Mrs. O'Meara will be teaching the Gardening and Plant Science Merit Badges next weekend April 1 from 8AM-noon and April 8 from 8AM-noon at Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist . Scouts will be completing most of the merit badge on site and then, we will be planting some plants that the participants will be growing at the Church (materials provided for you to raise the plants at home). Scouts will need to attend the two 4 hour blocks to get the badges

Here are the areas where we ill be putting in gardens.

Note that Saturday April 1 will also be the day that the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist has its monthly food distribution. There should be plenty of room for both activities, but we urge everybody to be careful and be aware of traffic.

We will be doing an overnight canoe trip down the Colorado River from Ehrenberg south thru the Cibola Wildlife Refuge. We will be paddling about 12 miles per day and camping one night at the river's edge. All our gear will be packed and secured in the canoes, care will be taken to secure and waterproof all supplies and clothing. All scouts will need to have passed a BSA swimmers test before this outing. This will be a very scenic part of the river with lots of opportunity to see wildlife. Fishing is also good along this part of the river, so bring your license if you're over 13. We will be driving to our put in spot on the river and camping there Friday night. Several adults from the troop will do a scouting trip down this section of the river a few weeks ahead of time. To keep the cost of this trip lower we will be using our troop canoes and shuttling ourselves.  Trip fact / permission slip coming soon.

In order to know everyone's swim status we will have a swim check night on Monday April 3 instead of the usual meeting.  The Swim check will  be at the Hetrick pool, 4934 W. Tierra Buena Lane, which is directly across the street from the Russells.  Park on the street and use the3 gate tot he right of the house.  Come ready to swim and bring a towel.  The water should be very comfortable.

We are very sad to announce the passing of James Rideout, the son of our Scoutmaster Mr. Rideout.  James passed away in the early morning hours of March 15, 2023 at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Amanda Rideout, and parents.  In July 2017, James was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and underwent a stem cell transplant in November 2017. Unfortunately, his leukemia returned in August 2021 and he had a second stem cell transplant in November of that year. James was an advocate for researching a cure for leukemia and further advanced this cause by being a candidate for Man of the Year in 2020 with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Arizona Chapter.

James was the 46th Eagle Scout in Troop 365, He was previously  a member of troop 267 where he served as SPL for a term. He attended Philmont  in 2005 and Emerald Bay in 2006. His Eagle project was a Gold panning station at  the Lake Pleasant Regional Park Visitor Center and was used by Youth Groups for many years.  Below are pictures from James' Eagle project and successful Board of Review.

Following is some of the information that will appear in his obituary

James Rideout was born on October 1, 1989 at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona to Paul and Tina Rideout. He earned his Eagle Scout, the highest honor to achieve in Boy Scouts, from Troop 365 in 2006 and served as the Assistant Scoutmaster from 2008 to 2009 to provide both leadership and direction to his scouts. James graduated from Apollo High School in 2008 before attending community college that same fall. He graduated with an Associate of the Arts in 2011 from Glendale Community College and a Bachelor’s in Communications and Media Studies with a minor in Public Relations from Arizona State University in 2013. He enjoyed being involved in activities on campus during his university years including Communication Club and serving as the Art Editor of the Canyon Voices Literary Magazine.

He married the love of his life, Amanda Berry, on May 30, 2015 at [Insert name of church this took place]. They adopted two dogs, Dio and Indie, into their loving household.

James was a Staff Accountant for companies including loanDepot, Passport Health, Circle K, and Western Refining. He worked in the accounting field for over 11 years.

 James was a lifelong fan of all thing’s sports including his favorite teams: Red Sox, Patriots, Diamondbacks, Suns, and Cardinals. He always knew the latest sports statistics regarding his favorite teams and was definitely the one to win in a round of sports trivia. He loved exploring the great outdoors and, during his time in Boy Scouts, he went up to Philmont with his father in the summer of 2005. He enjoyed spending time with his wife and family, playing cards and board games, writing poetry, watching movies, playing video games, learning about history and current events. He was an avid Star Wars fan and a special memory was celebrating his cancer remission watching Star Wars: The Last Jedi with all of his family. His absolute favorite thing in the entire world was to spend time up at the family cabin in Showlow with Amanda and he would frequently go there with her in the summer. He had a good sense of humor and was always fond of telling a good joke. A favorite childhood one was: “What’s big, red, and eats rocks? A big, red rock eater.”

James was preceded in death by his grandparents, Jim and Marylu Rideout; Yvette and Ernest Bushey.  He will be buried at Paradise Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum in Scottsdale, Arizona.  He leaves his wife, Amanda Rideout; parents, Tina and Paul Rideout; sister, April Rideout; mother and father-in-law, Andrea and Michael Berry; sister-in-law, Amy Berry; and his two beloved dogs, Dio and Indie. 

Condolences can be sent to the family by visiting a web address that will be announced.  Donations can also be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of James and the fight to find a cure for leukemia.

The time and location for services will be announced in a later message.

It's time (right now) to get signed up for a great week at Camp Geronimo.

 Here's a summary of what we know:

The Basics:

• Depart:  9:30AM Saturday 6/24, Return 7/1 about 12PM
• Costs:  $475 for camp fees, food and transportation,  $225 adults.  Note:  there are no additional fees for any merit badge any more!
  
  
• Payment schedule:  $150 payments due by February 15 2023, $150 by Mar 30, $150 due May 1, with $25 trip fee due at June 24 check-in.  Note that the Troop must put down $150 per Scout and $75 per adult by Feb 15, and it is not refundable!
  
  
• Unit Accounts: and Flag Service:  You can use funds in unit accounts to make payments at any time.  Funds earned for flag service in the 2022-2023 season through the Memorial Day 2023 flag service will be calculated after that event and available to apply as part of the last payment.
  
  
• Camperships:  The Grand Canyon Council offer camperships to help with fees for those in need .  A form can be found at :https://247scouting.com/forms/010-financialassistance They go straight to the Grand Canyon Council and the Council will contact unit leaders to verify information on the application.  The Council will start considering them January 15 thru March 15  We recommend requests get in early — our experience is that those that need assistance get it , but if you wait they may run out of funds.  Historically they have covered up to 75% with camperships, which would work out to $337.50, leaving $112.50 plus the $25 T365 trip and Saturday meal fee.

What we need

We have a short time frame to get a working list of who's going.  We need you to sign up to the event over on the Troop website sign-ins on the right and to get at least the initial deposit to Bob Hetrick.  I will get info from the Treasurer on unit account status, so you can let me know if you think that you can use that.

For more info contact Bob Hetrick or check out the attachments

Klondike Derby Coming April 1-2 North of Flagstaff

Come and join us for fun day of .22 rifle shooting. We encourage all attendees to bring their .22 rifles and any ammunition you can provide. The Wickenburg gun club will provide range masters for instruction and safety. This will be a free event for all, and lunch will also be provided.  Above and below are a few pictures from our 2022 event.  Check out the attached fact sheet for more info and sign up over on the right side of the website.