Greetings to All.

This contains all the sign-up information results from the First Organizational Meeting (3/12/00), plus a few other pertinent comments. Please read it carefully.

1) Signups I - Patrol Deposits/Confirmed Reservations

2) Signups II - Competitions and Games Games

3) Signups III - Administrative Staff

4) Signups IV - Sunday Morning Cleanup Tasks

5) Signups V - Late Afternoon Activities

6) Signups VI -Missing Paperwork

7) Reminder - The last Organizational Meeting is Sunday, April 30^th, from 7:30 through 9pm, at the St. Agnes Parish Center. Another Newsletter will be generated before about a week ahead of time; these are your "Heads-Up" on what turn-ins will be required that night:

A) Your Final T-Shirt Orders
B) Your Final Staff Food Orders
C) Your Campfire Song/Skit Titles
D) A Photocopy of your COMPLETE Troop Roster (not just the Projectoree Attendees!)
E) Any worn-out American Flags you may have to be retired
F) The name of one of your youngest Scouts who will be in FULL, COMPLETE SCOUT UNIFORM for the Flag Retirement Ceremony
G) Hard, realistic estimates on your total attendance

Remember, attendance at your mid-April meetings will be thin because of Easter and Spring Breaks - PLAN AHEAD.

8) Another Request for Reimbursement from the Projectoree Surplus Brad J. (our Chapter Chief) has formally requested that the shortfall from this past February's Leadership Council 2000 be defrayed by the Projectoree Surplus "Slush Fund." The shortfall was $151.97 The organizers have no other means to cover this, except out of their own pockets. As of last May, the Projectoree surplus stood at $703.61 This is factual but not actual, since we have yet to receive the Council payment for the Webelos Woodsmen patches. However, Acting DE Matt Budz has assured me that the Council will make good on this debt. Following the Scouting for Food Drive, we reimbursed Dave Carlson (CC-106) $102.25 for the rental costs of the panel truck needed to transport the food from Westover Baptist to the AFAC in South Arlington. The justification for that reimbursement was the benefits derived by the District as a whole.

In Leadership Council 2000, we have a similar situation, that is, the District "as a whole" benefitted from this event. The budget was properly planned, but only half the number of signed-up Scouts actually came, and pre-registration had not been required. Hence the shortfall. I suppose the O/A could go and demand payments from everyone who failed to come, but that is needlessly antagonistic and overly labor-intensive. "It ain't worth the grief." (PS - Troop 111 was NOT involved in LC-2000, so I think I can be objective about this!) So, since the District (still) has no budget, and asking the Council to cover this is a complete waste of breath (despite the $18,500 FOS surplus raised by Jack Hannon last year), the O/A is asking for our help. "Live and Learn." I can live with this if you can. Note that the O/A will be assisting the Projectoree again this year, so (to some extent) it's a back-scratching situation as well as being the "right thing to do." Anyone vehemently opposed, please let me know, and explain why. For the record, this would reduce the current Projectoree Surplus/Slush Fund to $449.39 Group Silence gives consent.

9) Finally, a letter to us from Ron Pelley, who played such a prominent role in Projectoree V last year (both A and B); worth the read!

Gentlemen: I just survived my Spring Camporee stint here in Sam Houston Area Council. It was acknowledged to be one of the best in recent memory (probably because I played almost no part!), but it didn't come close to a Projectoree. Here are some comments on things you are doing right:

1) Sharing leadership and starting early. One great thing about Projectorees versus the usual Camporee format is the way that Troops "run" the individual games. Although our games all went well, all were run and judged by adult leaders and floating "District Staff." However, when a Unit "owns and runs" an event, there is a bit of a proprietary edge - we want our game to be the best! I pride myself that I can run a pioneering game better than almost anyone - but your Troop working together can do better than me! Make your event the tops!

2) You can't beat a formal evaluation. Of course we evaluated our games. Orally and no records and no stats were kept. Point 1 above is best served when each Troop wants the event they staff to come out in the top 3! (will anybody ever top the Projectoree Obstacle Course or Firebuilding Race?)

3) Know and use your resources. I love Camp Wilson. We used a very nice private ranch in Coastal Texas where the owner did everything possible to make the Scouts feel welcome. However, Camp Wilson is just an absolutely fabulous facility - close, wooded, can build ground fires, a campfire area, flush toilets. Do everything you can to improve that area and make your yearly service project shine! You don't know what a gem you have there.

4) Planning = Tightly Run Games = Fun with an Edge. Because of the large amount of advanced planning, Projectoree's schedule is the tightest I have ever seen. 10 events in a day (plus the usual extras). I have seen Camporees squeeze in 10 events (e.g., my DCCS's last fall) but only one or two were good (not enough planning, not enough proprietary feeling about being best). I have seen decent Camporees with 5 events (e.g., this past weekend). Good, but the games didn't have an edge, and the pace was too laid back. Put the time in on planning - the pace is what gives Projectoree its edge.

5) Deliver value for the money. Last weekend was $10 registration. So $20 for me and Bubba the Beast (my son, mavericking with a struggling Troop), plus food and gas money, is a cheap weekend. But for $20 we got the promise of one lousy patch apiece. Because of their laid-back registration policy (versus Dr. Bob's "Nazi Mentality") nobody knew until Sat. morning whether there would be 29 or 49 patrols. Therefore, I didn't even get my patch on time. On the other hand, Bubba the Beast wore my Projectoree V T-shirt during the games and was the envy of every Scout around. You guys deliver top quality booty at a fair price. This is possible only because you plan far enough ahead and are really nasty about getting everybody registered early. Dr. Bob's hard-assed mentality pays off because the Scouts (and remember why we are here!) get a good deal, good booty, and memories that last. This is worth the sacrifice of running things tight and right. Not that the D-[Bar]-C Ranch "Five Star" Camporee was bad. But when at closing flag ceremony they claimed their's was the best in the U.S., I muttered under my breath that "they'd never seen a Projectoree." DO IT GUYS, MAKE IT THE BEST!

- DOC RON

Six Weeks to Go!

- Dr. Bob

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2 April 2000