Found out this morning that Troop 577 was not going to be bringing the fire barrel or any scouts to the Ft. McHenry Flag Retirement Ceremony. This is not the kind of thing you want to find out about when you are less than 48 hours from take off!! I tried calling the local council office but got nothing but vms and knowing that I had troubles getting anyone to call me back last time I resorted to the internet. This is where I found a website for Troop 343 --- and they had a contact number listed!
I called and spoke with Scoutmaster Hoerner who assured me that they would have a fire barrel, wood and water there for us to use as well as a few scouts - and maybe even some cubs and some of their venturing crew! YEAH!!!!
Many thanks to Troop 343 in Baltimore for coming to our aide!! We can't wait to thank you in person!!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
PAID!!
Once again this trip is officially paid for! Thanks to the kind folks at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Shawnee.
We had been trying really hard not to ask for handouts from the folks who helped send us to Mt Rushmore. They have been great in helping our boys earn the money - recycling and yard work, etc.
But with less than 2 weeks left before we leave we just didn't have time to set up a fundraiser so we went to church to ask for some help and boy oh boy did they help!!
When we received the invite to the White House and found out the cost of staying a few more hours in DC, I told Father Cook that I was going to make the changes and have Faith that we could find the monies to cover this change in our plans. It was just too much of an honor to pass on. Father Cook gave me a few minutes to stand up and tell the congregation about the phone call and change in plans - they were very excited for us! After service it was great to talk to all of the folks about our trip and give them an update on our plans. I can't wait to show them the pics and to have the scouts tell their stories!
We had been trying really hard not to ask for handouts from the folks who helped send us to Mt Rushmore. They have been great in helping our boys earn the money - recycling and yard work, etc.
But with less than 2 weeks left before we leave we just didn't have time to set up a fundraiser so we went to church to ask for some help and boy oh boy did they help!!
When we received the invite to the White House and found out the cost of staying a few more hours in DC, I told Father Cook that I was going to make the changes and have Faith that we could find the monies to cover this change in our plans. It was just too much of an honor to pass on. Father Cook gave me a few minutes to stand up and tell the congregation about the phone call and change in plans - they were very excited for us! After service it was great to talk to all of the folks about our trip and give them an update on our plans. I can't wait to show them the pics and to have the scouts tell their stories!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
White House
WE GOT THE WHITE HOUSE!!!
The White House picked US!!!
Congressman Dennis Moore's office just called and told us that the White House has extended their tours and has picked our group to go on a tour!!! yep, they received an email on Tuesday telling them that the tours have been extended and to watch for another email. Wednesday they received a phone call from the White House and an email instructing them to contact us to set up the security information.
We're stoked!!! this is unreal...
Now I need to change the airline tickets - thank goodness it's SWA!!!
OUCH!! that was a $750 change. I can drop a few surprises but we're still $500 shy...need another fundraiser afterall!! ...donations anyone? - if you're interested please hit the DONATE button on the right side.
The White House picked US!!!
Congressman Dennis Moore's office just called and told us that the White House has extended their tours and has picked our group to go on a tour!!! yep, they received an email on Tuesday telling them that the tours have been extended and to watch for another email. Wednesday they received a phone call from the White House and an email instructing them to contact us to set up the security information.
We're stoked!!! this is unreal...
Now I need to change the airline tickets - thank goodness it's SWA!!!
OUCH!! that was a $750 change. I can drop a few surprises but we're still $500 shy...need another fundraiser afterall!! ...donations anyone? - if you're interested please hit the DONATE button on the right side.
May Update:
WE DID IT!!! We raised $18,800 in 12 months!! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped us get there!!
The guys are happy to be done with fundraising and are now working to get their uniforms updated and ready to pack.
I'm still busy trying to get all of the troops and veteran's units organized and answering tons of questions from everyone! I thought everyone was excited when we first talked about this trip and now that it's getting closer folks are calling to confirm and are very excited that we are only 15 DAYS AWAY FROM TAKE OFF!!
We have sooo many fun things lined up for the guys to do it's unbelieveable!! Somewhere in this schedule they will have time for sleep and they'll probably drop from exhaustion every nite!
