Our Staff is on Vacation July 1 - 5

We have found that the week of the July 4th holiday is also one of the weeks with the lowest number of calls and visits to the Council office.  The office is closed July 1 - 5.  Our staff is enjoying some quality time with their families.  We will reopen on Monday, July 8th.  The River City Scout Shop will remain open.

Silver Beaver Nominations Due September 30th

The Boy Scouts of America relies on volunteers to plan, produce, and run many of the programs and events for our youth members.  Some volunteers are extremely dedicated to making sure our youth members have the best program possible.  They are the volunteers who dedicate many hours and days to the Day Camps, Camporees, Scout Expos, Scout-o-ramas and the many other events produced by the Golden Empire Council.  Most of these volunteers do this without any expectation of recognition outside of the thank yous they may receive during the events.

Each year the Golden Empire Council holds a a recognition dinner to honor our volunteers.  During this dinner we present a few of our most dedicated volunteers with the Silver Beaver Award.  This is the highest adult volunteer award that can be given by the Council.  

The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the Golden Empire Council.  We are planning to make the Council dinner a very special event.  You can help by nominating the most dedicated volunteers to receive the Silver Beaver Award.  Nominees must be currently registered Scouters.  Nominations are due by September 30, 2019.  Don't wait to the last minute.  Submit your nominations now.

Silver Beaver Nomination Form

Special Fall University of Scouting November 9, 2019 

Golden Empire Council is going to have a special Fall University of Scouting to kick off the 2020 celebrations of 100 years Scouting in our area. You'll want to mark your calendar for Saturday, November 9, 2019 so you can be a part of this fantastic training event. Feedback has been received on how UoS can be improved with registration, opening, lunch and much more.  

Since we want to make this the BEST and most FUN Scouting event we need your help!  We have an initial planning meeting scheduled on Wednesday, July 10th.  

Please contact Kim Perry-Reed at 916-203-5711 or UniversityofScouting2019@gmail.com if you want to attend the meeting, help with planning or even if you have more feedback on how to take UoS to the next level.  

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Internet Advancement 2.0

Announcing the NEW and IMPROVED Internet Advancement

Good news for unit leaders who have been using Internet Advancement to track their Scouts’ progress along the Scouting trail. The BSA has recently introduced a new upgraded version of Internet Advancement. The improvements make inputting advancement updates faster, allow leaders to search advancement history easily and give Scouters more control over printable reports including those that are used to make purchases at the Scout Shop.

Read more

Scout-Me-In Too

Golden Empire Council's Family Scouting Task Force would like to invite Scouts BSA members and their families to join us for a weekend of scout skill development and camaraderie.

When: Friday, August 16th, 4:00pm through Sunday, August 18, 2019, 12:00pm

Where: NorCal Adventure Area - 15356 Oregon Hill Road, Dobbins, CA

Who: All Golden Empire Scouts BSA Troops, Webelos Cub Scouts, Their Families and friends.  A special invitation is extended to experienced female and male Scouts BSA members interested in helping to teach basic scout skills or to help run an event.

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Register here

Shooting Sports Weekend

Join us for the 2019 GEC Shooting Sports Weekend, September 13-15 at Camp Lassen.  Limited to 300 participants, this event is a full day of shooting activities with Ranges including * Shotguns * .22 Rifle * Archery * 3D Archery * BB Guns * Black Powder Rifles & Pistols * LaPort Archery * Air Soft (rifle, pistol, shotgun) * Air Pellet Guns * Pistols (for Venturers) evening shooting and much more! We have added Chalk Ball so register today for a fun time with great drawing prizes and goodie bags.  The fee is $75 per person and you can register as a family or as a unit.  Price includes Friday night cracker barrel, Saturday meals, Saturday night cracker barrel, Sunday breakfast, ammunition, T-shirt, patch, camping, goodie bags, prizes, great food and lots of fun! If you attended in 2018 you know the food, prizes, and event was great!

Registration

Save the Date:

45th Annual

Swing a Club for Scouting

Benefit Golf Tournament

Monday, October 14, 2019 - Morgan Creek Golf Club

A memorable golf experience awaits at the Morgan Creek Country Club's premier private golf course. The beautiful rolling terrain and wonderful sloping greens are kept in pristine condition.  Here is an opportunity to test your skill and at the same time, benefit Scouting, the character development program for youth that is needed more now than ever before!

Your participation fee supports the Golden Empire Council; which serves approximately 17,000 members in 16 Northern California counties.

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Register Today

FAMILY ADVENTURES AT CUB RESIDENT CAMP

Family camping is just another timeless outdoor experience that involves Cub Scouts and their families. As we look forward to seeing you at our 2019 Cub Resident Camp, we are ready to take your reservation for our 2020 camp season.  Adventures at Camp Lassen include kayaking, canoeing, fishing, swimming, archery, BB guns, wrist rockets, arts & crafts, bouldering wall, scout craft and more!! Additional activities available to family members 14 & up include upper and lower COPE courses, ATVs and our 3-story climbing & repelling wall. We hope to see your family at Camp Lassen this July and in 2020!

For more information or to make a reservation email Mark Buschmann or call 916-333-5434.

