Received official word from Continental that they will not be able to be a sponsor. uggghhh.
However they do support scouting on a national level so they're still cool!! :-)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Fuel costs have been sponsored!
Jami with Deffenbaugh Industries just emailed me to let us know that Deffenbaugh will be sponsoring our trip by paying for our fuel costs!!
Her quote "We are happy to help this local troop and believe in what you are doing."
Jim and I are VERY excited and can't wait to tell the scouts about this donation at our scout meeting tonite!
Her quote "We are happy to help this local troop and believe in what you are doing."
Jim and I are VERY excited and can't wait to tell the scouts about this donation at our scout meeting tonite!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Midwest Airlines Update
Today we contacted Midwest Airlines again. We just had a hard time believing what we were told the last time we called. This time we talked to Barb. WOW! What a difference a positive attitude and friendly voice makes!! She was very friendly and requested that we send her our letter so that she could 'fly it up the flag pole' and see what they can do for us. Although it would be tough to be turned down by this company at least Barb made us feel like she was going to do everything she could for us and because of that and her positive attitude I'm considering today a GREAT day!!
Keep your fingers crossed!!!
Keep your fingers crossed!!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Disappointments vs. Excitement
OK, so not everything is going smoothly. Jim and I are experiencing a few moments of frustration while dealing with some of these airlines and ground transportation people. It's hard to believe these guys are turning us down. I really thought that with the excitement and support that Southwest showed us that the rest of these airlines would've wanted to jump on board! Southwest is sponsoring 2 legs of this trip. We were hoping some of these other airlines would support us and we were only requesting they support one leg.
Midwest told us that they are too small to try to support us. Really? I thought they were one of top airlines going out of KC. I've always heard positive things about them. One would've thought that they would want to support a small group on such a big adventure? One would've thought that they would want to send out that message to everyone else that it is important to support those groups who actually WANT to honor our veterans and servicemen/women?!!
United told us they have given out their donations but finally gave us their form to fill out for 2010. We'll see what happens.
We haven't made contact with Continental yet. Hoping to have better luck with them since their CEO is on the BSA Board.
Enterprise Corporate office won't even talk to us. We were told to go to our local offices. Can you believe that? The gentleman that started that company is a war veteran from the USS Enterprise...he's a hero...he and others like him deserve to have someone honor him and commemorate his contributions to our country and his corporate office doesn't believe this is a big enough venture to even generate a conversation with the corporate office? WHAT?!! When was the last time you heard of a scout group traveling across the US to honor our veterans? When was the last time you heard of a scout group participating in the Flag Day celebrations at Ft. McHenry with their own Flag Retirement Ceremony??!! - Never, cuz they haven't done it before!!! Maybe I'm a little too close to the subject. But thankfully the folks in charge at Enterprise were there to remind me that what we are doing is no big deal.
And then you go from that frustration to a very friendly conversation with a sweet lady at BRT Charter in the Cleveland area. She seemed very excited about our venture and is taking our information directly to the owner to see what he can do to assist our little group. Now these guys charter large buses...capacity of 47 is the smallest bus I saw on their site. I'm not sure if they'll be able to help us out because we are such a small group but she sure had a positive attitude about our adventure!
Ft. Rilea is very excited about the idea of having us stay in their barracks. They're also gearing up to accept more reservations for barrack stays as veterans/soldiers in that area may want to stay close by the ceremony site.
It's always good to talk to folks who are also excited about this endeavor of ours!!
Midwest told us that they are too small to try to support us. Really? I thought they were one of top airlines going out of KC. I've always heard positive things about them. One would've thought that they would want to support a small group on such a big adventure? One would've thought that they would want to send out that message to everyone else that it is important to support those groups who actually WANT to honor our veterans and servicemen/women?!!
United told us they have given out their donations but finally gave us their form to fill out for 2010. We'll see what happens.
We haven't made contact with Continental yet. Hoping to have better luck with them since their CEO is on the BSA Board.
Enterprise Corporate office won't even talk to us. We were told to go to our local offices. Can you believe that? The gentleman that started that company is a war veteran from the USS Enterprise...he's a hero...he and others like him deserve to have someone honor him and commemorate his contributions to our country and his corporate office doesn't believe this is a big enough venture to even generate a conversation with the corporate office? WHAT?!! When was the last time you heard of a scout group traveling across the US to honor our veterans? When was the last time you heard of a scout group participating in the Flag Day celebrations at Ft. McHenry with their own Flag Retirement Ceremony??!! - Never, cuz they haven't done it before!!! Maybe I'm a little too close to the subject. But thankfully the folks in charge at Enterprise were there to remind me that what we are doing is no big deal.
