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Camp Read 2021

MAY 13, 2021 (pasted/edited from email)

Parent’s Guide

Medical Form parts A-B-C

Meningitis Form (NYS-required over 7 nights)  [added]

Dan Mulvihill and I had a call this evening with the acting Scoutmaster, Jay Rerrie,  in T24 Dobbs.  As per earlier emails, our plan is to share a campsite and leadership for the two weeks with T24.

I’m a little behind on getting everyone setup and some info is still in flux due to our (post-)COVID reality.  So this is a brief review and summary.
Please read it all, and please reply to confirm your scout will attend, and which week(s).

Week 1 = July 4 thru July 10
Week 2 = July 11 thru July 17
Two-week scouts stay the Saturday night in between.

  • Right now, based on responses to date, I have counted five T2 scouts as “yes” or maybe for week 1 and four for week 2.  That double counts some as many are flexible as to which week they go.  One or two scouts are interested in staying BOTH (two) weeks).
  • T24 Dobbs may have as many as 10 scouts week 1 and perhaps 4 on week 2.
  • One of our T2 scouts is serving on Staff and will be there all summer!
  • Plan is to have four adult leaders on week 1 and two (or three) week 2

Here are the costs:

Regular one week:                $500
Two weeks                              $900

“NEW SCOUTS JOINING IN 2021 GET A $20/WEEK DISCOUNT”

  • Parents pay the troop, which will pay the Council.
  • There is a specific Council refund policy, see page 15 in attached Parent’s Guide.
  • Transportation to and from camp is not included.  In prior years the Council ran a bus for those who did not have parents drop off/pickup.  I am not sure if that will be in place this year.
  • All scouts and adult leaders need a medical form completed after August 1, 2020. Substitute forms are NOT accepted, and this must be signed by an MD, DO, NP or PA.  SEE LINK ABOVE   Two week scouts need an additional meningitis form completed.  Medical forms are due June 13th  hard deadline!
  • I am not sure of what specific COVID requirements will be in place yet,  Latest I heard NYS has not finalized guidelines for all sleepaway camps.
  • Will talk about which activities and merit badges your scouts are interested in in another email.  And of course method of payment…

Questions? Please ask!

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APRIL 8, 2021 (pasted/edited from email)

SUMMER CAMP 

Some of you know Camp Read well, for some it is new.

What is it?

Our troop has attended Camp Read now each summer since 2007 in some form (except 2020 of course).  Some years we have attended one week, some two.  We have had as few as four scouts and as many as eleven up there for the week.

It is a unique place, and a relatively affordable one as well.  And it is now (soon) time to finalize plans for this year.

Better than me describing it, watch the video (https://youtu.be/8hU7kpcF3m4) on YouTube and see the Council webpage here (https://www.ghvbsa.org/read/)

(Don’t register through the Council website…we will sign up and pay as a troop and get what ever discounts for all that we can)

We traditionally have stayed in Camp Buckskin (“Camp Read” is actually three separate sub-camps).

Many (not all) years we have shared a campsite with T24 Dobbs Ferry.  They have invited us again this year to do two weeks with them and proposed that we overlap adult leadership so that scouts from both units can stay either one or two weeks as their schedule and preference allows.

If your scout has never attended Read, or any sleep-away camp, that is OK.  He will be with his friends.  And if it really is an issue for first-time campers, we do need a few adults (parents) each week.  That “volunteer”effort (actually it costs to attend) is part of what keeps the cost of this camp – which I think is comparable to private $3000+/week camps – to a cost around $500/week per scout.  Adults who want to attend do need to complete the BSA Youth Protection Training and undergo a background check, so we have to start the process early.

We traditionally have attended on “Week 1” (and sometimes week 2 also).  This year 2021 that would be specifically:

WEEK 1:  Sunday July 4 thru’ Saturday July 10 and

WEEK 2:  Sunday July 11 thru’ Saturday July 17

If everyone who received this can reply for their scouts with a :

  • “yes, definitely, my scout will attend (and which week or weeks)
  • “no, he can’t do summer camp this year”
  • “maybe” and which week(s) you are thinking,

…that would be very helpful – actually essential – to planning.

Further, if you can serve as an adult leader for a week (or perhaps half a week) let me know and let’s see how that pans out schedule-wise.

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