ICE FISHING TRIP
January 27, 2013

Our visit to Lake Shabbona started out fine, but after arriving the weather continued to grow worse.  A cold raw wind blew heavily from the south with freezing rain.  Venturing out onto the ice demanded careful footing as the ice beneath scattered drifts of snow was slick and could bring a quick slip and fall.  As we drilled fishing holes we could see the ice was about 9 inches thick, a very safe thickness. 

Changing temperatures brought stress to the lake causing something often referred to as ice singing.  As we gathered together near our fishing holes, the sound of the wind was rattling our coats and hoods.  From time to time the lake would let out eerie sounds of moans and groans, like something from another world, or like the sounds made by a whale. 

The other sounds coming from the ice was cracking.  The sound of cracking was coming from various parts of the lake.  It's not unusual for ice to crack on a lake.  As temperatures change it can affect the ice expanding or contracting.  An ice crack came very close to us.  You could hear the sound of the cracking speeding toward us and a crack emerged just a few feet away.  It was like the lake was talking to us.  The boys decided we had caught enough fish at that moment (which was zero) and it was time to go.  

The freezing rain and wind was bad enough to affirm their choice, so we collected everything together and made our uncomfortable journey back to shore.  Ice covered coats, wet and cold everywhere, wind in our faces, we were relieved to say goodby to ice fishing for the day.

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW
January 26, 2013

At the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois we enjoyed the annual Travel & Adventure Show.  Scouts roamed the hundreds of exhibits, loading their bags with freebies, and learning about all sorts of adventure locations in areas around the world.  They saw penguins, a crocodile, and a monkey.  The highlight was a chance to try Scuba diving in an indoor pool.

MACQUEEN WEEKEND
January 20-21, 2013

We stayed overnight at Cabin #1 on a weekend with subzero windchill and no snow.  No sledding.  Boys did enjoy hiking at MacQueen, and we had sirloin steak for dinner, with pecan pie dessert.  Bacon and Eggs got the morning going with dogs and sausage for lunch.  It was cold temperatures and high winds for the weekend.

STARVED ROCK ADVENTURE
JANUARY 19, 2013

Our day of adventure began with Eagle Watching along the Illinois River.  We saw four bald eagles at the Lock and Dam Visitor's Center and enjoyed their museum.  A hike to the top of Starved Rock, then lunch at the Starved Rock Visitor Center.  We hiked St Louis Canyon, then hiked past Council Overhand to Ottawa Canyon.  Both canyons had frozen waterfalls to see.  We stopped for a brief visit at Starved Rock Lodge before driving to Mathiesson State Park to hike its lower canyon and visit the stockade.

HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF TRIP
CHRISTMAS MISSION
December 26, 2012 - January 02, 2013

Hurricane Sandy, one of the largest storms in U.S. history, was 1100 miles in width.  Portions of New York and New Jersey were the most devastated areas of the storm.

We visited some of the worst hit areas, primarily the Toms River and Union Beach areas of New Jersey, plus the Far Rockways of New York. We delivered critically needed supplies to the storm area. Scouts also delivered memorial items to Newtown, Connecticut.  We worked in a variety of projects to help storm victims. It was a Christmas holiday to remember.

W O R K   P R O J E C T S

PROJECT #1
Digging out homes from windblown sand
Ocean Beach, New Jersey
Groups like AmeriCorps, NJ Hope and Healing, Jersey Cares, a busload of people from PA, local volunteers, and Troop 33, filled the narrow sandy streets of Ocean Beach Unit III. A relief group called the North Ocean County Bucket Brigade organized this successful project that helped an area hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. We were proud to be a part of it.  Over 50 homes were laboriously dug out from windblown sand on an incredibly beautiful day by the ocean.