And then you go from that frustration to a very friendly conversation with a sweet lady at BRT Charter in the Cleveland area. She seemed very excited about our venture and is taking our information directly to the owner to see what he can do to assist our little group. Now these guys charter large buses...capacity of 47 is the smallest bus I saw on their site. I'm not sure if they'll be able to help us out because we are such a small group but she sure had a positive attitude about our adventure!
Ft. Rilea is very excited about the idea of having us stay in their barracks. They're also gearing up to accept more reservations for barrack stays as veterans/soldiers in that area may want to stay close by the ceremony site.
It's always good to talk to folks who are also excited about this endeavor of ours!!
Schedule and Ceremony
Over the last 2 weeks the scouts have hammered out quite a nice flag retirement ceremony. They've taken parts and pieces from the military ceremony and scout ceremonies.
We've also hammered out a 'doable' schedule...this is a temporary schedule. The final schedule will be dependent on the flight schedule.
Not all of the locations have been solidified yet...this is basically our hopes laid out for all to see.
If you know of a more 'ceremony' friendly monument/park/area in any of these cities please send us a comment so we can check into it.
Thanks so much for the help of our Portland contacts who steered us toward the barracks at Ft. Rilea and the grounds of Ft. Stevens for a dusk ceremony. Sounds very cool and we're really excited about it...the only beach-side ceremony at sundown that we'll be doing. Should be very stunning.
June 11
Depart KC – arrive in Cleveland
Flag Retirement Ceremony (FRC) on 6/12
June 13 late AM
Depart Cleveland – arrive in DC
Tour DC
June 14
9:15AM Wreath Ceremony @ the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington VA
Tour Pentagon
FRC at Ft McHenry
June 15
Depart DC – arrive in Houston
June 16
FRC at Vietnam Memorial in Galveston
June 17
Depart Houston – arrive in Portland
Check in at Ft. Rilea barracks
June 18
Evening FRC at Ft Stevens
June 20
Depart Portland – arrive in Kansas City
Final FRC – evening ceremony at Liberty Memorial (WWI)
We've also hammered out a 'doable' schedule...this is a temporary schedule. The final schedule will be dependent on the flight schedule.
Not all of the locations have been solidified yet...this is basically our hopes laid out for all to see.
If you know of a more 'ceremony' friendly monument/park/area in any of these cities please send us a comment so we can check into it.
Thanks so much for the help of our Portland contacts who steered us toward the barracks at Ft. Rilea and the grounds of Ft. Stevens for a dusk ceremony. Sounds very cool and we're really excited about it...the only beach-side ceremony at sundown that we'll be doing. Should be very stunning.
June 11
Depart KC – arrive in Cleveland
Flag Retirement Ceremony (FRC) on 6/12
June 13 late AM
Depart Cleveland – arrive in DC
Tour DC
June 14
9:15AM Wreath Ceremony @ the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington VA
Tour Pentagon
FRC at Ft McHenry
June 15
Depart DC – arrive in Houston
June 16
FRC at Vietnam Memorial in Galveston
June 17
Depart Houston – arrive in Portland
Check in at Ft. Rilea barracks
June 18
Evening FRC at Ft Stevens
June 20
Depart Portland – arrive in Kansas City
Final FRC – evening ceremony at Liberty Memorial (WWI)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
We Got Arlington!!
We've received confirmation that our troop will be performing the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Flag Day 2010!!! We are soooo pumped!!
Guys are starting to get that nervous/excited jitter when we discuss our plans...hilarious to see!!
To date we have the following secured:
20 one-way tickets via Southwest Airlines
Wreath Ceremony at Arlington
Flag Retirement Ceremony at Fort McHenry - also on Flag Day!
DC has come together rather well. Time to move on to the other cities...
Guys are starting to get that nervous/excited jitter when we discuss our plans...hilarious to see!!
To date we have the following secured:
20 one-way tickets via Southwest Airlines
Wreath Ceremony at Arlington
Flag Retirement Ceremony at Fort McHenry - also on Flag Day!
