Recently, our pack suffered the tragic, unexpected loss of our cubmaster. A few weeks ago my youngest son and I were camping with him in our local Cub-o-Ree, then a couple weeks later he took his own life. I was out on the west coast on business, sitting in an airport around 4:30 am when I got the text from my wife. It took a great deal of discipline to maintain my composure.

It has been obviously difficult for our pack, who loved him very much, but several parents, including myself, are stepping up to formalize our structure for the new year and maintain pack integrity. I may very well be selected to lead the Bear Scouts and Webelos, and since I'm a bit of an introvert this will be a new experience, especially since I had not been seeking such a position. I'd done Scouting myself as a youth, but there's been quite a long hiatus.

On behalf of our pack, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We will need a good dose of wisdom.

I'm sorry you lost someone in your circle of friends and I think you will be happy in taking on some of the responsibility for the boys.

Back in the day I had the job of recruiting volunteers and leaders for our Pack and a 'thing' I used to say and truly believed when recruiting was that it's a shuck and a jive; people thank you for working with the kids and for giving your time and talent and what is actually happening is that you get so much more out of it than you ever thought that you think you cheated.
It's also something that passes quickly so if you want to do this don't wait until next year when your schedule is better. Your schedule is never better and the kids are 11 instead of eight and you missed the ride.

Best of luck with it and again, I'm sorry you and your community lost a friend.

Good Luck. Those were great times for me. The kids will appreciate what you're doing and there's no better cause than to be working for the future.

I'm an introvert too but these kids have the hopes and dreams to create a better world and you can help in some small way.


Send me your PayPal address and I'll Instant Karma a Ben Franklin to support the Troop and put my support behind you in your efforts.

Wow , that is tragic

It's great that your thinking about stepping up.

Scouting has some great resources to lead you in what to do, it just takes bodies to make it happen.

Back in my scouting days, we lost our Cub Master and no one wanted to be the one in charge, everyone was to busy...

But we had a group of parents who believed in scouting, and we came to an agreement,

I would be the Cub Master and later the Scout Master

But I couldn't do it alone, so we broke the leadership in to a bunch of small jobs spread over a lot of parents,

It was a great group, with everyone doing just a little bit of the heavy lifting we accomplished a lot for the kids

Good Luck, ask a little bit from each parent and you can accomplish a lot.

I'm sorry for your loss, that's a very tough thing to deal with, for all of you. It's a great thing you're doing. It may be hard at first, but you are being an excellent role model for the kids. Prayers sent

I applaud you for stepping up. You have a chance to make a lasting impression on those boys.

I'm sorry for your loss. Sounds like he was a great man.

I have been in the situation before a couple times where I assumed a position 'with big shoes to fill'. (career, church, military, youth sports org., etc)

Let me state that you need to be yourself and develop your own vision. Where do you want the organization to be 6 weeks / 6 months / 6 years from now?

Clearly - while he was likely very good - there were probably some things that could be improved on. Plus you yourself likely have numerous skills and talents that the organization can benefit from... If you are more of an introvert - perhaps you can find a partner to be the speaker / front-man. You could be more the planner / organizer / strategizer. Everyone has a role to play.

Don't try to 'be him' - just be yourself and your skills and dedication can shine through.

I have always liked the saying ' there are no limits to the things we can accomplish if no one cares who gets the credit'. Don't care about credit - care about results.

Good luck!

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Sorry to hear of the loss of a fellow Scouter, and of your friend and the kids' mentor.

I am also facing the challenges of bringing a Pack back, but ours from the brink of burnout and discontent.

The KISS principles apply, and get all the training you can handle. The leader guides for the various ranks basically hand you the program for the kids.

You can plan the den meetings in about a half hour or so.

GO TO ROUNDTABLE. Networking with other experienced leaders will give you ideas and you'll know who to turn to when you inevitably need help.

Lean on Council during this tumultuous time. They can find volunteers to get you all up to speed. Scouting folks always go out of their way to help new blood.

I went from a 23-24 year absence to bringing my son into the Lion pilot program last year. Saw the strain and stress on the kids and the pack. The kids were disengaged, the pack meetings run in the fashion of a business meeting, and nobody was having fun. My wife wanted to pull our son out- but I wanted the challenge.

Our den parents are stacked with 4 Eagle Scouts (yes, I am among them), 3 Gold Award moms, and several other former Scouts and/or outdoorsmen.

I stepped up to try to help our introverted den leader out- I now pretty much run the Tiger Den, amd he and I also are both Assistant Cubmasters. We also are running the Lion den concurrent to the Tigers, in the same location, so we can try to help out the newest folks and next level down in leaders. We've already enlisted our folks to help run the Pinewood derby, the pack website, awards and recognition, Secretary, Treasurer, fundraising, and CM/ ACM positions.

Early 2018 I'm scheduled to be Cubmaster, and can't wait. We've already improved communications, membership, budgeting, training, and are working on compliance with BSA stuff. Slowly the current Cubmaster who has been killing himself trying to keep the pack going with no help is realizing we've got this.

I find it best to remember always,

IT'S FOR THE KIDS, but there is no reason you can't have fun too.

Cub Scouts is about FUN. Making it fun keeps the kids engaged, and therefore happy. Happy kids want to be there. When the kids want to be there and are having fun, then it's easier to get the parents involved.

I want all my kids to have as good a time as I did in Scouts.

Channel your inner 10-year old- get goofy. Sing songs. Perform skits. Get them ready to face the world as strong independent people- not the common snowflakes. There are a lot of great ideas found with a quick search online. If the kids don't know you well, "repeat after me" songs like "Froggy", "Boom Chicka Boom", and "The Grand Old Duke of York" gets the bond going quickly. I can't carry a tune in a dumptruck but my Pack doesn't care- we just had a campfire the other day and they were all singing along like crazy.

You've been voluntold to be the leader of the group- I'm sure you can make it memorable.

Go get 'em Scout Leader!! Have a ton of fun!

Don't lose sight of the kids- if you ever need virtual help- zip an email my way.

My boy on the way to our first den meeting of the new school year...get this look out of them and
you'll never doubt your skills...

It is only an hour a week.

Toad

I am sure you will do it with honor.
Be proud to fill those shoes and guide young one's to the future.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
It is only an hour a week.

Per Scout...

Thanks, everyone, and a big thanks to MoonyP226. I had attended most of the meetings last year and helped out from time to time, so I've got some idea of what I'm getting into...I think it was the unexpected speed at which this all happened that caught me a bit by surprise.

I'm half tempted to get the campaign cap. Except I keep thinking of the hapless Sergeant Carter from Gomer Pyle.

Toad, so sorry for your loss...Sadly, I have had a few friends take their own lives and as difficult as it is to deal with one on one it adds a whole new level when you have a pack of kids with questions and feeling confused.

I applaud you for stepping up. I am an Eagle Scout and I would not have earned my Eagle if it wasn't for a Scoutmaster that stepped up and pushed me. To this day some of my fondest memories are from scouting.