PROJECT #2
Moving day for Memorial School
Union Beach, New Jersey
Memorial School serving over 700 students was flooded by the Hurricane Sandy.  Their school building has since been totally gutted.  They were forced to move into a small school.  As a larger school, occupied by the National Guard, became open, they chose to move into it during holiday break.  Troop 33 was there to help them make the move.  So many classrooms, so many heavy boxes, lots and lots of hard work, all made for a very full workday.  The teachers absolutely loved our Scouts.  Their original school building is expected to be completed by March.  If the move comes the week before Easter, Troop 33 would love to come back and help move them again.

PROJECT #3
Moving supplies for Salvation Army Disaster Center
Hazlet, New Jersey
The newly created Salvation Army Disaster Center in Hazlet, NJ needed a new supply of items.  A group called RAINE Foundation (Rembering All In Need Everyday) collects and distributes items for disaster victims.  Troop 33's van was used as one of a convoy of vehicles moving supply items to the Salvation Army.  Lots of vehicles, lots of boxes to load and unload. The RAINE Foundation, out of a special thanks, donated a huge amount of toys to us, which we added to the delivery to the Renaisance Community Center in Newark, NJ. 

PROJECT #4
Moving and distributing supplies to 1,000 people at Action Center
Far Rockway, New York
The Action Center in Far Rockaway, NY serves people daily with basic food, water, toiletries, cleaning products, blankets, warm coats, diapers, formula, medical supplies needed to maintain the lives of storm victims.  We worked at Action Center to help move heavy boxes and serve people as they came through a long continuous line.  We were very happy to be there helping.  The organizers of the center were very happy too, especially working on a heavy day with 1,000 hurricane victims coming through their center.  It was a long hard day of work.

M A T E R I A L   D O N A T I O N S

DONATION #1
Memorial Items - Newtown, Connecticut
The town of Newtown, Connecticut was the site of a tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook School.  Troop 33 went there and met with city officials.  We delivered a giant banner signed by hundreds of students from DeKalb High School.  A box filled with over 200 "healing bags" were donated by Cub Scout Pack 173 of DeKalb.  Healing bags are filled with candy and a written note.  They will be delivered to the younger students of Sandy Hook.  With city approval, Troop 33 hung a Christmas angel from trees overlooking a half mast flag at a city park.  We visited other memorial sites in Newtown and were overwhelmed by the thousands of memorial items displayed there.

DONATION #2
Operation Brick Food Relief - Brick, New Jersey
The Brick area was one of many places hardest hit by the storm.  They have many reconstruction projects now and in the future.  We unloaded supplies donated by 3M Corporation in DeKalb.  Items included: hard hats, work gloves, safety vests, large sponges, scrubbing pads, disinfecting wipes, duct tape, breathing respirators, safety goggles, flagging tape, first aid supplies and much more.  These items were very happily accepted.  Half of the donations we brought were delivered at Brick, New Jersey.

DONATION #3
Renaissance Community Center - Newark, New Jersey 
Newark is a city with economic strife even during normal times.  Following the storm their needs became much greater as areas nearby were severely damaged by flooding.  The items we donated included winter coats, blankets, towels, linens, assorted clothing, which were collected from DeKalb, plus games and toys we collected from the RAINE Foundation in Hazlet, New Jersey.

OTHER
Scouts also found some free time to visit New York City on New Years Eve.  On New Years Day we watched the NIU Huskies play at the Orange Bowl.

COURT OF HONOR
December 17, 2012

On December 17th our Court of Honor included awards presentations to Scouts, sign ups for upcoming activities, audio/visual presentations that reviewed our 2012 programs.  Due to some school activities turnout was rather low.  Some presentations were made later at a troop meeting in January.

CLIMBING TRIP
December 16, 2012

In Warrenville, Illinois, we visited the Vertical Endeavors Climbing Gym, one of the biggest in the nation. Scouts climbed on a simulated rock surface with auto belay.  The routes have varying difficulty ratings.  After a group orientation, Scouts enjoyed their time investing a lot of energy conquering the many routes of Vertical Endeavor's walls.