DC has come together rather well. Time to move on to the other cities...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
DC excitement
During a conversation about this trip one evening we were discussing different cities and the things we could do in each city. Justin mentioned that he would like the see the changing of the guard at Arlington. Jeff told him that groups can actually participate in a Wreath Laying Ceremony at Arlington. This really sparked Justin's interest; he really wanted to do this. I told him that we'd look into it and so with a little bit of research we found what we were looking for but we couldn't apply for this honor until June...they only take requests 1 year out. So we'd have to wait.
In the meantime I'm introduced to Major Bob at the Pentagon...what a hilarious guy!! He's a complete brainiac when it comes to history...never knew a history buff could have such a great sense of humor! We asked Bob tons of questions about DC and transportation and told him our ideas for the ceremony locations. Our guys really wanted to dip their toes in the Atlantic Ocean and to have a ceremony there on the beach. However, Bob threw an idea past us that was too good to pass up. We made a few phone calls and finally was able to discuss this option with Vince. Once we were able to answer all of his concerns he was on board. At this point we had just secured the first scout-led Flag Retirement Ceremony at Fort McHenry!! Our ceremony will be part of their annual Flag Day ceremony, parade of flags and fireworks. They usually have between 5,000-6,000 people in attendance. LOL!! You should've seen the adam's apples bobbing when we told the scouts this news!! They were VERY excited...this was a much better idea than our original beach idea. Thanks Major Bob!!!
Major Bob has also given us a few other great ideas - which at this point we are keeping a secret from the guys. You'll need to check out this blog while we're on our trip to see what Chuck has reserved for us!! Soooooo cool! Can't wait to see their faces when we pull up to it!!
Back to Arlington and the Wreath Laying Ceremony...
At the first of June we submitted our written request for 9:15 AM on June 14, 2010. Today we received confirmation that we got our request! We're doing the Wreath Ceremony on Flag Day in 2010!!! How cool is that??!!
At this point our scouts are scattered...one in CA, another working staff at scout camp and others are working...summer vacations, ya know. So I sent everyone a text message letting them know 'We got Arlington'!! the reactions were all about the same...'Sweet!' 'Holy cow are you serious?' and 'Yesss!'
We're all VERY excited!! This means that Flag Day in 2010 will be such an honor!!
Arlington perform the Wreath Laying Ceremony
Tour of the Pentagon - with a chance to meet Major Bob and shake his hand!
Flag Retirement Ceremony at Ft. McHenry
and ending the day with a big surprise!!
I can't wait to see what the guys want to do in the other cities!!
In the meantime I'm introduced to Major Bob at the Pentagon...what a hilarious guy!! He's a complete brainiac when it comes to history...never knew a history buff could have such a great sense of humor! We asked Bob tons of questions about DC and transportation and told him our ideas for the ceremony locations. Our guys really wanted to dip their toes in the Atlantic Ocean and to have a ceremony there on the beach. However, Bob threw an idea past us that was too good to pass up. We made a few phone calls and finally was able to discuss this option with Vince. Once we were able to answer all of his concerns he was on board. At this point we had just secured the first scout-led Flag Retirement Ceremony at Fort McHenry!! Our ceremony will be part of their annual Flag Day ceremony, parade of flags and fireworks. They usually have between 5,000-6,000 people in attendance. LOL!! You should've seen the adam's apples bobbing when we told the scouts this news!! They were VERY excited...this was a much better idea than our original beach idea. Thanks Major Bob!!!
Major Bob has also given us a few other great ideas - which at this point we are keeping a secret from the guys. You'll need to check out this blog while we're on our trip to see what Chuck has reserved for us!! Soooooo cool! Can't wait to see their faces when we pull up to it!!
Back to Arlington and the Wreath Laying Ceremony...
At the first of June we submitted our written request for 9:15 AM on June 14, 2010. Today we received confirmation that we got our request! We're doing the Wreath Ceremony on Flag Day in 2010!!! How cool is that??!!
At this point our scouts are scattered...one in CA, another working staff at scout camp and others are working...summer vacations, ya know. So I sent everyone a text message letting them know 'We got Arlington'!! the reactions were all about the same...'Sweet!' 'Holy cow are you serious?' and 'Yesss!'
We're all VERY excited!! This means that Flag Day in 2010 will be such an honor!!
Arlington perform the Wreath Laying Ceremony
Tour of the Pentagon - with a chance to meet Major Bob and shake his hand!
Flag Retirement Ceremony at Ft. McHenry
and ending the day with a big surprise!!