With all of the budgeting and negotiating I did discover one thing...I'll NEVER do business with Delta or Expedia again!! We took a $800 hit on our budget because of a mistake that I made when dealing with them. We were talking with a gentleman from Expedia and thought we made it very clear that we needed the ability to make name changes when we got closer to the departure date. Apparently he didn't understand me as well as he said he did and I did not double check the small print. When I called to make changes neither Expedia nor Delta would help. In fact the 'Customer Service' folks from Delta made sure to tell me how this was all my fault (which I had already admitted to), I shouldn't expect them to clean up my mess and that there is NO ONE in that entire company empowered enough to help me with this issue.
When I called Southwest with the same changes most of my flights were set up the way I had asked them to be but one flight was a little different because we did it as a Web Only online special. Rather than telling me over and over again how we screwed up when we booked them - Kelsey told me that this stuff happens and she stayed on the line with me to walk me through how to make the changes. It did cost me a few extra dollars (40) to make the changes but I didn't mind because Kelsey was kind and extremely helpful. Take note Delta - THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!! This is why I will always fly SWA if possible, I'll never fly Delta again and I'll always tell anyone I know who is booking flights my lil story about the differences in Customer Service.
I've organized trips like this every 2 years for the last10 years and I've had a big bunch of fun! I can't wait to see the guys' faces when we hit some of these surprises!
But first I need to get these things done - t-shirts, programs, gifts, troops, vets, leaders books...so much to do yet - better get to it!!
Stay posted!! Pics and stories coming in just 15 days!!!
WE DID IT!!! We raised $18,800 in 12 months!! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped us get there!!
The guys are happy to be done with fundraising and are now working to get their uniforms updated and ready to pack.
I'm still busy trying to get all of the troops and veteran's units organized and answering tons of questions from everyone! I thought everyone was excited when we first talked about this trip and now that it's getting closer folks are calling to confirm and are very excited that we are only 15 DAYS AWAY FROM TAKE OFF!!
We have sooo many fun things lined up for the guys to do it's unbelieveable!! Somewhere in this schedule they will have time for sleep and they'll probably drop from exhaustion every nite!
With all of the budgeting and negotiating I did discover one thing...I'll NEVER do business with Delta or Expedia again!! We took a $800 hit on our budget because of a mistake that I made when dealing with them. We were talking with a gentleman from Expedia and thought we made it very clear that we needed the ability to make name changes when we got closer to the departure date. Apparently he didn't understand me as well as he said he did and I did not double check the small print. When I called to make changes neither Expedia nor Delta would help. In fact the 'Customer Service' folks from Delta made sure to tell me how this was all my fault (which I had already admitted to), I shouldn't expect them to clean up my mess and that there is NO ONE in that entire company empowered enough to help me with this issue.
When I called Southwest with the same changes most of my flights were set up the way I had asked them to be but one flight was a little different because we did it as a Web Only online special. Rather than telling me over and over again how we screwed up when we booked them - Kelsey told me that this stuff happens and she stayed on the line with me to walk me through how to make the changes. It did cost me a few extra dollars (40) to make the changes but I didn't mind because Kelsey was kind and extremely helpful. Take note Delta - THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!! This is why I will always fly SWA if possible, I'll never fly Delta again and I'll always tell anyone I know who is booking flights my lil story about the differences in Customer Service.
I've organized trips like this every 2 years for the last10 years and I've had a big bunch of fun! I can't wait to see the guys' faces when we hit some of these surprises!
But first I need to get these things done - t-shirts, programs, gifts, troops, vets, leaders books...so much to do yet - better get to it!!
Stay posted!! Pics and stories coming in just 15 days!!!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
April Update
All kinds of craziness going on since the last update!!
We had a booth at Gailapalooza at Gail's Harley Davidson where we sold Hy-Vee coupon books and gave away cookies to anyone who would listen to our trip story. We gave away hundreds of business cards and hope to see everyone at Liberty Memorial on June 20th!!
We have been doing yard work like madmen!! Lots of raking and mowing lately.
We've already worked one evening at Lakeside Speedway concessions and are set up to do 2 more on May 7th and 14th.
We will be at the Shawnee Farmer's Market on May 1st and 8th to sell baked goods. Ms Lizzie makes the BEST pies and muffins and cookies - I just hope some of the stuff makes it to the table before the scouts get a good whiff!! LOL!!
May 4th we'll be doing the opening flag ceremony for the Shriners.
One of our parents is hoping to set up a Cash 4 Gold fundraiser in mid-May.
Fundraisers have brought us very close to our goal. We're now down to $155 per person, we're hoping to get this within the $75 range.
