About

About Pack 118

Purpose

The Cub Scout program is designed to aid the overall mission of the Boy Scouts of America to build character, learn citizenship, and develop personal fitness. Scouting has something for everyone. Boys needn't be exceptional athletically or mentally to develop and thrive. Cub scouts is often summarize as "Fun with a Purpose." The leaders of Pack 118 try to take that motto to heart when planning an enjoyable program for scouts and parents alike. What's better than boys learning life skills through fun and games?

Program (fun)

Pack 118 is among the largest cub scout packs in Fairfield County. Because of our size, we've developed a unique and robust pack program.

Scouts meet as dens (small groups of boys in the same school grade) on a regular basis to work on age appropriate advancement requirements.

The pack meets as a group once each month during the school year for a joint activity. A typical pack meeting might include making sandwiches for the Dorothy Day Hospitality House, making cards for veterans, playing bingo, or meeting first responders and touring fire trucks.

In addition, the pack camps out twice per year, once in September and again in May or June. We are blessed with an abundance of park land as well as Hoyt Scout Reservation, which allows us to camp in town to make it easier for everyone to camp with us (and not miss out on other weekend activities). Our campouts are marquee events with exciting themes. Past themes have included the Circus, Ninja Training Camp, Wild Wild West, Star Wars, Spy Camp, Luau, and "Are you Tougher than a Cub Scout?"

But that's not all. The Pack also runs Pinewood and Rocket Derbies and the Raingutter Regatta and organizes at least two special out of town events each year. Past trips have included sleepovers at the Boston Science Museum, Mystic Aquarium, American Museum of Natural History, and USS Intrepid. We've also toured the U.S. Military Academy and enjoyed football on Scout Day at West Point.

Finally, the Connecticut Yankee Council offers programs throughout the year including summer day and resident camp, Scout Night and sleepovers with the Bridgeport Bluefish and Sound Tigers, the annual Fishing Derby, and more. Every three years, the pack joins 3,000 other scouts from the council at ConnJam.

Organization

Cub Scout Pack 118 is made up of first through fifth grades boys, mostly from Redding, CT and surrounding area schools. The organization of the pack is very standard for Cub Scout packs. Boys meet in small groups (dens) of 5 to 10 boys. Each den has an adult leader, and consists of boys in the same grade. First graders are Tiger Cubs, second graders are Wolf Cubs, third graders are Bear Cubs, while fourth and fifth graders are Webelos.

Pack 118, together with 26 other Cub Scout packs, 25 Boy Scout troops and 9 Venturing Crews make up the Scatacook District. The Scatacook District is one of six subdivisions of the Connecticut Yankee Council. There are over 300 councils in the United States.

Each Cub Scout pack is sponsored by an organization. Our chartered organization is the West Redding Volunteer Fire Department. The chartered organization provides a representative who is the liaison between the pack and the organization.

The pack is run by the Pack Committee, which is headed by the Committee Chairman. In Pack 118, all adult leaders are committee members. The Committee meets about once every other month to plan pack meetings and other pack activities. Parents are always welcome at these meetings.

The Cubmaster is in charge of the pack meetings and reports to the Committee. The Cubmaster is the face of the Pack, and is responsible for the program of the pack. The Den Leaders are the ones who do the majority of the work, and who have the most fun. All adult leaders must attend Youth Protection and Cub Scout Leader Basic Training, a one-day training course organized by the Council (now offered online as well.) Den Leaders plan and organize den meetings, keep track of the scouts' advancements, and attend leaders meetings (Pack Committee meetings). Den Leaders should try to engage the parents in the den meetings to the greatest extent possible, both to make the Den Leader's job easier and to increase the scouts' enjoyment. Cub Scouting is a family activity, and den meetings are a great place for family involvement. The Den Leader can go to the Cubmaster, the Pack Committee, or the Pack Trainer for advice and assistance.

Parents play an important role in the Pack. The leaders will do their best to provide a quality program, but all leaders in Pack 118 are parent volunteers and have other obligations. We depend on parents to help provide the great program we have. We ask every parent to help the Pack in some capacity. You should share the responsibility of organizing den meetings and support your son's den leader. In addition, you should help with at least one pack activity a year (e.g. Pinewood Derby or a campout). A parent should attend the pack meetings together with the Cub Scout. Every handbook for scouts has a parent guide at the beginning. We also have a child protection video which you can watch together with your son. There are no secrets in Cub Scouts; parents are welcome in any organizational meetings of the Pack, District or Council.

Pack 118 does not discriminate against scouts or anyone else on the basis of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other factor. The pack strongly believes that every boy should have the opportunity to be a scout. No boy will be denied the opportunity to be a member of our pack because of a lack of funds. Please contact either Chris Parkin or Trevor Furrer for more information.

Meetings

Den meetings: Most dens meet semi-monthly. At least two adults are required to be present at all times. Since we believe that Cub Scouting is a strong family activity, parents are usually with their scouts for all meetings and events until their sons have achieved the Webelos rank. In Pack 118, each den has a designated den leader, but parents take turns in organizing the den meetings.

Pack meetings: On the second Tuesday of each month, all scouts of the Pack gather for a Pack Meeting which is held in the Redding Elementary School cafeteria at 6:30pm. We expect a parent or the whole family to attend the pack meeting. Please arrive early so the meeting can start on time.

In addition to the above meetings, there are also many special events such as family campouts, overnight trips, day trips, etc. In the spring, Scouts make small wooden race cars and compete in the Pinewood Derby. There are also Council-wide events like camporees, Scout-O-Rama, summer Day Camps, etc.

Leader meetings (Pack Committee Meetings): Leaders of Pack 118 discuss organizational matters, future events and exchange ideas. All parents are welcome.

Roundtables: Every month, leaders of the entire Scatacook district exchange ideas and review recent activities and announcements. Leaders are encouraged to attend roundtables. Parents are always welcome. These are held on the second Wednesday evening of each month in Bethel.