FREEZIN' FOR FOOD
December 8, 2012.

On December 8th, "Freezin' for Food" was a project where WLBK's T.D. Ryan collected donated food at the Target/Aldi Shopping Center on Sycamore Road (in front of Starbucks). Troop 33 contributed 57 pounds of food which was collected at our Pancake Breakfast the previous Saturday.

CAMP ROSS WEEKEND
December 08-09, 2012

We enjoyed a weekend at Camp Ross, located near Mt Morris, Illinois.  It was great to experience some outdoor adventure and indoor fun in a new place. We stayed in a heated lodge building with bathrooms and kitchen, Scouts slept indoors. 

A crackling fireplace, TV with VCR movies available, foosball table, video game, ping pong, and group games made indoors fun. We also had time to enjoy exploring their beautiful grounds and woodland areas with a short hike to their lake, plus some scrambling on rock formations and steep hills.

We enjoyed some great legendary food, fun indoor activities, fun outdoor adventure, which made the weekend adventure a special holiday treat.

HORSEBACK TRIP
December 02, 2012

We enjoyed a Sunday horseback ride at White Pines Ranch west of Oregon, Illinois. White Pines Ranch covers 200 acres of beautiful woods, pastures and horse trails. 

Our horseback trail ride, led by their wranglers, inlcuded open meadows, forests, a canyon, with some steep climbs and descents.

Scouts wore helmets for safety and were given gentle horse appropriate for novice riders. The horses were great, the weather was wonderful, the scenery and trails spectacular.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST
December 01, 2012.

The pancake breakfast featured all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee, lemonade. We also collected food for the Salvation Army food pantry. Tickets were $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under 12. Preschool children ate free. Scouts will received a commission for tickets sold plus an additional amount for working at the event. The boys worked hard.  All went well.

HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF TRIP
THANKSGIVING MISSION
November 20-25, 2012

Hurricane Sandy was one of the largest storms in U.S. history, 1100 miles in width. Significant portions of New York and New Jersey were devastated by the storm.

We visited some of the worst hit areas, primarily the Brick and Union Beach communities. We delivered critically needed supplies to the storm area. Scouts worked in a variety of projects to help families. It was a Thanksgiving holiday to remember.

W O R K   P R O J E C T S

PROJECT #1
Thanksgiving at Regal Pointe Retirement Center
Middletown, New Jersey
We shared Thanksgiving with senior citizens at Regal Pointe.  We served food, bussed tables, and most importantly shared time visiting.  They had endured 9 days without electricity after the storm.  Many had no families to spend Thanksgiving with.  They were amazing people with many stories to tell.

PROJECT #2
Removing storm debris at Windward Beach Community Park
Brick, New Jersey
One of the most popular community parks in the area, Windward Beach was strewn with debris from the storm.  Scouts collected planks and boards, all matter of material, and assembled it all into a large pile of storm debris for the city to pick up.

PROJECT #3
Removing storm debris from a residence on Harbor Drive
Brick, New Jersey
Like so many people in the area, an elderly couple's home was flooded with water.  The interior of the house had been gutted to the studs framework.  The yard was covered with storm debris.  Scouts collected storm debris which was added to a gigantic pile of debris along the street.  The husband, in his 80's, was battling cancer through chemo-therapy, had been a Scout 65 years ago.  He was deepy moved to see Boy Scouts come all the way from Illinois to help storm victims.

M A T E R I A L   D O N A T I O N S

DONATION #1
Town Hall - Union Beach, New Jersey
The town of Union Beach was one of the hardest hit from the storm.  We unloaded non-perishable food, water, and cleaning supplies.  That is all they would accept.  Half our trailer was emptied at Union Beach, New Jersey.

