Order of the Arrow News for March. 2011
Important Elections for Troops
Whether you plan to conduct the election on your own or bring in assistance from the council, it is important to designate the date of your election and announce it to the unit as early as possible. Please inform your Scouts early about the date of your OA election, in order for Scouts with the 2nd Class rank to focus on completion of the eligibility requirements. Under the Order of the Arrow link on the Prairielands Council website are the forms and procedures for the successful completion of troop/team elections in the lodge. All troop/team leaders should review their materials to prepare for the election requirements. Contact your OA leadership, if you need assistance in conducting the election in your troop/team. Election consultants are ready to help your troop conduct a successful Order of the Arrow election. All of the forms are available through the Illini Lodge website: http://www.illinilodge55.com/
Get to the Lodge Meeting in March!
Illini Lodge invites all arrowmen to attend the March Lodge Meeting on Sunday, March 6TH in Auditorium B at the Provena Covenant Medical Center,1400 W. Park St. in Urbana. Important issues for the summer preparations, service projects and the upcoming Spring Fellowship will be discussed this Sunday. Please encourage arrowmen from your troop to attend the meeting.
Cheerful Service with a Great Dessert
The highlight of a work day arrives just after halftime, when the dessert tray is rolled out after lunch. That is where the smile developed for Cheerful Service. Spring cleaning begins on Saturday, March 19th at 9:00 am at the north end of the Tin Shed at Camp Robert Drake near Oakwood, IL. All Scouts, Scouters, and parents are welcome to help prepare camp for all the fabulous activities in 2011. Primary projects will focus on clearing campsites and removing brush, brambles, and leaves from program areas. Basic cleaning will be needed in the cabins and buildings. If you have construction talents, additional projects will be available by contacting Mike Graham at All Tool Time participants should bring their own equipment if possible, but some rakes, brooms, and loppers are available. A lunch will be served at 12:15 and a recognition distribution will be conducted at the end of the day at 3:00 pm. Additional service days are planned for April 9th and May 7th.
TROOP OR TEAM REPRESENTATIVE
Illini Lodge 55 is recruiting youth & adult arrowmen to serve in an important role in the lodge. Order of the Arrow Troop (or Team) Representatives are a youth liaison and his advisor serving between the local O.A. lodge and his unit. The representatives serve as a communication and program link to the unit Arrowmen, as well as adult leaders and Scouts who are not presently members of the Order. They do this in a fashion that strengthens the mission of the lodge and the purpose of the Order. By setting a good example, they enhance the image of the Order as a service arm to the troop or team.
Troop/Team Representatives Job Description
-Serves as a youth liaison, communication link, and programmatic link between the lodge and the troop/team
-Encourages year-round and resident camping in the troop/team
-Encourages older Scout participation in high adventure programs
-Encourages Scouts to actively participate in community service projects
-Assists with leadership skills training in the troop/team
-Encourages Arrowmen to assume leadership positions in the troop/team
-Encourages Arrowmen in the troop/team to be active participants in lodge activities and to seal their membership in the Order by becoming Brotherhood members
Win a G.P.S. Device at the Trail Tromp Spring Romp
Celebrate the warm spring of Camp Drake with a wonderful hike around the Onaquispassippi Trail on Saturday, March 26th. Plus a grand prize of a hand-held G.P.S. device, courtesy of the Order of the Arrow. Enjoy all the festivities of Trail Tromp as Illini Lodge enjoys the new season of hiking on our favorite perimeter route. Experience the beautiful vistas along the diamond path through the riverside lowlands and the hillside ridges. Illini Lodge members will make the day special with activity stations for all ages of hikers to discover outdoor opportunities. There is no fee for the Trail Tromp, but a Trading Post will be open for souvenirs and snacks. The check-in station will be open from 9:00 am until noon, so find your hiking boots and tromp the trail on March 26th! Walk the Onaquispassippi Trail and uncover secrets of camping past and prizes for our leaders of tomorrow.
