About Pack 175

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The Cub Scouts organization has been around since 1930, and is a part of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Cub Scouting is for youth of all genders in kindergarten through fifth grades. We use exciting outdoor activities and powerful learning projects to encourage scouts to make friends, be helpful to others, and do their very best no matter the outcome. As a family-oriented program, Cub Scouts is designed to foster and promote family relationships, respect for others, service, and personal achievement. Most importantly it’s about kids and their adult partners having fun and learning together, all in a positive, community environment. 

Learn more about Cub Scouts here: https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/

Pack 175 strives to reflect the best of Decatur and its residents. All youth K-5th grade are welcome. At each meeting we have a blast and "turn it up to eleven" every chance we get. 

Here are some things to know about Pack 175:

• Scouting is more fun with friends! We are comprised of Scouts primarily from Glennwood, Oakhurst, Winona Park, The Museum School, Westchester, FAVE, Talley Street and other Decatur-area schools.
• We are a co-ed pack made up of about 100 families.
• We meet in the field behind Glennwood Elementary School. 
• All meetings are typically on Sunday afternoon. Sorry, Falcons fans.
• Our pack meetings are from 3-4pm (once per month) and our den meeting times are specific to each den (dens meet twice per month).
• We often camp at our own Camp 175, a rustic camp on the shore of Lake Allatoona.
• We've been Cub Scouting in Decatur since 1955.
• We're proud to have Oakhurst Baptist Church as our Charter Organization. 

We work to create an inclusive culture where every youth, adult, and volunteer is respected, valued, and feels a sense of belonging. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. We believe in the importance of this not just as individuals, but also together as a pack and as a community of scouts and scouting families. 

Youth in 5th grade through 18 years old are able to join Scouts BSA, where their adventures continue. While our scouts "bridge" (graduate) to many scouting troops in our area, we work most closely with — and bridge most of our scouts — to these two troops:

Troop 175 Decatur (for boys)

We are proud to be affiliated with Scouts BSA Troop 175 since our inception in 1955. Troop 175 was chartered in 1943, and has produced at least one Eagle Scout per year since 1949, with a total well over 300 Eagle Scouts. Amazing! 

See www.troop175.com more information.

Troop 4475 Decatur (for girls and non-binary youth)

A very active troop around Decatur and Avondale, Troop 4475 works closely with Pack 175 and provides leadership and friendship to our scouts. 

See https://www.facebook.com/4475scouts for more information.

Cub Scouts are organized by “Packs” which typically are based around a school or neighborhood.  Each Pack is divided into grade-specific “dens.” The pack and dens are run by parents and guardians, and depend on other den adult partners to help organize and run meetings and activities.  

Each den meets approximately twice a month. In den meetings, scouts and their "akelas" (adult partners) use games and fun adventures to work on earning achievements that count toward rank advancement, which they complete by the end of the school year. Visit the BSA's Advancement Trail page for specific information on what each rank works on during the Scouting year.

In addition to den meetings, there is also a monthly pack meeting attended by all dens and their akelas. Pack meetings are for recognizing Cub Scout achievements earned in their dens, and include pack-wide activities like learning, games and sing-alongs, and pack announcements.

Scouting is a great value, and a year-round activity you and your youth can do together!

If you decide to do everything that Pack 175 is doing this year, it will average about $70 per month. (That's for the scout AND their adult partner!). We try hard to keep costs down so you get more fun and adventure at less cost than most other kids activities.

Want to see the details? Click here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BUsDB0KNfB09UIIfkeaf-OfUJxxAJZi5/view?usp=sharing

We believe every youth should have the chance to be a scout! We  offer fundraising methods for your scout to earn money that can be applied to any scouting cost including activity fees, camping fees, uniforms, purchases at the Scout Shop and other expenses. The Atlanta Area Council and our unit are also able to offer assistance to support local families experiencing need. Please ask your Den Leader, Cubmaster or Committee Chair for more information. 

We ask of Scouts:

• Have a good attitude
• Be willing to participate and learn from leaders and other scouts 

We ask of parent/guardians:

• Parent attendance is required at each meeting
• Work with your scout on achievements
• Track progress in the online Scoutbook tool or app
• Volunteer to help at events, and assist with both the Den and the Pack
• Always maintain “2-deep” leadership (no adult should ever be alone with a scout that is not their child) and follow Scouts BSA safety policies 

For pack meetings, public events, campfires and ceremonies, we wear the official BSA Cub Scout uniform (often called "class-A uniform"). 

For most den meetings, and when we're out having fun and getting messy, we wear our pack t-shirts or "Class B" uniform. A Class-B tee shirt is included with your pack activity fees, and available at most pack meetings. 

BSA Cub Scout Uniforms: https://www.scoutshop.org/cub-scout-collection or visit the Atlanta Area Council Scout Shop: https://www.atlantabsa.org/scout-shop and someone there will walk you through all that is needed. 

Here at Pack 175 we focus on your Scout having the following minimum uniform elements:

• Uniform Shirt
• Neckerchief and Slide (per den)
• Hat (per den)
• Belt (generic BSA buckle recommended)
• Handbook (per den)

Shorts, pants, socks, etc. are also available, but are not necessary.  Any decent navy blue shorts will suffice.

Be sure to order the following patches:

Council patch: Atlanta Area Council 

Cub Scout Pack ("unit") numbers:  1,7,5

Cub Scout Den number: Look on Scoutbook for your den number, or ask your den leader.

As part of our commitment to “Leave No Trace” please consider previously used uniforms or parts.  Check with your den leader to see what uniform parts have been donated by previous scouts. (Often we have many neckerchiefs and hats.) Please consider donating your no-longer-needed uniform parts for someone else to use, by giving them to your den leader. 

Information regarding the placement of patches, insignia, and other recognition can be found here: https://cubscoutideas.com/1276/cub-scout-uniform-patch-placement/ 

We want to be sure there's as few barriers to enjoying scouting as possible. We know all families experience unique circumstances and needs, and believe the diversity of our situations and experiences helps our scouts build empathy and strengthens our Pack. If your family has special health, disability, transportation, financial or other circumstances that might impact your scouting experience, please  let your Den Leader, Cubmaster or our Committee Chair know. There are often many ways we can accommodate your needs and resources that can help us assist with challenges.