DONATION #2
Beacon of Hope - Hazlet, New Jersey
Hazlet is a town nearby Union Beach.  Beacon of Hope was a distributing location serving the surrounding area.  They accepted coats, gloves, hats, blankets, towels, linens.  They accepted all they could store.  One fourth of our trailer was emptied at Hazlet, New Jersey.

DONATION #3
Clinton Hill Community Center - Newark, New Jersey 
Newark is a city with economic strife even during normal times.  Following the storm their needs became much greater as areas nearby were severely damaged by flooding.  We unloaded the remainder of our trailer at Clinton Hill Community Center.  Items included winter coats, blankets, towels, linens, assorted clothing, small household appliances, games and toys.

HURRICANE SANDY TRAILER LOADING
November 19, 2012

Scouts worked to help organize and load a 26-foot trailer (that's half the size of a semi).  Many boys were involved which made it fast work.  The trailer left later that evening for the trip to New Jersey in advance of the rest of the group.

CHURCH THANKSGIVING BANQUET
November 18, 2012.

The First Lutheran Thanksgiving Banquet is something we help with every year. It's the most delicious service project we're involved with. Scouts came prepared to work hard.

Our job was serving beverages and doing clean up work after the dinner. Hundreds of dishes and silverware were washed and dried. We also had an opportunity to sample some really great food! We worked hard! We ate hard! (or something like that).

Boys brought plenty of energy, a positive attitude to serve others, and a manageable apetite.

 

HURRICANE SANDY DROP OFF DAY 
Saturday November 17, 2012

This one day event for members of the community to drop off donations for Hurricane Sandy went well. This event took place in the parking lot of Algus Corporation on Peace Rd. in DeKalb.

Items collected included: Coats, hats, gloves, toiletries, canned goods, non-perishable foods, baby diapers formula and wipes, blankets and towels, cleaning supplies.

ASTRONOMY NIGHT
November 10, 2012.

The Northwest Suburban Astronomers hosted a star gazing event at Afton Forest Preserve south of DeKalb. This was a great event for seeing high technology telescopes and peering into the sky to see stars and planets.  

Some of the observing highlights included the planets Jupiter, Mars and Uranus, M27 (Dumbbell Nebula), M31 (Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda), M15 (Globular Star Cluster in Pegasus) and many other deep sky objects.

Alpa Phi Omega - LFS Kids Day
November 10, 2012.

The date was November 10th, it was held at the Northern Illinois University campus. The event was composed of three different pillars: 1.) leadership building activity, 2.) fellowship activity, 3.) service project that we will do. LFS stands for Leadership, Fellowship, and Service.
The Alpha Phi Omega Eta chapter conducted this activity in Room 100 at the Student Life Building. Scouts were broken down into small groups for the LFS activities. Each group was led by a trained Alpha Phi Omega member.
Service activities included making Thanksgiving Day cards for residents at a retirement home and decorating bandanas used for dogs at TAILS humane society in DeKalb.

Fun activities included games and group projects, many of which involved leadership skills.

VETERAN'S DAY FLAG CEREMONY 
November 9, 2012.

Troop 33 was asked to assist with the Veteran's Day celebration on Friday November 9th at Oak Crest Retirement Center. We helped decorate the room where we helped serve a brunch to veterans.  

We presented the colors and leading the pledge at a special ceremony, then retired the colors at the end of the ceremony.  After the ceremony Scouts assisted wheelchair bound attendees to their rooms.   

We enjoyed a delicious lunch afterwards.

There are several veterans living at Oak Crest. we felt very privilaged to join them for a Veteran's Day observance. 

SHABBONA WEEKEND
November 3-4, 2012.

A fun weekend in early November was enjoyed at Chief Shabbona Forest Preserve.   Saturday included hiking and fishing at Lake Shabbona. 

Midwest K-9 Rescue Team brought rescue dogs on Sunday to train in searching for lost victims.  The boys followed the dogs as they tracked their victims down.

We also worked on some First Class requirements toward the early ranks. Great meals, great times, offered a great weekend.