A note to Scouting families in BSA 365, from Michael Hock

As you may have learned at last evening’s wonderful Summer Kick-off Dinner and Court of Honor, Bill Alsnauer has agreed to serve as our next Committee Chair. I have ended my role as Committee Chair, which became effective this past June.

For over ten years, I’ve served our Scouts, their families, our Church and our Scouting community as Committee Chair of Boy Scout Troop 365. I’ve had the backup of my bride, Linda Crawford-Cloud, for that whole time, and for the years before.

I’ve loved the commitment I’ve shared with Scouts and adults, the service we’ve accomplished, the fun we’ve had, the places we’ve gone, the advancement of so many boys developing to men imbued with the values of Boy Scouting.

As I’ve moved aside, our committee has worked well in responding to this transition, on which I’d been planning and working for over a year. I will remain on the Committee, available to help our new Committee Chair with whatever he needs that he’s not getting as he moves our Troop forward.

I’m personally proud that Bill Alsnauer has agreed to serve as our Committee Chair, as I remember recruiting Bill to be an Assistant Scoutmaster, over coffee at Scotties (or whatever it was called) now many years ago. There haven’t been many Committee Chairs in our Troop, and we’ve tended to be long-lived. Hopefully, long-lived enough to create a strong institution, not as long-lived as to become stuffed and mounted in the corner. Bill’s leadership will be strong, and I hope long-lived.

We’ve accomplished some significant changes during the past year, and the results delight me. I’ve felt really good to see boys take a new hold on Scouting: seeing our boy-led indoor program format get underway; seeing adults delighted as they watched boy-led events; seeing our boy-led Patrol Leaders’ Council do event planning they owned. I’ve felt really good seeing many Troop adults willing to back up boys in their patrols. We were able to see a cadre of trained, direct-contact adults in place for Rechartering. And you’ve seen it every Monday night, an exceptional and committed Scoutmaster at the helm. Wow, I recruited him, too!

Thanks for all the support.  And please give Bill that same measure of support, as he’ll be a great Committee Chair. For me, I’m able now to spend more time with boys in our program. I hope you’re planning to come along for the ride, Scouting 365 Days a Year.