I can't wait to see what the guys want to do in the other cities!!
'the idea' of a lifetime!
The really cool part about all of this is that on the way home the boys started talking about what they could do in 2010. They wanted a way to pay back the VFW's, Women's Auxiliary, DAV's, etc that helped them to get to Mount Rushmore. Being as creative as they are they came up with a REALLY cool idea. Let's do something on all four bodies of water around the U.S. For those of us trying to figure out what the 4th body of water is...it's the Great Lakes!! We looked into it after our return and it just seemed too expensive and out of our reach so we let it go.
March 2009...we get a call from Randy Kidder who we know from the Adventures in Scouting paper and now e-paper! :-) Our troop has been picked as one of the top 10 units in our Council!! Us? Our teeny lil group? But it's true! Our current SPL Danny and our 2008 SPL Evan did an interview and a couple of the scouts from the trip participated in a photo shoot for this Executive Report that will be going out in the next 4-6 weeks. They did a great job and I can't wait to see it!!
Of course all of this brings 'the idea' back to the forefront. We started digging into it a little more than we did the first time. We came up with a few cost-saving ideas and then decided that this might actually work. First thing we did was to list out all of our expenses - biggest expense at the top of the list and started thinking of ways to be able to lower those costs.
The most expensive item on our list was airfare. Then Jim thought of trying to find a way to give folks the ability to donate frequent flyer miles to us. We contacted a few websites out there that are currently doing that but they weren't able to help us. The list of regulations and stumbling blocks seemed a little outrageous so we decided to take the bull by the horns and contact the airlines directly to see if they could help us organize this donation of FFM. First on our list of phone calls was Southwest because that is my preferred airline. Imagine my surprise when I dialed the number to the VP of Communications and Strategic Outreach and she actually answered the phone herself!! I about fell outta my chair!! Linda was sooo nice and almost as excited about the trip as we were! She took down all of our information and had Marilee take charge of our request and in May they came back with an unbelievable amount of support!! 20...yes count them...20 one-way tickets. One company took care of 1/3 of our airfare needs! Holy cow!! Once again I about fell outta my chair!! The scouts are stoked!! We all consider Southwest, Linda and Marilee 'beastly' - a very good term for those who don't speak 'teen'!!
And with that fabulous information Jim and I were even more driven to make this fantastic idea a reality...which is our job as adult leaders in the troop. The scouts think of things they want to do and we figure out how to make it doable. And then it's up to the scouts to follow through and DO IT.
March 2009...we get a call from Randy Kidder who we know from the Adventures in Scouting paper and now e-paper! :-) Our troop has been picked as one of the top 10 units in our Council!! Us? Our teeny lil group? But it's true! Our current SPL Danny and our 2008 SPL Evan did an interview and a couple of the scouts from the trip participated in a photo shoot for this Executive Report that will be going out in the next 4-6 weeks. They did a great job and I can't wait to see it!!
Of course all of this brings 'the idea' back to the forefront. We started digging into it a little more than we did the first time. We came up with a few cost-saving ideas and then decided that this might actually work. First thing we did was to list out all of our expenses - biggest expense at the top of the list and started thinking of ways to be able to lower those costs.
The most expensive item on our list was airfare. Then Jim thought of trying to find a way to give folks the ability to donate frequent flyer miles to us. We contacted a few websites out there that are currently doing that but they weren't able to help us. The list of regulations and stumbling blocks seemed a little outrageous so we decided to take the bull by the horns and contact the airlines directly to see if they could help us organize this donation of FFM. First on our list of phone calls was Southwest because that is my preferred airline. Imagine my surprise when I dialed the number to the VP of Communications and Strategic Outreach and she actually answered the phone herself!! I about fell outta my chair!! Linda was sooo nice and almost as excited about the trip as we were! She took down all of our information and had Marilee take charge of our request and in May they came back with an unbelievable amount of support!! 20...yes count them...20 one-way tickets. One company took care of 1/3 of our airfare needs! Holy cow!! Once again I about fell outta my chair!! The scouts are stoked!! We all consider Southwest, Linda and Marilee 'beastly' - a very good term for those who don't speak 'teen'!!
And with that fabulous information Jim and I were even more driven to make this fantastic idea a reality...which is our job as adult leaders in the troop. The scouts think of things they want to do and we figure out how to make it doable. And then it's up to the scouts to follow through and DO IT.
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