Thursday, December 30, 2021

Happy Holidays Pio Pico! 

Christmas has come and passed in a blink of an eye!
It's crazy how this year just seemed to have flown by! 2022 is just around the corner! 

As the new year approaches, lets look back at all the wonderful time we had as a pack, a troop, and a district. Let us remember the challenges we had to face and the greatness of the outcomes, so that we may take those moments with us into the New Year.  It is by the devotion of our leaders who made this year possible. 

Baden Powell once said, "My belief is that we were put into this world of wonders and beauty with a special ability to appreciate them, in some cases to have the fun of taking a hand in developing them, and also in being able to help other people instead of overreaching them and, through it all, to enjoy life - that is, to be happy". So may this new year bring you happiness, and may the new year fill your spirit with joy and adventure. 

Here are some events to look forward to in 2022

Council’s Annual Recognition Dinner January 26, 2022 
Please join us as we recognize Latha Vasan and Sophia Antunez 
To register for the dinner please click the link below:


Pio Pico District Dinner- January 22, 2022
Hawaii Five-O Theme, Awards & Fun
Cost: $30.00 per ticket (nonrefundable)
No charge for 2021 Award of Merit Awardees 
Reservation due no later than January 14, 2022
Click the link to register - Pio Pico Annual District Dinner


VENTURE CREW 546 BLOOD DRIVE
Hosted By: First United Methodist Church
Location: Wesley Lounge
6725 Friends Ave.
Whittier, CA 90601
Saturday, January 22, 2022
10:00am – 4:00pm
Click the link for the flier - Crew-546-blood-drive



Pio Pico District -Pinewood Derby - February 12, 2022

Registration and Leaders guide will be out soon!
First United Methodist Church
13222 Bailey St. Whittier, CA 90601

Pio Pico Push Cart Derby - March 12, 2022

Registration and Leaders Guide will be out soon!
New Life Community Church
City of Artesia
Artesia , CA 90701

Pio Pico District - Spring Camporee!
Apr 22, 2022 to Apr 24, 2022
More Details to come soon!



Stay informed at the District Round Table! 
Round table falls on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. We are now meeting Hybrid. So you can now either come down in person or tune remotely from where ever you may be.
If you would like to join us in person we meet First Methodist Church 13222 Bailey St. Whittier, CA 90601. 
If you cannot come in and would like to be on the email with the link for the Zoom Call, please reach out to me or Tommy Martinez  (tlc_martinez@yahoo.com). We hope to see you there!



                                                                Council Training 

Basic CPR/AED/First Aid Training - ADULTS ONLY

January 8th, 2022 @ Firestone Reservation

Wood Badge Course 2022
April 29th- May 1st & May 14th - May 15th

                           2022 High Adventure Training !



Click here  for the HAT Hi Lites

Is there a leader in troop that has been promoting a high adventure program? Looking for a way to recognize them? Fill in the James L. Hawkins Grand High Adventure Maker (Grand HAM) award form. Use the electronic version on-line and simply “submit” or print out the paper copy, fill in, scan and e-mail to:  GrandHAMApplication@glaac-hat.org

 

Don’t wait, applications are due January 4th, 2022 !

 

Awards are normally presented at the Adult Leader Backpack training in February.

 

 

Go to the GLAAC HAT website:  http://glaac-hat.org/

 

1.       Pick Publications

2.       Pick Announcements

3.       Pick on-line version (or paper version and print it out)

 





History Corner

By Lou Smith, Pio Pico District Vice Chair


100 Years ago in the Los Angeles District Council (GLAAC now) ….


August 11, 1921 – Laurel Canyon Homes Saved by Scout Campers (LA Times)

Scouts quartered in the summer camp* in the Hollywood Hills were credited with saving many homes in Laurel Canyon from destruction by fire last night when a blaze destroyed the homes of Bessie Love and D.W. Faris.

The fire, which is believed to be started by defective wiring gained great headway before it was discovered at 8 PM and before a party of volunteer fire fighters could reach the scene both dwellings were doomed. The Boy Scouts descended upon the conflagration with shovels and prevented it from spreading by scattering dirt upon it.

Both houses were reduced to ruins before the Hollywood fire department broached the scene with chemical engines. With the residence of Mr. Rossen, who is a director at the Lasky Studios, valuable furniture was destroyed. Mr. Brady lost his personal belongings. The dwelling in which he resided was owned by Mrs. A. B. Hannah of Long Beach. The houses are said to have been valued at over $6,000 each.**


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* Camp Arthur Letts was a tract of land in the Hollywood Hills given to the council in 1918 by Mr. Letts the founder and owner of the Broadway department stores. He was a self-made multi-millionaire and the first President of the Los Angeles District Council.


** 2022 home prices in Laurel Canyon start at $2,000,000.






Thursday, December 9, 2021

Tis the Season

    The holiday seasons are here folks! Our mornings have been a bit chilly and the afternoons have been mostly blue skies. The Christmas decorations are going up and it is officially, “tis the season” to be jolly! 

