Alamo Area Council

 
Boy Scouts of America

Unified Focus On Youth

Mesquite District

Grady Roberts Honored With The Award of Merit

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Grady Roberts, a long time Scouter and Pearsall community leader is being honored with the District Award of Merit by Mesquite District. Grady, who is an Eagle Scout and attorney is being recognized for his support of Scouting at his church and in Pearsall along with his civic service.

He presently serves as the Finance Chairman for Mesquite District of the Alamo Area Council, BSA. Mesquite District is composed of eight counties in South Central Texas.

Mr. Roberts is a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary International, has served on his church council, and was the District Deputy Grand Master for Masons District 42. Also in Pearsall, he has served on the Hospital and Housing Authority Boards.

The District Award of Merit will be presented to Mr. Roberts at a meeting of the Pearsall Rotary Club.

If you would like to congratulate Mr. Roberts he can be emailed at grady@robertslawpllc.com

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Virtual Roundtable – July 2020

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The last Roundtable of the summer was held on Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 7:00 pm. More than 175 adult volunteers and leaders tuned in to learn about Popcorn, Training, Woodbadge, Powder Horn, NYLT, Jamboree and OA! A lot was covered in the 45 minutes that was our July Roundtable.

As promised, you can download the slides that were presented below. We encourage you to share the information with other leaders and parents in your unit. Encourage your Scouts to continue Scouting! We may be in the middle of a global pandemic, but Scouting is Alive, and with your help Scouting will continue!

What’s coming up?

Be on the look out for more information to come about our Annual Scouting Expo: A Virtual Experience happening on August 6, 2020 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

July 2020 Roundtable – General SessionDownload

Mesquite Scout, Lane Mokry Receives National Certificate of Merit

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Mesquite District Scout, Lane Mokry is receiving the National Certificate of Merit due to his alertness and use of his Scout skills.

Lane is a Cub Scout from Pack 22 in La Vernia and is going to be a Webelos 1. On June 1, 2020, Lane was with his family at an RV park swimming pool in Port Aransas, Texas where there was a group of kids and parents enjoying the day. Claire, age 3, fell into an area of the pool where she could not touch the bottom and stand on her own.

Lane was alert as to what was going on, and quickly reacted by shouting to the adults that a child was in the deep water and one of the adults went in and pulled her out.

Because of his keen observance and concern for others, Lane effectively prevented what could have been a terrible tragedy. Lane saved little Claire’s life!

The Scout Oath states that the Scout will help other people at all times, and keep themselves physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Lane Mokry demonstrated these characteristics with his actions. A Scout is Helpful. A Scout is Brave.

It was asked of him, what went through his mind when he saw what happened?  He said all he could think was that she could not swim or yell.

It was also asked of him, why did he react quickly and do what he did in getting adults to come help? He said he didn’t want the child to drown, or die at such a young age.

We commend you for your quick action, Lane Mokry!

Due to the Covid 19 situation his certificate will be presented at an appropriate time. If you would like to commend him in the meantime, please send to Mesquite@AlamoAreaBSA.com, and it will be sent to his family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Roundtable – June 2020

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The Boy Scouts of America defines roundtable as one of the most important parts of being a Scout leader. “It is a form of commissioner service and supplemental training for volunteers at the unit level. The objectives of roundtables are to provide leaders with program ideas; information on policy and events; and training opportunities. It is a forum for sharing experiences and enjoying fun and fellowship with other Scout leaders…the roundtable experience will inspire, motivate, and enable unit leaders to provide a stronger program for their Scouts.”

This roundtable was all of the above rolled into one. We provided the 188 leaders in attendance with ideas for the upcoming Popcorn sale; shared information in regard to the new membership fee increase, Day Camp in a Box, and family camping; and we provided training on Scout retention. One of the most positive feedback we’ve received was the special guest in the Scouts BSA Breakout session, Senior Patrol Leader (SPL), Star Scout and founding member of female Troop 374, Rachel Pool. Rachel spoke about becoming SPL over Spring Break 2020 and shared with us the resources she uses to be successful. It was truly inspiring and refreshing to hear how this female Scout is making a difference in her Troop.

What’s next?