CEREMONY
We've had a change of venue. In the Portland area we will not be at Ft. Stevens, we will be at Sunset Beach instead. This will allow us to have vehicles drive right onto the beach to drop off if need be.
The scouts are doing excellent with the ceremony. Everyone has their parts memorized and we will be conducting our first ceremony for our Cub Scout Pack on Monday, May 3rd.
Many thanks to everyone for their continued support!
All kinds of craziness going on since the last update!!
We had a booth at Gailapalooza at Gail's Harley Davidson where we sold Hy-Vee coupon books and gave away cookies to anyone who would listen to our trip story. We gave away hundreds of business cards and hope to see everyone at Liberty Memorial on June 20th!!
We have been doing yard work like madmen!! Lots of raking and mowing lately.
We've already worked one evening at Lakeside Speedway concessions and are set up to do 2 more on May 7th and 14th.
We will be at the Shawnee Farmer's Market on May 1st and 8th to sell baked goods. Ms Lizzie makes the BEST pies and muffins and cookies - I just hope some of the stuff makes it to the table before the scouts get a good whiff!! LOL!!
May 4th we'll be doing the opening flag ceremony for the Shriners.
One of our parents is hoping to set up a Cash 4 Gold fundraiser in mid-May.
Fundraisers have brought us very close to our goal. We're now down to $155 per person, we're hoping to get this within the $75 range.
CEREMONY
We've had a change of venue. In the Portland area we will not be at Ft. Stevens, we will be at Sunset Beach instead. This will allow us to have vehicles drive right onto the beach to drop off if need be.
The scouts are doing excellent with the ceremony. Everyone has their parts memorized and we will be conducting our first ceremony for our Cub Scout Pack on Monday, May 3rd.
Many thanks to everyone for their continued support!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Pentagon!! and overview of the trip
Our tour request has been received and approved!! We're going on a tour of the Pentagon where we'll get a chance to meet up with Major Bob again! YAY!!
For those of you who haven't been following this blog here's the dealio...
On our way home from our trip to lower the flag at Mt. Rushmore the scouts started talking about our next trip in 2010. They wanted to touch all 4 bodies of water and they wanted to somehow thank the veterans who donated money to help fund their trip to Mt. Rushmore. Then they decided that instead of just paying them back they wanted to pass it forward...and here's their plan. They are going Coast 2 Coast to honor our veterans and active duty soldiers with a Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 11th we are departing KC for the Cleveland airport, traveling to Sandusky Ohio to honor the veterans at the Ohio Veteran's Home on June 12th with invites going out to any/all veterans in the Cleveland/Akron/Toledo areas - everyone is invited.
On June 13th we depart for DC where we'll head over to the Atlantic ocean - with Major Bob in tow! He is a big history buff and will be able to tell the boys all about the area and America's fight for Freedom. On Flag Day we will be participating in the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 9:15AM, then we'll be off to our Pentagon Tour and then on to Ft. McHenry for their Flag Day Celebrations where we will be conducting our Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 14th we're headed for Galveston! We'll be staying with Randy and Deanna Patro - owners of Pearland Pools who have been big supporters of our Scout Troops endeavors to support and honor our military. We'll be able to relax for a day or two, catch our breath and get some laundry done!! The Flag Retirement Ceremony will be held at the Vietnam Memorial at Moody Gardens in Galveston on 6/17 at 9AM. Management at Moody Gardens has offered the scouts tickets to enjoy the rest of their day at their facilities. Very kind of them!
On June 18th we're heading to Portland. We'll be touring the area - get some good hiking in and enjoy the beauty that area has to offer. We'll be conducting the Flag Retirement Ceremony at Ft. Stevens on the beach at 7PM on the 19th.
On June 20th, we're headed back to Kansas City where we'll be conducting the final Flag Retirement Ceremony for our hometown at Liberty Museum.
Once home the troop will hold a private ceremony to bury the ashes of those flags who have served their country so well.
Reading our past blogs will enlighten you to the hard work the scouts have put in and the support they have received from people all over the country.
84 days and counting!!!
For those of you who haven't been following this blog here's the dealio...
