Thank you for your interest in Pack 89
Everything boys do in Cub Scouting has a purpose. Learning is done by having fun and doing activities with incentives. A lot of the fun happens right in the den and pack. Cub Scouts will have lots to do-crafts, games, sports, songs, stories, camping, hiking, and much more. The aim of Cub Scouting and Pack 89 is to help boys grow physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially into good citizens who are strong in character and personally fit.
While having fun, a Cub Scout will earn badges and awards, work on projects with parents or other adults, and the whole family will feel good about the things the Cub Scout accomplishes and feel joy in watching the Cub Scout grow. The Cub Scouts is for Boys who will be in the 1st thru 5th grades during the 2010-2011 school year.
Pack 89 has a rich 50 year history of making an everlasting impact on our families, our communities, and our country by helping boys on their path to become men of character.
Pack Outings & Events: Include the following annual events: Spring and fall pack campouts, Sports Night, Museum Overnight at one of Chicago’s major museums, Milers Club (hiking club) hikes, summer day camp, Christmas tree decorating at Brookfield Zoo, Pinewood Derby, Blue & Gold Banquet, Memorial Day Parade, and 4th of July Day Parade. Examples of other possible outings that have been done in the past include: hockey games, baseball games, geocaching, Ice skating, Cubsicles, fishing, flag retirement ceremonies, Scout-O-Rama, and much more. We also have a tradition of service to our community through various community service projects.
Dens: The pack is divided up in to dens. A den is a small group of boys (three to eight) in the same grade/age level who meet regularly. Den meetings are generally held weekly or two times per month, on a day and time determined by the den. During den meetings the scouts work on scout advancement, learn about scouting values, build art & craft projects, or go on outings. See the Advancement plan page on this website for more information. Dens organize many outings on their own. Some examples of these types of events are: geocaching, orienteering, visiting firehouses, sports activities, visiting police stations, visiting radio stations, visiting TV stations, educational nature hikes, conservation projects, and much more.
Additional Webelos Outings: include an annual Webelo’s overnight camp out, a three night camp out at Three Fires Council’s Boy Scout camp in Wisconsin (Camp Freeland Leslie), and a Klondike Derby where they will amaze you in what they can do when properly challenged.
Pack Meetings are held once each month during the school year and are led by the Cubmaster. There are games, skits, songs, ceremonies, and presentations of badges that boys earned during the month. All parents, brothers, & sisters are invited to pack meetings to see the achievements of the Cub Scout. Pack meetings are typically held on the third Thursday of the month during the school year in a multi-purpose room at St. Joan of Arc Elementary School known as the Par. Meetings usually start at 6:45 pm and end at around 7:45 - 8:00 pm.
Milers Club is a Pack-wide hiking program. The goal of the program is to regularly expose Scouts to the out-of-doors, introduce the concept of map reading, instill respect for nature and the environment, demonstrate the fun and benefits of exercise, build a sense of team and recognize their accomplishments. Participating scouts' miles are tracked and they receive recognition in the form of patches called, "mile marker" at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 miles etc. The club will also assist scouts in earning their hiking belt loop and pin as well as fulfilling rank requirements. Attendance at all hiking events is completely optional. The miles are transferable to Boy Scouts.
Fees and costs: The cost to enroll your Scout each year from March to February is currently $60.00, which includes a subscription to the “Boy’s Life” magazine. Other fees are collected for various events as needed, for example: Day Camp, Sports Night, Museum Overnight, Webelos Overnight, Webelos Adventure Camp, food for fall and spring camp outs, and Den dues as determined by your den, etc. We have a main fund raiser, which is a popcorn sale in the fall. Everyone is encouraged to participate. Discounts on pack events are usually given (depending on how much money is raised that year by the pack) to families that meet minimum popcorn sales goals. Pack 89 provides the Cub Scout Handbooks for each rank, neckerchiefs and slides for each rank, a brag vest to hold extra patches, patches for uniforms, awards (patches, belt loops, etc.) as they are earned, pinewood derby car kits for the scouts, etc. Pack 89 usually offers discounts for certain events based on popcorn sales results (this policy is subject to review and change by the leaders every year). One or two other fund raisers may be organized throughout the year as needed.