    We have been through a lot the past 2 years now as a community.. Covid-19 has challenged us. It changed our way of living but that hasn’t stopped us from supporting our community. I know there are a lot of hardships that have arisen for so many people but let us look to the good. Let’s look at the blessings we have, no matter how great or small they are. Be it our health, our family, friends, or our faith. In fact, staying active in Scouting has probably impacted a youth and their families more than you might realize. So, thank you leaders, thank you for continuing to be that positive support for our youth.

 

    Merit Badge & Cub Scout Adventure Day! I’d like to give a big thanks to Bob Mosqueda for putting together the Merit Badge Day & Cub Scout Adventure Day! Also, a big thanks to Pack 688, Pack 18 and Pack 219 for helping with the Cub Scout activities, and, to Dan Fijan, for the use of the Pinewood Derby Track!  Also, to all the leaders, who came out and volunteered their time and service to help run all the activities and merit badge classes. It was a perfect day to hold this event, the first of its kind; with hopefully many more to come in the future. The event had Merit Badges from First Aid to Personal Management. Our Cub Scouts had a Pinewood Derby Track, a Raingutter Regatta, STEM and Leave No Trace Activities. And to top it off, there was a Scouting for Food Drive set up too. There were a total of 125 Scouts, 22 Scouters and 35 Cub Scouts that attended the event. This would not be possible without the dedication of our leaders who strive to bring a great program together for our youth. Thank you Pio Pico Scout Leaders for all that you do!


 



    Roundtable! If you haven’t heard the news yet, Roundtable is now “hybrid’. That’s right folks, we have opened the doors once again to hold our meetings at the First Methodist Church, in Whittier. Now, if you can't make it in, you can tune in from the comfort of your home or wherever you may be at the time. Roundtable is always the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7pm and, please remember that Roundtable is welcomed for ALL, not just leaders. We’ll be sharing information on upcoming activities and valuable ideas for your Pack, Troop or Crew. We hope to see you there or see you tuned in via Zoom!


High Adventure Team- HAT! Here are some upcoming HAT training. Also you can visit their website at: GLAAC-HAT.org for more HAT information!

Look for upcoming sign ups in Tentaroo through the training link on the GLAAC web page.

https://www.glaacbsa.org/training


SAVE THE DATES!

Pio Pico has a few upcoming events to be on the lookout for!

Pio Pico District Dinner -January 22nd, 2022. The Tentaroo link will be out soon! We hope you can come out and enjoy the evening with our fellow Scouters and congratulate our District Award of Merit. (save the date flier attached)

https://www.glaacbsa.org/content/97019/Pio-Pico-District-Dinner-2022

Pio Pico Pinewood Derby- Saturday February 12th, 2022- Leaders Guide and Registration link will be posted soon (save the date flyer attached) Volunteers needed, please reach out to Eloy Antunez: renegadedj@gmail.com 

https://www.glaacbsa.org/content/97021/Pio-Pico-District--Pinewood-Derby-

Pio Pico Pushcart Derby- March 12th, 2022 - Leaders Guide and Registration link will be posted soon (save the date flyer attached) Volunteers needed, please reach out to Sophia Antunez: sophia.antunez72@gmail.com

https://www.glaacbsa.org/content/97705/Pio-Pico-Push-Cart-Derby-2022  


Upcoming In-Person Training:

Wood Badge Course - April 29th - May 1st, 2022 (Week 1)

Wood Badge Course - May 14th -May 15th, 2022 (Week2)


History Corner

By Lou Smith, Pio Pico District Vice Chair


We are the Pio Pico District. But how did we get to where we are? Well, back in 1922 the BSA chartered the San Antonio District Council which included the eastern half of Los Angeles County north of Long Beach. The area from Whittier to what is now Cerritos, including Downey, South Gate, Huntington Park and Bell was called the Rio Hondo District. In 1934 San Antonio District Council merged with Los Angeles District Council to form the Los Angeles Metropolitan Council. The Rio Hondo District was reduced in size with the more populous areas of South Gate, Huntington Park and Bell becoming The San Antonio District. The post-World War II years saw eastern LA County change from farms to homes; and those homes experienced the Baby Boom. By 1955 the Rio Hondo District was bulging with scouts - Cubs, Boy Scouts and Explorers - so it was divided into two new districts - Pioneer and Frontier. 1974 saw some district changes and Pioneer District grew toward Montebello and East Los Angeles and was named Rio Hondo – again. Additions to Rio Hondo were made in 1995 when San Antonio District was split up. A couple of years ago the decline in scouts caused Frontier and Rio Hondo to merge, a homecoming if you will back to earlier times. Wanting the new district name to be unique and reflect the history of our area the combined leadership opened discussions with the Pio Pico family. Pio Pico was the last Mexican Governor of Alto California. The family has graciously allowed us to name the District Pio Pico and use the family brand as our logo.

And now you know….

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Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Fall time

 

I love this time of year. The weather cools down, trees begin to turn its shade of green to amber, yellows and browns and we wait for the holiday seasons.

