Here is a tribute video to Bill Kimbrell, who, according to a story he told as a part of this video, started his lifetime of fundraising for scouting and other worthy causes in 1948. Back then he called upon Col. Springs of Springs Industries for a donation of $5,000 to Troop 108 (that would be like going and asking for $50,000 in today’s money)….and he got it.
Thanks to Bill Kimbrell and the many men and women like him who work diligently to keep the fires of scouting burning to warm the hearts of boys who will one day lead this country.
Jed Cockerill needs some help with his Eagle Scout project on Sunday, February 22nd from 2PM until 5PM. Jed’s project involves making some of the existing bike bridges on the ASC Greenway safer for bycyclist.
If you’ll be able to assist Jed, give him a call at 802-2006 as soon as possible to let him know that you’ll be able to come.
Workers will meet on the side of the Springfield Parkway just below the entrance to the Elementary and Middle Schools. Workers should bring gloves to help protect their hands.
It is always a good idea to bring your daypack with all of the usual items plus a snack and extra drinking water.
Thanks in advance for stepping up to help Jed work toward his Eagle Scout award.
Some of the youth and leaders from Troop 108 gathered to worship with the congregation of Unity Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill as we all observed “Scout Sunday” during the early service today. Unity Presbyterian is the sponsoring organization for both Troop 108 and Pack 108, and provides us with the Scout Hut as well as allowing us the use of other church facilities as needed.
The troop truly appreciates all that Unity provides us as we work to make the values of scouting real in the lives of young men in our community.
In the words of Bill Kimbrell, “It is better to build boys than the mend men”.
The Hawk Patrol did a good job demonstrating camping stoves and going over stove safety as the program for tonight’s meeting. They demonstrated how to use an older Coleman 2-burner camp stove that attaches to a propane bottle. ASM Britt Helms brought along three different types of lightweight stoves from his collection that were more suitable for backpacking.
Instructions for making the Penny Stove can be found HERE. Scouts should get the help of an adult to build and operate the stove.
Scouts are also required to hold a current BSA Fireman Chit card which certifies that they have the knowledge and training needed to work with campfires and stoves.
Our community has recently been reminded of the potential dangers that surround the use of fire when a young Tega Cay resident, Conner McKemey, was burned over 85% of his body in an indicent in December.
ASM Joe Rayano demonstrated the back or end splice at last week’s meeting. For those scouts that need additional help with splicing, these links to online resources might be helpful…
We were saddened to learn of the passing of Bill Kimbrell, a longtime friend of scouting. Bill served the boys of Palmetto Council during the 58 years he was involved in so many varied ways that it would take an afternoon to enumerate them all. Among his achievements was to serve as President of Palmetto Council, BSA from 1973 to 1975.
What everyone knew was that if scouting had a need, you could always go to Mr. Kimbrell to get it taken care of. Bill’s love of scouting earned him the nickname “Mr. Scouting”.
Mr. Kimbrell’s well known favorite quote, “It’s better to build boys than to mend men.†speaks volumes about the potential impact that scouting could have on boys.
The most humble gentleman you’d ever hope to meet had been honored again and again with tributes to his service. Among them are:
Palmetto Council’s Citizen of the Year
York County Keeper of Culture Award
American Legion’s S.C. Distinguished Service Award
Scouting’s Order of the Palmetto Award
Lifetime Business Achievement Award
Two-time recipient of the Fort Mill Citizen of the Year Award
The Troop 108 PLC met on January 12th at 6PM at the scout hut. Alex H, ASPL, presided over the meeting in the absense of our SPL.
It is important that all troop youth leaders as well as the elected leaders of each patrol be in attendance at our PLC meetings.
In addition to planning four upcoming meetings, the group also decided the following:
Elected not to participate in the Carowinds “Scouting for Thrills” campout in March because of the costs involved with the purchase of a ticket to the park.
Will participate in a fly fishing merit badge campout (Saturday – Sunday) at the ASC Greenway on March 28th and 29th. The class is being taught by a fly fishing club from Charlotte NC, and we may have a couple of other troops join us for this campout.
Below are links to PDF versions of the meeting planners for January 26th though February 16th, 2009:
Please bring your check for $45 (made out to Troop 108) for your 2009 membership dues to the January 26th meeting to keep your membership in Troop 108 and the BSA from lapsing.
All is well at Troop 108’s campsite at the polar Bear Campout. The boys and leaders did well in preparing for the cold weather. Everybody seems to be having a good time, and as I type this into the web browser on my phone , we are about to start into the nighttime activity which which will end about 1AM on Sunday
We’ll be back at the scout hut by around 12:30PM on Sunday, ready for a hot bath and a nap.
As you probably know, this coming weekend is going to be extremely cold during our Polar Bear camp out. My guess is that we’re making up for the past couple of years where temperatures were in the 60’s and low 70’s on polar bear weekend.
It is vitally important that all of our scouts are truly prepared to stay warm in the temperatures that are likely to only be a few degrees above freezing at their highest, and into the teens and possibly single-digits at night.
Below is a link to a PDF file that contains a lot of good information on cold weather camping.
Scouts and our scouting families can call upon our scout leaders if they need clarification or assistance in trying to locate appropriate cold weather camping equipment.
