 jacket patch is here and you'll want to add one to your collection and proudly display another on your jacket. This patch has been called the most impressive jacket patch ever produced by Lodge 22. Even the supplier has stated that, "We would like to keep one and add it to our collection of examples of our best work. It's an outstanding example of what can be done with the art of embroidery." The Octoraro Lodge 22 jacket patch measures 7.27" x 6.67" and is fully embroidered, featuring 17 glorious colors, including gold. The patch consists of three parts- the main patch, an Ordeal feather segment, and a matching Brotherhood feather segment. The segments are intended to encourage Ordeal members to seal their membership in the Brotherhood. The artwork picks up the theme of the very popular "Soaring Goose" flap and adds a Lenni Lenape Indian forming the Octoraro River with sacred water from an earthen vessel. The patch pictures the Horseshoe Scout Reservation with the "Soaring Goose" flying off into a magnificent sunset. The Lodge Committee has authorized the sale of this outstanding patch for the very first time at this year's banquet. The patch will sell for the introductory price of $12.00 for the main patch, with degree segments (Ordeal and Brotherhood) being sold at the reduced price of $1.50 each. Please take note that Ordeal members may not purchase Brotherhood segments. At the banquet ONLY you may buy as many sets as you wish at this reduced price. When sold at the trading post the main patch will be $15.00 and each segment will be $2.00. See you there! Special Thanks Recently there was an advertisement for the donation of a portable computer so it could be used for records during Service weekends. One person responded with a donation of such a computer. The lodge would like to thank Mr. Dick Patton for his very generous contribution and we hope that others like him will step forward! New Service AwardStarting in 1999, the national Order of the Arrow committee will award two lodges from each region with the National Service Award. To earn such an award, a lodge must provide the national committee with a detailed record of all service projects and hours that benefit Scouting in the local council. Other service provided, hours dedicated to service, size of the lodge, and the impact of the most meaningful project will be taken into account when deciding the winners. Octoraro Sings the Budget BluesIn the last month or two, there has been great controversy over Octoraro #22's budget, mainly because it had the lodge in the red. More importantly, it showed a trend that would leave the lodge broke within a few short years. After further number crunching, it would appear that there is a balanced budget for 1999- with no net profit or loss for the lodge. Other financial issues have been raised in the eScout public forum and at the Lodge Committee meetings, such as the weekend fee increase for the work weekends. The weekend fee was increased from $12 to $15 by a majority vote at the February Committee meeting. However, there was considerable objection to the increase as many were already upset with the lodge fee structure. Proponents of the increase cited inflation, the ability to increase food quality and/or quantity, and other various costs that the increase would help to deflate. Concerns continue over the lodge’s finances, but several steps have been taken to ensure the stability of the lodge treasurery. (1) The fundraising committee has been working feverishly to come up with ideas to supplement the lodge income. As of yet they have had very little support from other members of the lodge. (2) The lodge is currently investigating a 5K run that would tap into resources outside the lodge. (3) In the future, Octoraro’s account may or may not be assimilated into Chester County Council’s account. Regardless, with the onset of Scoutnet 2000 software and the broader emphasis on electronic record keeping, the lodge should have an easier time of keeping an itemized record of money flow. (4) As noted below, physical resources will be investigated to see what money can be saved on monetary expenditures for materials. If you would like to become involved in the Fundraising Committee, please contact Mike Patton at mpatton@octoraro.org. If you would like more information on the lodge budget or you have any suggestions, please contact Kyle Brun at BSpartacus@aol.com. September Weekend New programs, new patches, and many new members were the hallmark of the September weekend. Volleyball and other sporting events were all part of the Fall Fellowship program that took place during the day. In addition, a "Meet the Man" session was added to the schedule so that lodge members could meet with lodge officers and offer questions or suggestions. Three new patches were sold at the trading post during the weekend, and they sold very well. The patches had the usual silver, red, and purple borders for the three degrees, but the lettering on the patch was slightly different. These three patches have been deemed "weekend patches", a new tradition the lodge hopes to continue well into this year and beyond. The Saturday night ceremonies saw some of the largest candidate turnouts ever, with more than 170 candidates taking their respective obligations at the circle.
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