On our way home from our trip to lower the flag at Mt. Rushmore the scouts started talking about our next trip in 2010. They wanted to touch all 4 bodies of water and they wanted to somehow thank the veterans who donated money to help fund their trip to Mt. Rushmore. Then they decided that instead of just paying them back they wanted to pass it forward...and here's their plan. They are going Coast 2 Coast to honor our veterans and active duty soldiers with a Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 11th we are departing KC for the Cleveland airport, traveling to Sandusky Ohio to honor the veterans at the Ohio Veteran's Home on June 12th with invites going out to any/all veterans in the Cleveland/Akron/Toledo areas - everyone is invited.
On June 13th we depart for DC where we'll head over to the Atlantic ocean - with Major Bob in tow! He is a big history buff and will be able to tell the boys all about the area and America's fight for Freedom. On Flag Day we will be participating in the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 9:15AM, then we'll be off to our Pentagon Tour and then on to Ft. McHenry for their Flag Day Celebrations where we will be conducting our Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 14th we're headed for Galveston! We'll be staying with Randy and Deanna Patro - owners of Pearland Pools who have been big supporters of our Scout Troops endeavors to support and honor our military. We'll be able to relax for a day or two, catch our breath and get some laundry done!! The Flag Retirement Ceremony will be held at the Vietnam Memorial at Moody Gardens in Galveston on 6/17 at 9AM. Management at Moody Gardens has offered the scouts tickets to enjoy the rest of their day at their facilities. Very kind of them!
On June 18th we're heading to Portland. We'll be touring the area - get some good hiking in and enjoy the beauty that area has to offer. We'll be conducting the Flag Retirement Ceremony at Ft. Stevens on the beach at 7PM on the 19th.
On June 20th, we're headed back to Kansas City where we'll be conducting the final Flag Retirement Ceremony for our hometown at Liberty Museum.
Once home the troop will hold a private ceremony to bury the ashes of those flags who have served their country so well.
Reading our past blogs will enlighten you to the hard work the scouts have put in and the support they have received from people all over the country.
84 days and counting!!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
February Update
WHEW!! What a crazy month!!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
We've had days of shoveling snow, chili suppers and a fundraising meal at a Pack Space Derby! Along with those proceeds we've had some generous donations come in.
FRC:
Flag Retirement Ceremony - the script has been written and parts have been doled out. Practice is happening every week and guys are starting to get their parts memorized.
PLANNING:
The scouts have done all of the planning that they can possibly do for the trip. All activities/events have been planned. Now it's up to the parents to set up the fundraisers so the guys can get to work on them.
SOMETHING NEW:
In April we will be doing a flag presentation for the Shriners who have donated $100 - very nice!
The guys are nervous already! LOL!
BUDGET:
The budget has certainly taken a different shape since we first looked into this trip. At first this was going to be a $25K trip. Then we were able to get it knocked down to $21K. After some great online bargains and fabulous airfare we are now under $17K! At this time we have only need to raise another $3150...we're so close!!! We know that we have $2500 covered with fundraisers in March, April and May which leaves us with a balance of $650. Jim and I are doing our best to find corporations or businesses that would help fund this small remaining amount. If you know of a company that might be interested please have them contact us or send us the info and we'll contact them.
Thanks for reading our blog and staying excited about our trip to honor our veterans and soldiers!!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
We've had days of shoveling snow, chili suppers and a fundraising meal at a Pack Space Derby! Along with those proceeds we've had some generous donations come in.
FRC:
Flag Retirement Ceremony - the script has been written and parts have been doled out. Practice is happening every week and guys are starting to get their parts memorized.
PLANNING:
The scouts have done all of the planning that they can possibly do for the trip. All activities/events have been planned. Now it's up to the parents to set up the fundraisers so the guys can get to work on them.
SOMETHING NEW:
In April we will be doing a flag presentation for the Shriners who have donated $100 - very nice!
The guys are nervous already! LOL!
BUDGET:
The budget has certainly taken a different shape since we first looked into this trip. At first this was going to be a $25K trip. Then we were able to get it knocked down to $21K. After some great online bargains and fabulous airfare we are now under $17K! At this time we have only need to raise another $3150...we're so close!!! We know that we have $2500 covered with fundraisers in March, April and May which leaves us with a balance of $650. Jim and I are doing our best to find corporations or businesses that would help fund this small remaining amount. If you know of a company that might be interested please have them contact us or send us the info and we'll contact them.
Thanks for reading our blog and staying excited about our trip to honor our veterans and soldiers!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
January Update
We've had a busy couple of months.
