Cub Scout Pack 564 - Lilburn, GA

Preparing young boys and girls to become responsible, participating citizens, and leaders.

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Monthly Hiking Challenge

Our Hiking Club is getting a covid-safe reboot! Instead of gathering to hike together, we’ll spotlight a trail each month and encourage scouts & their families to hike at their convenience. Use this form to tell us about your hike and submit a picture to earn trail miles on your Hiking Passport.

September’s Hiking Challenge is at nearby Stone Mountain Park! See our Hiking Club page for details to complete this month’s challenge!

Published: Sep 23, 2020 by Kasey Brady
Categories: Homepage News, News, Social

Popcorn sale is more than a fundraiser

Cub Scout selling popcorn
Flashing that Cub Scout smile results in sales.

NOTE: This submission comes from Pack 564 Communications Chair and Den 6 Leader Michael Pearson. This gets at the reason going door-to-door is so important for scouts in the popcorn sale. Popcorn Kernel.

It happened somewhere on Buckskin Drive.

My son, dressed as smartly in his Cub Scout uniform as an 8-year-old can manage, unfurled his popcorn sales brochure and headed for the door.

“Hi,” he began. “My name is Will. Would you like to buy some popcorn to support my pack and help me reach my goal?”

Well, sure, our neighbor told him. What do you have?

“I like this one,” he said, pointing to his favorite, unbelievable butter.

“My dad likes this one,” he says, pointing to one of the chocolate flavors and getting a gleam of response from our neighbor.

Then, out of the blue, the upsell.

“If you buy this one, you get that one, but you get an extra flavor, too,” he said, pointing to the chocolate lover’s collection.

This was new. Will had always just let the customers pick. But suddenly, here he was, trying out a new sales techniques on his own initiative. I didn’t tell him to do it, and we hadn’t yet been to the kickoff. Where was this coming from?

Our neighbor didn’t buy the collection that day. Neither did the next person he asked, or the one after that. Or the next one. But he kept trying. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he experimented with different approaches, different ways of getting his message across.

Sometimes, he’d get that message out like a pro. Now and then, he’d get so awkward and tongue-tied that I’d have to step in and gently help him get back on track.

As we walked from house to house, we’d talk about how he did, what he might try next, and how cool it would be to have a machine that just zooms around and does all the selling for you while you sit at home and eat popsicles.

Did I mention he’s 8?

Eventually, Will did sell a collection, but that was really beside the point.

What was important then?

Watching him grow in front of my very eyes.

See, one of the things the folks who buy popcorn from us need to know is that they’re really not buying popcorn. They’re buying opportunities for boys in their community to build character, learn citizenship, make friends and have fun.

And one of the things we need to remember is that we’re really not selling popcorn, either.

Yes, we do take money and hand over popcorn. And sure, we need the dough to help keep the pack strong.

But at the heart of all this talk of sales and shifts and raffles and prizes … at the heart of EVERYTHING we should be doing in scouting … there’s an opportunity for a boy to learn something: How to swallow his anxiety, step up to a neighbor’s door and try to make a sale. The tangible importance of looking someone in the eyes. The power of a smile and a cheerful attitude. The value of remembering a name from last year. The importance of setting a goal and seeing it through, no matter how much you’d rather be inside drinking a lemonade and reading “Harry Potter.” And the importance of trying something new, of not deflating when it doesn’t at first succeed, and of keeping at it. Like Will, there on Buckskin Drive.

Yes, your son can rack up the sales working booth shifts, and it takes persistence and stamina for him to keep at it for two hours. Those are lessons well worth learning on their own, and every boy who hangs on to those buckets and smiles and gives that little pitch a hundred times an hour deserves a great big attaboy.

And yes, you can sell popcorn for your son on Facebook and at work. There’s nothing wrong with that, either.

But it’s in those quiet moments, walking door to door together, talking about sales and commitment and obligation and creativity, it’s there when an opportunity for your son to grow really lives. And isn’t that what we’re all here for, to see our sons begin growing into the men we want them to become?

So take some time this afternoon or this weekend, go out selling with your son. Spend some time helping him think about what to say and how to say it. Let him learn how to handle “No,” and encourage him to think about what he’s doing beyond the cheesy plastic prize that will be lost by the time next year’s selling season rolls around.

Walk with him. Listen to him. Teach him.

It won’t matter if he doesn’t sell a single bag. You’ll both be better off for it.

Published: Sep 26, 2015 by Lance Wallace
Categories: Homepage News, News, Newsletter, Social

Scouts show ingenuity, strong lungs in recycled Raingutter Regatta

Brandon Hallo and Trent Brown compete in the first round of the June 16 Raingutter Regatta.
Brandon Hallo and Trent Brown compete in the first round of the June 16 Raingutter Regatta.

The Pack 564 activity for June drew 21 scouts and 8 siblings to participate in a Raingutter Regatta featuring boats made from recycled materials. Those who braved the heat in the parking lot at Mountain Park United Methodist Church were treated to a great competition and scouts showing sportsmanship and camaraderie.

The winners in the scout category were as follows:

  1. Isaiah Choudhury
  2. Harris Wallace
  3. Will Stephens

The winners in the sibling category were as follows:

  1. Amanda Hallo
  2. Ruby McKenny
  3. Camille Stephens

Congratulations to all who competed!

Published: Jun 17, 2015 by Lance Wallace
Categories: Homepage News, News, Newsletter, Social

May Pack Meeting features inflatable, ice cream and rank-up ceremony

pack meetingThe payoff for a year of hard work for the scouts of Pack 564 will be the May Pack Meeting at 7 p.m. in the upper parking lot and amphitheater at Mountain Park United Methodist Church on Tuesday, May 12.

After our opening ceremony, some brief updates on upcoming events, achievements and a special ranking up ceremony in which all the boys in attendance will get their neckerchief for the next rank, we’ll serve Bruster’s ice cream with toppings and turn the scouts loose on an inflatable obstacle course.

Don’t miss out on this official “end of the year” pack meeting. Of course, we’ll continue to meet for events throughout the summer, including a Raingutter Regatta, hike and laser show at Stone Mountain and our annual “Back-to-the-Pack” Pool Party. But don’t let your scout miss out on this fun celebration of a great year of scouting.

See you there!

Published: May 09, 2015 by Lance Wallace
Categories: Homepage News, News, Newsletter, Social

New hiking program starts in June

Courtesy sypsyn/FlickrGet ready to explore the great outdoors with Pack 564! As announced at the last pack meeting, we’re starting a year-round hiking program to provide scouts and their families with more opportunities to get into the outdoors.

We’ll have one hike each month of the year, most of them 2-3 miles in length. Events should typically last no more than a couple of hours.

After successful completion of their first hike, scouts will earn a Pack 564 hiking club patch (design coming soon!). After 50 miles, they will earn a customized hiking stick emblazoned with their name on it!

We will need several adults willing to serve as hike leaders throughout the year to help keep the group together and provide some outdoor skills instructions.

For full details, go to the new hiking program page.

To get signed up for the Pack 564 Hikers mailing list and express your interest in volunteering as a hike leader, please fill out the following form:

  • Please enter a cell phone number where we can send text messages with urgent updates (such as last-minute cancellations)

Published: Apr 24, 2015 by Michael Pearson
Categories: Homepage News, News, Newsletter, Social
· Tagged: hiking

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