Handbooks (Tiger Cub Handbook, Wolf Handbook, Bear Handbook, and Webelo Handbook): The Handbooks help your son advance in rank. Pack 89 provides the Handbooks to the cub scouts. Once you have the appropriate book go through it as soon as possible and go through it with your son. The rank book is an invaluable tool for both parent and scout.
Uniforms: Scouts should have a uniform shirt and a belt to hold their belt loops as they earn them. A brag vest will be provided to new scouts joining Pack 89 to hold the many patches they earn throughout Cub Scouts that don’t fit on the regular uniform. The uniform is the way we show off our Scouts advancements, to build a sense of accomplishment in the Cub Scout, and to show respect for the values of scouting. When wearing the uniform, it should be tucked in. The local Scout supply stores should have everything you need to get started or The Chalkboard has uniforms as well. Pack 89 will provide the patches that need to go on the uniform, such as the white on red numbers "89" and a council patch. Pack 89 also provides the neckerchief (scarf) and slide for each rank level. If you are not sure what goes where, see your scout book, click here, or ask one of our leaders for help.
Pack 89 offers sweat shirts and t-shirts for sale from time to time to help keep the uniforms clean during outdoor “dirty” activities. It is still preferred and highly requested for the scouts to wear the uniform even at outdoor events during official flag raising and lowering ceremonies, pack meetings, or flag retirement ceremonies.
Pack Communication Resources: Pack 89 employees many resources to keep parents and scouts informed as to what is going on, and to aid leaders and parent volunteers to improve communication and to simplify the effort involved. Among these are the following:
1. Website – Pack 89’s website is an interactive, easy to use, password protected website. Maintained and updated on a regular basis with all the latest information about the pack. Everyone in Pack 89 is able to interact with this website to help keep it current. The website allows pack leaders, event organizers and den leaders to more easily manage the pack, events, and dens. The website features a highly interactive calendar to manage all pack meetings, pack events, den meetings, and den events in one convenient place. The website has both public content (non-password protected web pages) to help promote Pack 89 and private content (password protected) pages where photo albums, a calendar, and other private information is kept. Everyone is invited to help contribute content to the website, which is also very easy to do.
2. EBlast - The web site automatically generates a single “EBlast” email once a week to keep everyone current on what is happening in the Pack and in their den(s). The EBlast is automatically tailored to whatever group(s) you (leaders) and your son(s) (Den) belongs to, with the most urgent information at the top. This improves communication by cutting down on “email burn out” by providing one concise email to refer to each week.
3. Scout Track – Is an online resource for keeping track of the scout’s accomplishments. Pack leaders, Den leaders and parents can mark of accomplishments that the Cub Scout has achieved in an interactive easy to use online database that informs the pack’s advancement coordinator of what patches and awards the scout has earned.
4. Bugle (Pack 89 newsletter) – A long standing publication of pack 89, which is usually published during the school year (usually about 5 issues per year), distributed at pack meetings, and posted on the website. It highlights past and future pack events, general pack information, and other fun stuff.
Pack Leadership: The pack is entirely run by volunteers. We are always looking for parents who would like to help Pack 89. There are many opportunities to help out both big and small. Training is provided. Please talk to any of the leaders, if you would like to help out.
The pack is run by a committee, which consists of a Committee Chair, Cubmaster, Treasurer, Advancement Chair, plus other committee members. They meet once a month, year round, to discuss pack business, and plan events, etc.
The Den Leaders and Assistant Den Leaders are most directly involved with the Cub Scouts.
Pack 89 belongs to the Thunderbird District, which is under the Three Fires Council. The Boy Scouts of America is broken up in to councils, which are then broken up in to districts. Under each district are Boy Scout Troops and Cub Scout Packs.
If you are interested in getting more information, please contact us and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. Also, check out this Parent Information guide.
Cub Scout Pack 89
Chartered by St. Joan of Arc Church
820 Division St
Lisle Il, 60532