NOVEMBER: This was a big fundraising month for us. The scouts were busy with the 'Rent a Scout' program and selling HyVee coupon books. These helped raise the final amounts needed to book the airline tickets.
DECEMBER: We were able to finalize all of the airline reservations. We're taking Delta from KC to Akron but the rest of our flights will be with Southwest. They had great rates and their group travel department was fabulous to work with. SWA did donate 20 tickets to the trip so if there was another airline out there offering a seat for a few dollars less, we kept our loyalty with SWA.
It took Major Bob's help to get us lodging in DC.
JANUARY
Today we finalized our last lodging. We received confirmation of our duplex at Camp Rilea and reserved a big cabin near Portland for the first night. It's going to be beautiful!!
Tomorrow we have our parent meeting. We still need to raise ~ $5300 or put a payment plan together. In May this was a $23,000 trip. We've been able to find enough bargains, airfares have dropped and we've worked to get some really nice deals from some really nice folks to have the costs drop to $16,700. And out of that we only need to raise $5300..we're doing great!! We're still hoping that Wal-Mart and Harley Davidson come thru with nice donations. We should get those updates within the next 6-8 weeks. The parents will be putting together fundraisers for January - May, I'll post those as the information is provided.
Many thanks to everyone who is helping make this trip a possibility!!!
NOVEMBER: This was a big fundraising month for us. The scouts were busy with the 'Rent a Scout' program and selling HyVee coupon books. These helped raise the final amounts needed to book the airline tickets.
DECEMBER: We were able to finalize all of the airline reservations. We're taking Delta from KC to Akron but the rest of our flights will be with Southwest. They had great rates and their group travel department was fabulous to work with. SWA did donate 20 tickets to the trip so if there was another airline out there offering a seat for a few dollars less, we kept our loyalty with SWA.
It took Major Bob's help to get us lodging in DC.
JANUARY
Today we finalized our last lodging. We received confirmation of our duplex at Camp Rilea and reserved a big cabin near Portland for the first night. It's going to be beautiful!!
Tomorrow we have our parent meeting. We still need to raise ~ $5300 or put a payment plan together. In May this was a $23,000 trip. We've been able to find enough bargains, airfares have dropped and we've worked to get some really nice deals from some really nice folks to have the costs drop to $16,700. And out of that we only need to raise $5300..we're doing great!! We're still hoping that Wal-Mart and Harley Davidson come thru with nice donations. We should get those updates within the next 6-8 weeks. The parents will be putting together fundraisers for January - May, I'll post those as the information is provided.
Many thanks to everyone who is helping make this trip a possibility!!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A busy October
What a wonderfully crazy month October has been!
Not only did we get everything in Sandusky set up but we also had a fundraiser and received some very nice donations! ---And the 2008 Annual Report came out!!
Every year the Heart of America Council Boy Scout Office puts out an annual report which updates our community leaders and businesses on how well the scouting program is going. These reports also feature different units and scouts for their efforts in their community. We were asked to do a photo shoot and interview for the report because of our 2008 trip to Mt Rushmore. Evan and Danny did a fabulous job at the interview and Justin and Jeff did a great job at the photo shoot. We not only got the usual front/back page but we also were featured on another full page with a picture of the whole group at Mt Rushmore and a story about our pending 2010 trip!! Very cool! According to Justin 'We're totally ballin' now!' - which translated in adult language means we're FAB! LOL! gotta love the phrases these teens use nowadays!
The fundraiser was hard work; guys had a good time! They would rather do manual labor than go door to door selling something. One of our parents started the 'Rent a Scout' fundraiser and we had our first job last weekend. We helped move a family from an apartment to a new house. Congrats to the new home owner!!
We also received some nice donations from Musselman & Hall and Merriam Christian Church. Thank you!!
We're getting closer but are still about $900 away from being able to reserve the airfare. We're hoping to resolve that in November!
In November we have another Rent a Scout program planned which should bring in about $60. And a weekend of selling Hy-Vee Coupon books which should bring in another $400.
Leaving us with about $450 yet to raise.
We've also just been asked to speak at the Heritage Society reception of the Council Annual Dinner November 18.
November is shaping up to be another exciting month!!
Please remember to pray for our troops everyday. Thanks for ALL that you do!
Not only did we get everything in Sandusky set up but we also had a fundraiser and received some very nice donations! ---And the 2008 Annual Report came out!!
