Service Projects (Sign up for all troop-sponsored projects here)

Memorial Day Flag Planting
Friday, May 25th, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Ridgefield VFW Post
Honor Deceased Veterans by helping VFW Post 78 Ridgefield post flags in town cemeteries to honor graves of those that served our country.  Meet at American Legion Post 78, 71 North Salem Road (small red building) at 5:30 p.m. Veterans will provide a training session on how to identify the gravestones of veterans, and how to help the public place the flags.  At 6:00 p.m., the general public will arrive then Troop 76 volunteers will help them properly place flags on veterans' gravestones.  This project could be extended to 7:30 p.m.  Class A uniform required.  Sign up here.

ScoutsCAN for Food
Troop 76 will be participating in the months ahead to empty the bins at the recycling center of returnable plastic bottles and cans.  The bins must be emptied only during operation.  The exit gate is closed at 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.  There's no access after hours or on Sunday.  Here's a link to download instructions (.docx file).  For details and hands-on demonstration, please e-mail spencer_carlson11@icloud.com.  Check out TTSU for sign-ups.

Remember: a total of 12 hours of community service are required each scouting year.  Six hours are required between June 30, 2016 and mid February and another six hours from mid February to mid June 2017. Two out of the six hours each semester may be non-Troop sponsored, with prior approval from the Scoutmaster. 

For the troop to participate in a community service project, two adults are required to sign up and attend.  Boy Scouts of America policy requires two-deep adult coverage at all times.  We need everyone's help to enforce this policy.   If two adults don't participate in a service project, the troop will cancel the commitment we've made to the organization.  Important note for adults: when you sign up for log keeper, you must send Jana Hogan a list of scouts who participated and the hours they worked.

Read our service policy here.

Presidential Volunteer Service Award
Instructions for submitting hours for the award are posted below. Please remit your spread sheets to Mrs. Hogan at jana.hogan@comcast.net by the end of the day June 11th - no exceptions!

Our Troop is proud to have been accepted as a Certifying Organization for The President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). Scouts who volunteer enough hours can earn this prestigious award that comes with a special pin, certificate and congratulatory letter from the President. PVSA was started in 2003 by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by example, inspired others to engage in volunteer service. The goal is to encourage individuals to embrace the spirit of volunteerism that makes this country so great. The Award level is determined by the amount of hours a scout works. Please refer to the below chart.

Hours by Award
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Kids (5-10)
26 - 49
50 - 74
75 +
Teens (11-15)
50 - 74
75 - 99
100 +
Young Adults (16-25)
100 - 174
175 - 249
250 +
Adults (26 and older)
100 - 249
250 - 499
500+
Families and Groups*
200 - 499
500 - 999
1,000+

How to track hours:
Service is calculated from June 1st to May 31st. This time period only applies to the PVSA calculations. A scout is required to keep track of all community service hours they perform using an Excel spread sheet.
The data they should collect is written below and should be presented to the Community Service Coordinator in the correct order. Please ensure that the Time in Hours column has a grand total at the bottom.
On June 1, after a year of volunteering it is the scout's responsibility to email The Community Service Coordinator a copy of their Excel sheet. They have till June 11th to send in their information. No sheets will be accepted after this date.

Dates to Remember
May 31: Cut off date for current year's service
June 5th-11th: Send in Excel Sheet to Community Service Coordinator for current year's service
June 1: Start recording on new Excel sheet for following year's award

Please note fund raising of any kind is not considered community service. Volunteering to help a religious organization may be submitted but not if you're teaching or preaching.

Example of Excel Spreadsheet:
Last Name
First Name
Age
Date of Service
Organization
Contact Name
Contact Phone
Time in Hours
Description of Volunteer Work:

Any questions should be directed to the PVSA Coordinators Jana Hogan and Kristine Keaveny.

Adult Training
Merit Badge Counselor Training
All Merit Badge Counselors will be required to get trained before the end of the calendar year. You must either attend a training session in person or take the online course. It is a one time only training. There will be additional dates offered throughout the year (and hopefully at Sequassen but that is TBD at this point).

Youth Protection Training
We are asking all adults in the troop to complete Youth Protection Training. Follow this link to complete the training: http://www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx

First Aid Training
Firefly Family Yoga is offering American Heart Association CPR Certification Course for anyone needing to be certified or re-certified. The course will be held on Sunday January 28th from 3:30pm-6:00pm and the cost is $45. To learn more information please visit www.fireflyfamilyyoga.com or call 203-431-0140.

Please contact Kristine Keaveny (kskeaveny@yahoo.com) for more information if you have any interest in the above-listed training dates.
 

Class B Shirts

If you need a Class B shirt please contact Mrs. Francis. The cost of the shirt is $13.

 

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Communications
Troop Texting
Stay informed with troop text messages. We encourage scouts, adults and leaders in the troop to sign up for this service.  It's free to sign up, but it does send text messages to your phone.  Please join one of the groups below by sending a text.  It's quick and easy. 

Scouts                                                                              Troop 76 Parents
Enter this number: (203) 403-2120                                Enter this number: (203) 403-2120
Text this message: @t76scouts                                       Text this message: @t76parents

Troop 76 Uniformed Leaders                                         Troop 76 Committee Members
Enter this number: (203) 403-2120                                 Enter this number: (203) 403-2120
Text this message: @t76leaders                                      Text this message: @t76comm

After you send your text message you'll receive a confirmation text that you're signed up.  That's it!