Chenille! What a Deal!
The Illini Lodge buck has never looked better in his coat of chenille embroidery for the 2011 fundraising emblem for our local Brotherhood of Cheerful Service organization. The long-awaited emblems have arrived at the Raymond Lee Scout Service Center in Champaign and are available during the normal Robeson Scout Shop hours. Only 100 of these special 7 inch diameter badges have been made for Illini Lodge members.
Arrowmen can purchase the one-time pass to Illini Lodge events in 2011, plus the 2012 Winter Banquet, plus 2011 Dues. For just $95.00, arrowmen can obtain an embroidered chenille patch with the whitetail deer, symbol of our lodge, which will serve as a cloth key to the Illini Kingdom. Accordingly, the items included are: 1-year of dues (2011) , 2011 Spring Fellowship, 2011 Summer Reunion, 2011 Fall Pow-Wow and the 2012 Winter Banquet. The purchase of the emblem also permits the buyer to procure an additional patch for a $50.00 payment.
Spring Fellowship
The warm weather of spring will excite Illini arrowmen at the Spring Fellowship on Apr. 29 to May 1, 2011 at Camp Robert Drake. The Brotherhood of Cheerful Fun will celebrate the new season at our favorite camp with themed activities, special events, and all kinds of traditional cooking. . The Saturday night supper show will provide a fanciful feast, accompanied by BSA everything. Additional events will include Brotherhood ceremonies, after-hours crackerbarrels, service preparations for the summertime, and activity competitions.
SCOUTMASTERS’ NOTE: This is the last event for elected candidates from 2010 to participate in their Ordeal ceremony. Please follow up with any outstanding candidates to remind them of this deadline.
Brotherhood Opportunities
Scouts and Scouters who are already Ordeal members in Lodge 55 may choose to seal their membership in the Order by completing Brotherhood ceremonies. The ceremony will be held at the Spring Fellowship and during each week of summer camp. The cost of participating in this ceremony is $18.00. Please encourage all current Ordeal members to participate in this important commitment to service. Order of the Arrow camp staff members will be available to assist your Scouts in preparing for the requirements for Brotherhood. See your Order of the Arrow handbook for more information on this topic.
Still Room at SummitCorps
Arrowmen are invited to join the SummitCorps, a New River Experience that is a service adventure from the Order of the Arrow, similar to ArrowCorps5 and the OA High Adventure Programs. SummitCorps will take place over four weeks during July 2011: July 3-9, July 10-16, July 17-23, and July 24-30. Each week will be a separate session of SummitCorps, providing exciting opportunities for service, adventure, and recreation. SummitCorps will be held at the New River Gorge National River in West Virginia.
This is no canned food drive. Arrowmen attending SummitCorps – The New River Experience in 2011 can expect to be treated to one tough task. Many Arrowmen have experienced service, and have experienced adventure. If you have not taken the time to experience one of the Order's service adventure opportunities, 2011 is your chance. Join us for the service adventure of a lifetime in West Virginia. Dust off your mattock and McLeod rake the Order of the Arrow is doing what it knows best trail improvements. The main focus of SummitCorps will be improving the Garden Grand Hike and Bike Trail. The projected cost per Arrowman is $300. Lodges will be responsible for all transportation to and from base camp. For more information, visit http://www.oa-bsa.org/
Indian Summer in 2011
All Arrowmen with an interest in learning more about American Indian material culture and Arrowmen who wish to expand their skills and understanding of the Order’s ceremonies and induction process are invited to participate in Indian Sumer. A primary objective of this event is to elaborate and expand a participant’s understanding of American Indian culture at a pace in which the Arrowmen will have a hands-on experience with American Indian crafts, singing, dancing, clothing, traditions, Indian games, and conducting a Pow Wow. The Indian Summer will begin with dinner on Monday, August 1, and end after breakfast on Saturday, August, 6, 2011, at the Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, North Carolina. The fee is, depending on a participant’s desired accommodations, $325 or $425.