Every year the Heart of America Council Boy Scout Office puts out an annual report which updates our community leaders and businesses on how well the scouting program is going. These reports also feature different units and scouts for their efforts in their community. We were asked to do a photo shoot and interview for the report because of our 2008 trip to Mt Rushmore. Evan and Danny did a fabulous job at the interview and Justin and Jeff did a great job at the photo shoot. We not only got the usual front/back page but we also were featured on another full page with a picture of the whole group at Mt Rushmore and a story about our pending 2010 trip!! Very cool! According to Justin 'We're totally ballin' now!' - which translated in adult language means we're FAB! LOL! gotta love the phrases these teens use nowadays!
The fundraiser was hard work; guys had a good time! They would rather do manual labor than go door to door selling something. One of our parents started the 'Rent a Scout' fundraiser and we had our first job last weekend. We helped move a family from an apartment to a new house. Congrats to the new home owner!!
We also received some nice donations from Musselman & Hall and Merriam Christian Church. Thank you!!
We're getting closer but are still about $900 away from being able to reserve the airfare. We're hoping to resolve that in November!
In November we have another Rent a Scout program planned which should bring in about $60. And a weekend of selling Hy-Vee Coupon books which should bring in another $400.
Leaving us with about $450 yet to raise.
We've also just been asked to speak at the Heritage Society reception of the Council Annual Dinner November 18.
November is shaping up to be another exciting month!!
Please remember to pray for our troops everyday. Thanks for ALL that you do!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Sandusky Ohio ROCKS!!!
I cannot even explain just how Blessed we've been in Sandusky, OH. I don't even know where to start!!!
I was fortunate enough to make contact with Steve D. the Director of Erie County Metro Parks. He had some great ideas for locations in Sandusky and has given us some invaluable contact information. He even sent an email to the City Manager's office giving them an outline of our trip. Michele H. is an Angel!! She was so exuberant to speak with and she had so many fantastic ideas - and talk about organized - sheesh!! She's got it goin' on!!!
I told her that we couldn't afford to stay in Sandusky but would probably be staying in one of their 'burbs. She gave me a few companies to call to see if we could get into Sandusky if that's what we'd rather do. My first and only call was to Mike S. at the Quality Inn & Suites...and boy did he hook us up!!
Linda J. with the Ohio Veteran's Home was very helpful and quick! I think it took all of 10 minutes to get the Pavillion scheduled! She was great!
With everyone's help we now have a location to have the Flag Retirement Ceremony, a location in which to have the Ash ceremony and a great place to stay!!
We're also hoping to get discounted tickets for the veterans and scouts that attend the ceremonies at Cedar Point and some of the other local attractions!
What a great reception and we're not even there yet!!! :-)
I was fortunate enough to make contact with Steve D. the Director of Erie County Metro Parks. He had some great ideas for locations in Sandusky and has given us some invaluable contact information. He even sent an email to the City Manager's office giving them an outline of our trip. Michele H. is an Angel!! She was so exuberant to speak with and she had so many fantastic ideas - and talk about organized - sheesh!! She's got it goin' on!!!
I told her that we couldn't afford to stay in Sandusky but would probably be staying in one of their 'burbs. She gave me a few companies to call to see if we could get into Sandusky if that's what we'd rather do. My first and only call was to Mike S. at the Quality Inn & Suites...and boy did he hook us up!!
Linda J. with the Ohio Veteran's Home was very helpful and quick! I think it took all of 10 minutes to get the Pavillion scheduled! She was great!
With everyone's help we now have a location to have the Flag Retirement Ceremony, a location in which to have the Ash ceremony and a great place to stay!!
We're also hoping to get discounted tickets for the veterans and scouts that attend the ceremonies at Cedar Point and some of the other local attractions!
What a great reception and we're not even there yet!!! :-)
Monday, September 28, 2009
City of Shawnee
Our efforts to notify businesses around Shawnee were somewhat surprising. We received monies from some individuals right there and then! Everyone seemed truly excited for us and wished us well.
We've given out our blog site to many new people over the last week so for those of you who don't want to reread all of the posts; here's the outline.
We have a group of 12 scouts going around the country to perform Flag Retirement Ceremonies in our effort to support and thank the veterans and active duty soldiers who are protecting our freedom and our country. We will be stopping in Cleveland, DC/Baltimore, Galveston and Portland. ---all four sides of the U.S. just as the soldiers protect our boundaries...
