Black Swamp Area Council Home page

Wow! It is hard to believe it is here.
Nearly 1500 youth will be recruited into
the Scouting Program. For many, this
will be the journey of a lifetime.

Here is what you can do to help:

1. Be willing to welcome new members.
Its easy to get comfortable with the size
of our Troop, Crew, or Cub Pack. Please remember that with each new member comes new ideas and resources. You may think that you do not have enough leaders but with every new member comes a parent or guardian who is a potential new leader. These adults have other resources such as vehicles, equipment, hobbies or vocations which might be helpful in unit programming. Don’t be afraid to bring on new members.

2. Ask your scouts to bring friends. All units have been given the templates to make youth business cards, personalized invitations, and stickers. Ask each youth to give you a list of their friends that they would like to see join the scouting program. They may also provide addresses, phone numbers and parent names. Ask committee members to take an evening and call these parents with a personal invitation to join.

3. Make Scouting visible. Let your unit be seen in the community, in uniform, doing the activities and public service that you do. Flood your newspapers with unit articles and activities that are in process. Help parents see that Scouting is “The Right Choice”.

4. Do Direct Promotion. Take your Den to the streets and do neighborhood flyer drops inviting youth to be part of your great program. Ask your principals if you can take a few moments to invite potential Scouts to join your unit. Have your youth wear their uniforms to school the day of the open house. Participate in school parents night with scouts in uniform and flier information. Promote your Scouting unit through church gatherings, community festivals, and school functions. Host a dedicated recruiting night for new families to sign up.

5. Find help. Contact your District Executive, your District Commissioner, Unit Commissioner and District Membership Team as they are a great recourse team.

FALL ROUND UP BASICS

1. Set a date during the month of September for your Fall recruiting meeting.

2. Secure a location for your meeting. Make sure your location is convenient
and easy to locate.

3. Contact your District Executive for flyers, posters and help in promoting your open houses.

4. Work with your District Executive to arrange a “Boy Talk” or school promotion presentation.

5. Have greeters and an information table. Also, have fun activities for youth participation.

6. Remember to answer parents top 3 questions: How’s this Work? How do I join? What’s next?

7. Make sure to get your new youth involved in a big activity with in the first
30 days. Remember that each new youth that joins needs to be contacted or attend his first meeting within a week of the open house.

8. Do a new parent orientation meeting and provide youth protection and fast
start training for all new recruits and families.

For more information on School Nights you can contact the scout shop
at 1-800-686-4220

Camp Berry

In 1925, the Put-Han-Sen Council signed a lease for $60.00 per year to lease 10 acres of woods directly east or to the right of the main entrance of the current camp. In 1928, Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Berry, he was a vice president of The Ohio Oil Company, purchased 83 acres,
Including the original 10 acres and donated it in memory of a daughter that had died.

In the 1970s, another expansion plan was started and more acreage was added to expand the camp from 80 acres to over 200 acres. It now is 360 acres.

Today, Camp Berry serves as a year round Boy Scout camp facility meeting the camping needs of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and special events. In addition, the camp serves the needs of youth groups, school groups, corporate meetings, retreats, and picnics with its newly renovated Donnell Lodge.

The lodge hosts all the modern conveniences including heat/air conditioning, a state-of-the-art kitchen equipped to prepare meals for several hundred people or contract with a catering service of your choice, modern restroom facilities, and a sound/video projection system that allows you to plug in a laptop to begin presenting in a matter of a few minutes. All of this is offered in a beautiful outdoor setting.

If you are in need of some team building as part of a company group initiative, the camp also has a state-of-the-art team building program called C. O. P. E.
(Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience).

The facilities, team building program, and outdoor environment allows us to offer a complete package for Scout groups, youth groups, non-profit organizations, as well as the corporate community.

Howard Lodge

Donnell Lodge

Camp Lakota

On June 14, 1941, the Shawnee Council of the Boy Scouts of America dedicated 225 acres south of Defiance, Ohio, “to the task of helping boys retain their Scout ideals for the guidance of their adult lives.”

Today, Camp Lakota is managed by the Black Swamp Area Council. The camp covers nearly 650 acres, includes a 48 acre lake (Lake Glengary), and is bordered on the west side by the Auglaize River.

The camp houses 14 conservation -type campsites: 12 on the Lakota side of the reservation and 2 on the Neil Armstrong side. The program areas are primarily located around Lake Glengary. A typical week of camp includes 150-170 Scouts offering a myriad of opportunities for individual attention.

The Camp Lakota experience is considered by many to be a more “rustic” summer camp experience due to Lakota’s large size, varied geography, and preference for hiking and canoeing opportunities.

The Adirondacks, over looking the lake, make for great week of camping, while the historic Meecheway Lodge hosts many training events, activities, and dinners. Camp Lakota also has a state-of-the-art team building program called C. O. P. E.
(Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience).

Adirondacks

Meecheway Lodge

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