Family Scouting/Scouts BSA

2019 Summer Camp FAQ

With the full implementation of the Family Program this year, your sons *and* daughters can attend GEC Summer Camps!  You probably have a lot of questions, but the good news is that there really isn’t too much change – other than we hope to be serving more youth this summer.  We have compiled a list of some Frequently Asked Questions.  Read more.

The Golden Empire is Now Accepting

 2020 Summer Camp Reservations

The Golden Empire Camps are ready for the 2020 season!  Don’t miss out on your chance for the experience of a lifetime at Camp Lassen or Camp Winton for summer 2020 by signing your Unit up NOW!   WE WILL SELL OUT – so get your reservations in early! Contact the Camping Department with any questions at Camping@GEC-BSA.org  or at 916-333-5434.  

	TWO Amazing Camps to chose from, ONE Great Council!
	Camp Lassen is a well rounded camp offering everything from a 1st-Year Scout Program to off-the-charts High Adventure (ATV, High rope COPE, Welding & Metalworking and so much more!). Located 45 minutes from Chico, this 4200ft high camp has all the comforts of home! With warm showers and an array of campsites to chose from, you'll want to get your choice locked in now. Learn more about Camp Lassen by visiting our webpage. Programs available for Troops, Crews and Packs.
	Camp Winton has sold out for the last four years! Troops come back year after year for the beautiful mountain scenery, refreshing Bear Valley Reservoir, extensive waterfront programs which include Sailing, Water Skiing, Kayaks, Canoes, Rowing, Paddle boards and so much more! Winton is known for its spectacular evening campfires and wonderful camp entertainment. Visit Camp Winton's webpage to learn more. Programs are for Boy Scouts and Venturing.

Reserve your spot now and select your favorite campsite before it's gone!

2020 Summer Camp

Are You a Trained Leader?

Every Scout deserves trained leaders.  Trained leaders help make the Scouting programs the best they can be.  Scouts who have the best programs are more engaged and more likely to stay in Scouting.

Position-specific training courses for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (Scouts BSA) are available online.  Log on to my.scouting.org to view and take the new training.

Access training

Training information

Do you prefer the interaction of live training session?  We still do live training in addition to the online classes.  Click here to see our training schedule.

     NYLT

     NEWS

NYLT Changes Age Minimum to 13

Great News! Boy Scouts of America has just recently announced a rollback of the age of Scouts BSA youth to attend National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)! A youth must be 13 years of age by the course date. Your youth can take the next step to improving their troop/crew/ship leadership skills for their unit and for their life! There is nothing that compares to National Youth Leadership Training! For more information go to http://www.gec-bsa.org/training/nylt/62948.   

(Read more)

Letter to parents

The first Wood Badge weekend is in the record books. Don’t miss your opportunity to Register for the Fall 2019 Wood Badge course. Wood Badge is a council-run, advanced leadership training for adult leaders.  On course, you will learn leadership skills, that will prove to be invaluable during your Scouting adventure’s. Wood Badge is the very best adult leader training that the council offers, and most importantly, Wood Badge helps units succeed!

You can register or learn more about Wood Badge at the links below: 

Wood Badge Fall Course

September 20-22 & October 4-6

http://www.gec-bsa.org/event/wood-badge-fall-2019-weekend-1/2436739

We look forward to seeing you on course!

-Wood Badge Team

Watch our building progress at the Nor Cal Adventure Area.

Visit the Blog or website for more information.

Webpage

Support Scouting while your Shop

Are you using Smile when you shop at Amazon?  Amazon Smile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you.  When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.  The Golden Empire Council is listed as "Golden Empire Council - Boy Scouts of America Trust Fund".  

So far Golden Empire Council participation in Amazon Smile has resulted in over $2300 in donation.  Imagine what that might become if more Scouters Council-wide choose to do the same.

At a recent Council Connections meeting which is a quarterly meeting that all district leadership and council committee leadership attend to keep our Council on track for GOLD, our volunteers developed the 2019 Golden Empire Council Calendar. We hope you plan to attend many of these exciting activities and use it to plan your unit activities.

2019 Council Calendar

Save the Dates in 2019 - highlights

Whitewater Merit Badge Opportunities

The Golden Empire Council is partnering with River Runners

River Runners has been providing high quality whitewater rafting adventures on the American Rivers near Coloma, California since 1974. Over the years their trained Merit Badge Counsellors have awarded countless Scouts with both the Whitewater Merit Badge and Kayaking Merit Badge. The Golden Empire Council and River Runners are now creating a partnership to teach more scouts how to navigate whitewater.

From March through September River Runners offers adventures and whitewater merit badge courses that keep your Scouts feeling challenged and connected with nature in a meaningful way. There is always plenty of time for Scouts to just play and experience the simple joy of being on the river too. With hassle free catered camping and high-quality meals it’s also a treat for scout leaders and chaperones.

For more information, visit River Runners’ website at:

https://www.riverrunnersusa.com/whitewater-merit-badge-for-scouts/

Call: 530 622 5110

E-mail: adventures@riverrunnersusa.com

Click here to download the current
Golden Empire Council Calendar