We're calling our trip SCOUTS C2C. Scouts Commemorating Our Units, Troops & Soldiers Coast to Coast.
In DC we will be performing the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 9:15 a.m. on Flag Day. In Baltimore we will be performing the Flag Retirement Ceremony at Fort McHenry during their Flag Day Celebrations.
If you would like to support us in our efforts please click on the Donate button or send a check to Troop 246, 5325 Nieman Rd, Shawnee KS 66203.
We've given out our blog site to many new people over the last week so for those of you who don't want to reread all of the posts; here's the outline.
We have a group of 12 scouts going around the country to perform Flag Retirement Ceremonies in our effort to support and thank the veterans and active duty soldiers who are protecting our freedom and our country. We will be stopping in Cleveland, DC/Baltimore, Galveston and Portland. ---all four sides of the U.S. just as the soldiers protect our boundaries...
We're calling our trip SCOUTS C2C. Scouts Commemorating Our Units, Troops & Soldiers Coast to Coast.
In DC we will be performing the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 9:15 a.m. on Flag Day. In Baltimore we will be performing the Flag Retirement Ceremony at Fort McHenry during their Flag Day Celebrations.
If you would like to support us in our efforts please click on the Donate button or send a check to Troop 246, 5325 Nieman Rd, Shawnee KS 66203.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Bummer
Well, we've been turned down by Payless Shoe Source and KC Southern. Our WalMart was not able to submit our request in August. She said she can only submit 6 of them and we were number 7. We should be able to get our request submitted in February. We'll see.
It is funny to me to note that there are a lot of companies out there that will not support us in our endeavors to honor the veterans just because we belong to Boy Scouts. I'm surprised that anyone cares what organization wants to do something to honor the vets...the fact that the vets are being honored should be what people are supporting. Why withhold support from vets because of their issues with BSA? Kinda like not marrying the woman of your dreams because you can't stand her sister...who cares...you'll only see the sister once or twice a year...is that worth passing up a lifetime of happiness?
It is funny to me to note that there are a lot of companies out there that will not support us in our endeavors to honor the veterans just because we belong to Boy Scouts. I'm surprised that anyone cares what organization wants to do something to honor the vets...the fact that the vets are being honored should be what people are supporting. Why withhold support from vets because of their issues with BSA? Kinda like not marrying the woman of your dreams because you can't stand her sister...who cares...you'll only see the sister once or twice a year...is that worth passing up a lifetime of happiness?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Cabella's
Cabella's answered our request for assistance by sending us a dozen very nice baseball caps and a binocular valued at $150. NICE!! Now we just need to figure out what to do with these...auction? gift for highest donation? no idea yet.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Applebee's update
The Applebee's fundraisers went really well...especially the pancake breakfast. We had budgeted 2 fundraisers there - one before school and one in the spring - and we thought we'd make $600 combined.
How wrong we were...pleasantly so!!
Over the last 2 weeks we sold 114 tickets for the pancake breakfast on Sat. and we handed out 300 flyers on the Dining to Donate on Sun. Between both days we raised just over $800!! With some luck we'll be putting the extra 'over budget' money and the money from the one we'll do in the spring towards the SPL planned 'fun events' while we're traveling.
The guys really hustled and made this a huge success. Thanks to the parents for helping out on Saturday also!!
Many thanks to all of you who purchased tickets, gave donations and dined at Applebee's this weekend!!
How wrong we were...pleasantly so!!
Over the last 2 weeks we sold 114 tickets for the pancake breakfast on Sat. and we handed out 300 flyers on the Dining to Donate on Sun. Between both days we raised just over $800!! With some luck we'll be putting the extra 'over budget' money and the money from the one we'll do in the spring towards the SPL planned 'fun events' while we're traveling.
The guys really hustled and made this a huge success. Thanks to the parents for helping out on Saturday also!!
Many thanks to all of you who purchased tickets, gave donations and dined at Applebee's this weekend!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Announcements
What a nerve-racking week it has been for the guys!! Evan, David & Danny all went to St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Sunday to announce to the congregation our plans for this trip. They were so supportive in 2008 that we wanted them to be the first ones we made our BIG announcement to.
This morning Danny and Evan and I drove up to Mimi's in Zona Rosa to discuss our plans with the Club North executives. What a great bunch of people!! They were sooo nice to us - very patient and understanding when we made our way thru our presentation. Thanks to Al and Mary for working with us to organize this presentation. Everyone was very supportive and excited to see what we are doing.
