Brothers,
I hope this email finds you well and that you enjoyed a restful Thanksgiving holiday with your families. In this November update, I have outlined several key reminders for our Section as we reflect on the business that was conducted at the Council of Chiefs meeting and look forward to the new year ahead!
Update from the Service Lodge
We are preparing to role out both registration options (online registration as well as the traditional spreadsheets) within the next week. As we discussed at the COC, lodges can choose either method, but we do need them to choose one and use it. We believe that allowing lodges to register some Arrowmen online and others by spreadsheet will create too much confusion and opportunities for errors. As of Monday, there are several lodges that have not notified us of their preference. They can do so by e-mailing us at service.lodge@sr5.org. If they will be using online registration, we also need to know the fee that they plan to charge so that we can build that in. For any that we do not hear from, we will assume that they plan to use the traditional spreadsheets.
Update from Section Vice Chief Nick Zanzot
Following the COC, I am even more excited for the Dixie Fellowship! I believe the COC and the proposal that was approved was all very successful and I am excited to turn that paper into action and put on the best dixie ever! Lodge Chiefs, please remember to send me your “State of the Lodge” report for our section planbook. If you have any questions about this, please let me know. Also, please keep in mind the mentoring program that we as a section are trying to set up. If you have a specific area in your lodge that you feel your lodge specializes in, please contact myself and we can try and see if members of your lodge can mentor others in that area. Once again, thank you all for your hard work so far, and I cannot wait to see what else our team can accomplish.
Update from Training Coordinator Alex Summers
Please remember to adhere to any upcoming deadlines and for those lodges still deciding on topics (see attached Guidelines), please select these ASAP. The email for Training Coordinator Alex Summers is: training@sr5.org
Update from Shows Coordinator Jakob Helderman
Please remember to upload pictures to the Dropbox folder for us to use in the videos for Dixie. Pictures need to be from 2016 and the first few months of 2017. The email for Shows Coordinator Jakob Helderman is: shows@sr5.org
Link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kynnxhjjhp51q63/AABHkfVLuWdPXf8N6xR07P1Na?dl=0
Update from Associate Coordinator Carter Harwell
Many of you probably heard me discuss OA High Adventure at our COC in November. I am writing this today to follow up on that discussion and give each of you, as leaders, a charge to action.
As I am sure you all know, the Order of the Arrow has a core mission statement. This is where we list what the goals of our Order are as a national society. One of the goals listed in this statement is: “Promote camping, responsible outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship as essential components of every Scout’s experience, in the unit, year-round, and in summer camp.” Camping is an essential part of our organization, and without it, we would not have the same rich history that we to do this day. It is important to never loose sight of this goal, as many people forget it as their journeys in the OA advance.
The OA has given us all a number of wonderful opportunities to experience camping at it’s highest level. As I am sure most of you know, these adventures are designed to be not only affordable, but unique as well. Don’t just think “I have been to a high adventure base before so there is no point in going with OAHA”. Every OAHA adventure is designed to be new and exciting for everyone, so don’t miss out on the fun. From the ranges of mountains at Philmont in Cimarron NM, to the exotic lush underwater life at Seabase in Islamorada FL, there is plenty out there to see. There is also the amazing opportunity to serve on staff at the 2017 National Jamboree as an Arrowman.
One of my favorite quotes that I have learned while in the OA is from Kichkinet: “If they lead, then more will follow”. You are all receiving this email because you are the leaders of this section. I challenge each of you to lead the way, because as Kichkinet says, if you lead, then more people will follow in your footsteps. Many people would like to go to these high adventures, yet, are unsure of the process or unwilling to go on a trip without people they know. As leaders, make a charge! Post to social media, utilize email and other lodge assets to get the word out there. As I have already stated, there are many OAHA opportunities that are just waiting for you to take advantage of. It doesn’t have to be a huge campaign either. All it takes is a short conversation here or a Facebook post there to get people interested in OAHA. Just get the discussion started one way or another, and people will discover for themselves what a wonderful opportunity OAHA is.
Brothers, the spark of curiosity is already in each of the Arrowmen in our section, all you must do is fan it. I ask that each of you utilize the resources that I have created in the past for OAHA promotion. If you do not have a copy of them, all it takes is a quick email to associate.coordinator@sr5.org and I can provide you with an abundance of resources to get some interest going in your lodge.
I see great potential in our section and I can’t wait too see what we can accomplish moving forward together. I look forward to seeing all of you at Dixie 2017!
Final Words from the Chief
Attached to this email, you will find the COC minutes (recorded by Secretary Stuart Park) in addition to the 2017 Dixie Fellowship Guidelines. Tomorrow, December 1st, marks the official kickoff for D-PRO! Below are the links to both the Google Drive folder and the page on our section website:
http://www.sr5.org/promotional-resources-2/
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByDjzQv7J2LteFJIRW9ObWRYYmc?usp=sharing
The leadership of each lodge may use any and all of the resources provided in the thematic package and we highly encourage you to promote this Dixie Fellowship heavily. If everyone diligently promotes it and utilizes these tools provided by the section, we could have a massive turnout for the 65th anniversary Dixie Fellowship! In addition to this, the video of the Dixie Preview is now online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-98tck0euc&t=1s
Another note, please spread the word about the Carolinas Indian Seminar. It’s always an amazing event and you can find all of the information you need here: http://eswau.net/events/2017-carolinas-indian-seminar/
With the National Planning Meeting on the horizon, I will be sure to keep you all in the loop on the updates and important business we conduct together as a nation in Dallas. For all of you who have finals coming up, I wish you the best of luck – let’s finish this semester strong!
Until we meet again, remember to keep the Arrow aimed high! As always, please do not ever hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. WWW
In the Spirit,
Matthew Watson | SR-5 Section Chief