Cub Scout Pack 486 Durham, North Carolina

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Community Service What is the community service program? Service to others is important in Scouting in general, and in Pack 486 as well. Scouts in Pack 486 are encouraged to perform volunteer work under the supervision of or in cooperation with their parents and Scout leaders. Certificates are awarded to Tiger Cubs who perform four hours of service, and to other Cub Scouts who perform six hours of service. Community Service patches are awarded to Tiger Cubs who perform eight hours of service, and to other Cub Scouts who perform twelve hours of service. Any hours of service performed during the Pack year (September through August) can be included in the totals for Scouts. Awards will be presented at the first Pack meeting after a Scout has earned that award. How are volunteer hours recorded by the Pack? Hours of service are recorded by parents or leaders, and turned in to the Advancement Coordinator for the Pack. Just write down the Scout's name, the date of service, a brief description of the service, and the number of hours performed, rounded to the nearest half-hour. You can mail this to the Advancement Coordinator, or hand it in at a Pack meeting, or just type it and email it. If you don't know the Advancement Coordinator's address or email address, contact the Cubmaster. Remember that awards are given at Pack meetings, so Scouts will have to wait a month to get their awards if the hours aren't turned in until the Pack meeting. What are community service projects? Community service projects are projects that assist groups outside the Scout's family. Scouts are not paid for the work they do on these projects. Cub Scouts will probably not be able to perform these tasks independently, so leadership and supervision by parents and other adults is expected. Please make sure that the projects are not too complex for the Scouts, that they do not require physical skills that the Scouts haven't yet developed, and that they're safe. When Scouts perform their community service, it is also important that the value of the service be explained to them. It may not be obvious to the boys that their work benefits others. It is expected that parents and Scout leaders can judge which projects can be considered community service. Therefore, other than the broad guidelines given above, there are no rules or guidelines to determine which projects qualify as community service. Prior approval of the Pack is not required. If you see a project that needs to be done, and if it's appropriate and safe for a Cub Scout to assist, go ahead and do it! Suggested Community Service Projects In your church: Help with church yard days Help usher at Sunday worship service Help in the church nursery Help serve food or drinks at church social gatherings Help clean up after church events At your school: Help with school cleanup or yard days In your neighborhood: Help put out holiday luminaries Help set up before, or clean up after, a neighborhood dinner Help an older neighbor with yard work or a clean-up project In your community: Visit senior citizens at retirement homes With your Den, sing Christmas carols at retirement homes Help serve a meal at the Community Shelter for HOPE Help deliver Meals on Wheels Help collect food for the needy, either through gleaning or by collecting cans and boxes of food Raise money for, and participate with your Den or Pack in, the Crop Walk in the spring. Make pine cone ornaments, or other decorations, and use them to decorate a Christmas tree at a hospital In the outdoors: Help clean up a state park or a campground in which you've camped