One thing many people are missing right now is the in-person district roundtables. There is nothing like the real face-to-face fellowship and interaction that was roundtable before COVID-19. The Council announced the hope and possibility to resume district in-person roundtables in September. For now, virtual roundtables will continue next month followed by the annual Council Expo in August. Be on the look out for more information to come.

In case you missed it, below are the links to all of the resources and presentations:

AAC General Session June 2020 Virtual RoundtableDownload
Cub Scouts June 2020 RoundtableDownload
Cub-Scouts-50-mile-hiking-logDownload
Cub Scouts – Sample 30 Day Challenge TemplateDownload
Scouts BSA June 2020 RoundtableDownload
National-Honor-Patrol-AwardDownload
Troop-374-meeting-template-Download
TROOP-374-PLC-Meeting-Agenda-TemplateDownload

Mesquite District Honors Two Scouters with the Award of Merit

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Mesquite District is honoring two of its Scouters with the District Award Award of Merit. Brenda Cowey and Dewey Barber are both being recognized with the highest award a District can bestow on a volunteer.

 

Brenda Cowey is very active working with youth in the Stockdale Area and has been a BSA volunteer for over seven years. She serves as the Cubmaster of Pack 137 and the Committee Chairman for Troop 118. Both units are very active and support the Alamo Area Council and Mesquite District by participating in most programs including Bear Creek Summer Camp and Day Camp.

She is also very active in other youth programs in Wilson County serving as a volunteer in 4H and coaching youth soccer.

 

Dewey Barber earned the rank of Eagle Scout as a youth. And has 11 years of volunteer service between the Calcasieu Council in Louisiana, Far East Council in Okinawa, and the Alamo Area Council.

He has served as the Membership Chairman for Mesquite District and currently is the District Commissioner. He has also been active with the OA in the Alamo Area Council and served as an Order of the Arrow Assistant Lodge Chief of Administration. He is also completed Woodbadge, Powderhorn, and has been honored with the Unit Leaders Award of Merit and the William Boyce Unit Organizer Award.

Dewey has an exceptional past service outside of Scouting having served his country through the US Army for 20 years.

 

The awards were selected from nominations by fellow volunteers finalized by the Mesquite District Advancement Committee consisting of Sami Jensen, and Chris and Richard Morris.

Due to the Covid 19 situation their awards will be presented at an appropriate time when groups start meeting again. If you would like to congratulate them in the meantime contact Brenda at becowey14@yahoo.com and Dewey at dewey.barber@yahoo.com.

 

And, CONGRATUALTIONS from the VOLUNTEERS of MESQUITE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flags at Fort Sam – Virtual Event

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Members of communities nationwide spend the Friday before Memorial Day honoring the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving our nation. Here in the Alamo city, that community event is called Flags at Fort Sam. We pay our respects by placing American flags at the headstones of all the fallen service members who have been laid to rest at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. With over 1,000 participants each year, Flags at Fort Sam has been a long-standing tradition for the Alamo Area Council and the Scouting community.

This year, Flags at Fort Sam will look a little different. The Alamo Area Council alongside the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), is committed to observing this Memorial Day in a manner that honors those who sacrificed for our Nation. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the NCA has made the difficult decision to not host public events for Memorial Day. Therefore, the Alamo Area Council has moved Flags at Fort Sam to a virtual event for 2020.

Virtual Flags at Fort Sam – Friday, May 22, 2020 at sunset, 8:26 pm

We are asking all Scouts and their families to join us from their backyards, with their bugles and trumpets in hand, at sunset (8:26 pm) on Friday, May 22nd. Honoring our fallen heroes live on Facebook, the distinctive bugle melody TAPS will be played by a Scout of our very own. We invite you to pay your respects with us.

Throughout Memorial Day weekend, the Alamo Area Council will also be posting photos and video clips from previous Flags at Fort Sam events. We’d love to share your photos, video clips and your personal Memorial Day messages in conjunction with the Council’s memoriam. Please send them to FlagsatFortSam@AlamoAreaBSA.org.

On behalf of the Boy Scouts of America, Alamo Area Council, thank you to all those who laid down their life for the safety and freedom of our great nation, and we send our condolences to the family members who were left behind. We are forever grateful for the sacrifice your family made for our freedom.

“The memory of the righteous is a blessing.” -Proverbs 10:7
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