But before we jump ahead to those months, let’s talk about Camporee.

WOW! The Camporee committee really did an excellent job! The program they planned for the scouts was themed as “Where No Scout Has Gone Before” and it was a lot of fun. Prado Regional Park was a lovely campsite, right next to the lake and the weather was perfect.  On October 8-10, 2021, The Pio Pico Camporee Committee hosted 636 campers at our fall Camporee at Prado Regional Park in Chino.  We were pleased to have 3 all girl units join us along with 4 Cub Scout Packs' Webelos.  Youth participated in a variety of games that encourage youth to demonstrate their Scout skills based around the theme Where No Scout Has Gone Before.  Youth also participated in archery, sling shots, and tomahawks.  And let's not forget the highlight event...the Cake Wars Cake Competition.  Camporee brought out a lot of council support and their helping hands. Thank you Marisela Orendain, Melissa Bueno, Charlie Sheen, and Gary Carroll for helping out and seeing our youth in action!  A special thanks to the Pio Pico Camporee Committee for planning another successful Camporee for the youth we serve.


                   







The next Camporee will be in Spring April 22-24 2022
Location is TBA and the theme will be CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

 

Our next District Event coming up is the Merit Badge Day and Cub Scout Adventure Day.



This will be at Palm Park on November 13th. Please Email the Counselor to reserve your seat in a merit badge class. (Please make sure to CC your scout leader and parent on all emails, per 2 Deep Youth Protection guidelines) 

Cost: $10.00 includes a pizza lunch. 

For the Cubs, the program will have Pinewood Derby Track (bring your car), Raingutter Regatta (bring your boat) Space Derby Track, STEM Activities and Advancement Activities!

 

And Speaking of upcoming district events in Pio Pico, here are some noteworthy 

SAVE THE DATES:

District Dinner will be January 22, 2022- Location TBA

Pio Pico Pinewood Derby- February 12, 2022- Location TBA

Pio Pico Pushcart Derby- March 12, 2022- location TBA

 

If you would like to help, we could use a few good scouters to volunteer for any of the events, the more the merrier! Please reach out to me if you are interested- sophia.antunez72@gmail.com

 

High Adventure Training

Here are some High Adventure Training that’s coming up for the November

 



Sign up is available in Tentaroo through the training link on the GLAAC web page.

Training Information, Programs, and Events: | Greater Los Angeles Area Council (glaacbsa.org)

 

 

Here is pretty helpful information on climbing safely from our HAT team: 

 

Want your troop to go climbing? Not sure where to start? 

Here is a link with help tips from Climb On Safely. Climb On Safely | Boy Scouts of America (scouting.org)

 

Log in to        my.scouting.org

 

Go to My Training

Pick Boy Scouts

Search catalog

 



 

2.    Climbing instructor training, level 1

Climbing Instructor Level 1 Spring (glaac-hat.org)

 

3.    Climbing instructor training, level 2 (also for level 2 re-cert)

Climbing Instructor Level 2 Fall (glaac-hat.org)

 

4.    GLAAC offers climbing kits to rent.

             Climbing Kits (glaac-hat.org)

 

5.       Climbing award

             High Adventure Awards Program (glaac-hat.org)

 



 

6.       Climbing merit badge

Climbing Merit Badge and Worksheet (boyscouttrail.com)



 

 

If you are looking for more training here are some that are coming up in our council:

N.Y.L.T- Dec. 27 -Jan 2022

Wood Badge Course- April 29- May and May 14th - 15 2022 (Wood Badge is a 2 weekend course)

 

 

 

History Corner

By Lou Smith, Pio Pico District Vice Chair

100 Years ago in the Los Angeles District Council (GLAAC now) ….

 

April 8, 1921 - Boy Scouts on Screen (LA Times, Part III, Page 4)

Moving pictures of the flag raising ceremony at the Boy Scouts’ new camp [see Historical Note below] in the Hollywood mountains are being shown at Clune’s Broadway Theater this week and through the courtesy of W. H. Clune and manager Frank L. Browne, all Boy Scouts will be given free admittance to the theater between the hours of 11 and 12 o’clock tomorrow forenoon provided they are in uniform. The flag raising event celebrated the presentation to the Boy Scouts of fifteen acres of land by Col. J. B. Lankershim.

 



 

Historical Note: Camp Arthur Letts was a tract of land in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, given to the council in 1918 by Mr. Arthur Letts the founder and owner of the Broadway department store chain. He was a self-made multi-millionaire (a billionaire by today’s standards) and the first President of the Los Angeles District Council. “Col.” James Boon Lankershim, of San Fernando, who established Cavalry Troop F of the California National Guard and became a Lieutenant Colonel, later made several property gifts adjacent to the camp, thereby enlarging it. Lankershim’s ashes were entombed on the property in 1938 and the monument is still owned by the Council. The camp was sold in the 1950’s.




If you have any fun stories, jokes, pictures or any scouting tips, shout outs or recognitions  that you would like to share with the newsletter,  please be sure to email me at sophia.antunez72@gmail.com