We were thrilled to hear of so many people who only fly SWA --- and they were thrilled to hear that SWA supports activities such as ours!! Good stuff.
Pancake breakfast this Saturday and Sunday is the day that we will receive 10% of your receipts. Eat at APPLEBEE'S IN SHAWNEE!!! mmmm...more good stuff!
This morning Danny and Evan and I drove up to Mimi's in Zona Rosa to discuss our plans with the Club North executives. What a great bunch of people!! They were sooo nice to us - very patient and understanding when we made our way thru our presentation. Thanks to Al and Mary for working with us to organize this presentation. Everyone was very supportive and excited to see what we are doing.
We were thrilled to hear of so many people who only fly SWA --- and they were thrilled to hear that SWA supports activities such as ours!! Good stuff.
Pancake breakfast this Saturday and Sunday is the day that we will receive 10% of your receipts. Eat at APPLEBEE'S IN SHAWNEE!!! mmmm...more good stuff!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Update on Fundraisers
We've been out selling tickets for 2 days now and have already raised $143. We have 3 more nights of ticket sales scheduled and of course the scouts are selling them to their friends, family and neighbors.
We are also dropping off fliers about the Dining To Donate at Applebees on the 16th. Applebee's will donate 10% of your bill to us for everyone who walks in with one of these fliers on the 16th. I've attached a flier to this post, hoping you'll be able to print it out and take it with you to Applebee's in Shawnee on 8/16.
We've also found a few ads on Craigslist...folks wanting manual labor. We're scheduled to go out to a farm on Sunday to put in a bid for cleaning up a tree line. This is the stuff that our troop is really good at. The scouts would rather put in a hard days work than go door to door selling something. Wish us luck!!
to print the flier, first save to your hard-drive and then print.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Let the Fundraising begin!
August is our official kick off month.
We will be starting off with 2 Applebee's fundraisers.
1. Pancake Breakfast August 15 8AM - 10AM
Tickets are $5 each. We will be selling these door to door throughout the neighborhoods around St. Luke's Episcopal Church. If you would like to purchase a ticket please leave a comment with your contact information and we'll get one to you.
2. Dining to Donate - August 16
If you dine at our Applebee's at any time on 8/16 10% of your purchase will be donated to our troop. You MUST turn in a flier with your order or else we will not be credited for your purchase. A copy of the flier will be posted on this blog within the next day or two. If you need something sooner, leave a comment and we'll send you a flier via email.
Both of these are at the Shawnee Applebee's located between Nieman and Quivira on Shawnee Mission Parkway.
We have also posted an ad on Craigslist looking for any manual labor types of projects. Hauling brush, cleaning up a construction site, tearing down office cubicles, etc.
Remember those Gold Books? We will be selling an e-version of those. We will have a 'Scout Card' that will have you log into a website where you will be able to print off coupons or find out about discounts for various stores in our area. We're looking at this fundraiser for September or October.
If any of these items interest you, please leave us a comment with your contact information and we'll get in touch with you right away.
We will be starting off with 2 Applebee's fundraisers.
1. Pancake Breakfast August 15 8AM - 10AM
Tickets are $5 each. We will be selling these door to door throughout the neighborhoods around St. Luke's Episcopal Church. If you would like to purchase a ticket please leave a comment with your contact information and we'll get one to you.
2. Dining to Donate - August 16
If you dine at our Applebee's at any time on 8/16 10% of your purchase will be donated to our troop. You MUST turn in a flier with your order or else we will not be credited for your purchase. A copy of the flier will be posted on this blog within the next day or two. If you need something sooner, leave a comment and we'll send you a flier via email.
Both of these are at the Shawnee Applebee's located between Nieman and Quivira on Shawnee Mission Parkway.
We have also posted an ad on Craigslist looking for any manual labor types of projects. Hauling brush, cleaning up a construction site, tearing down office cubicles, etc.
Remember those Gold Books? We will be selling an e-version of those. We will have a 'Scout Card' that will have you log into a website where you will be able to print off coupons or find out about discounts for various stores in our area. We're looking at this fundraiser for September or October.
If any of these items interest you, please leave us a comment with your contact information and we'll get in touch with you right away.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Awwwww....Bummer
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!! :-)
However they do support scouting on a national level so they're still cool!! :-)
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!!!
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