A Different Day in Green Socks

My first introduction to ShelterBox was at the National Jamboree. Even after walking for hours amongst a sea of tents of all shapes and sizes there was something about the dome that caught me. I listened to their “mission” and was impressed by their solution. After that we were off to inspect these comfortable cocoon-like hammock tents and other adventures and for months I didn’t give much thought to those rugged green boxes.

When the disaster struck Japan I wasn’t going to forget them again. I don’t have family there or even any business connections. I studied a bit of Japanese in college but never followed through on going. I don’t think it was just Japan that got me either. Since Katrina hit my beloved New Orleans it’s been one thing after another. I’m not ready to call it the apocalypse but it sure seems like somebody really pissed off mother nature lately. Never before can I remember such a back to back series of disasters and consequently so much need for shelter. It sparked a drive in me, a drive to do more.

Even in the days when it was socially acceptable to club your wife over the head and drag her by her hair, the shelter has been at the center of the family. It’s where everyone comes together at the end of it all. It’s warmth. Privacy. It’s a place to share a warm dinner after a full days labor. It’ protection from the elements and the wild. Now imagine yours, be it modest or mansion, was taken from you in an instant.

Everything. Gone.

Tonight I was privileged to be a guest speaker at Troop 75′s Court of Honor. My role was not as a Scouter tonight (though of course I wore the green socks) but as a ShelterBox volunteer. Their troop is coordinating with another town troop to host an Emergency Preparedness / ShelterBox weekend event in August. One if the leaders net me at the Tradeshow and asked the committee to invite me to come speak. They wanted the families to get a good introduction to ShelterBox and generate family interest in their August event.

If there’s one thing being a Scout Leader has helped me with it’s better confidence for public speaking. I started with talking to 8 year olds and worked my way up from there. Ive got a ways to go as a presenter but in spite of that i’d say there was definitely some interest generated in ShelterBox tonight, not just for donations, but possibly volunteers as well.

 

Tradeshow of Scouting featuring ShelterBox

Last night our council held their annual Tradeshow of Scouting.  I had the opportunity to run a table on behalf of ShelterBox USA.  Technically this is my first official speaking engagement for ShelterBox and I got to give my presentation (a condensed version) 60-100 times.  There was a lot of positive feedback about ShelterBox and their mission. Time will tell how many speaking engagements are spawned as result of this but overall I thought it went very well. There was even some interest from a Venture crew member about getting involved in the ShelterBox Response Team (SRT).

If you’re interested in seeing my presentation on ShelterBox and Scouting you can find it here on YouTube.

 

If you’d like to make a donation to ShelterBox USA there are 2 campaigns that I’m currently running:

Donate $5 or more to ShelterBox USA via this link and I’ll send you out a ShelterBox Scout patch right away. 100% of the proceeds from will go directly to ShelterBox to support their mission to provide shelter, warmth and dignity to those in need.

Looking to make a more significant donation? Want to track the deployment of the actual box your donation is applied to? Want a receipt for tax deduction purposes?*  My goal is to raise $5000, enough to provide 5 families with shelter, warmth and dignity. Please visit and share: Fundraising page.

* ShelterBox USA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

 

 

Campfire Question: Courts of Honor

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about this blog is the feedback from the readers. To know that it’s more than just me babbling into the interwebs and that there’s people around the country and even world that are contributing to mine and my Scouts experience is both appreciated and humbling.
I’ve decided to start a new section of the blog and for now I’m calling it Campfire Questions. These are questions that I’d like put out there to you, my fellow Scouters. I’d like you to share your experiences, your methods, what works for you and what doesn’t.
The Campfire Question for this week is on Courts of Honor. For all intents and purposes we’re a new Troop of all young Scouts. About half the Scouts have earned about half a dozen merit badges so far. I’m not sure what we should do as far as a Court of Honor. Does your unit do a COH for all award presentations? How often do you do them? If quarterly, etc., how do you balance between immediate recognition and having a ceremony every couple of weeks?

As always your feedback is appreciated. Got a question of your own you’d like featured in Campfire Questions? Email me at dwmetz at gmail dot com.