This Week's News Scroll down for details



1. Scout Service Center closed
2. OA Winter Banquet - January 4
3. OH District Banquet - January 30
4. Order of the Arrow Lodge Leadership Development - January 31-February 2
5. Wilderness First Aid - February 8-9
6. Eagle Scout Scholarship
7. 2025 Guide to Advancement
8. Doenges Toyota Supports Non-Profits

The Scout Service Center will be closed on Wednesday, January 1st.

OA Winter Banquet

When: Saturday, January 4, 6:00 PM

Where: Grove Church on the Hill - 1005 Leisure Rd. - Grove

Steak and chicken dinner - Baked potato -Salad - Rolls - Dessert

WINTER BANQUET is when we install new lodge officers and present awards to lodge members. 

Register HERE

OH District Banquet

The Osage Hills District Banquet will be held Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 6:00 P.M. at Father Lynch Hall, St John Catholic School. 

Please start to gather camping & hiking data and nominations for awards. The deadline to submit data nominations is January 15, 2025. 

When submitting camping and hiking data please include the number of adults, number of youth, nights camped, and location or miles hiked and locations. If you use Scout Book, you can pull a report to submit.

Awards to consider include the District Award of Merit, Unit Leader Award of Merit as well as those listed here and those listed here. 

If you have a volunteer to recognize who does not fit into any of the listed categories, please contact your unit commissioner with a description of the volunteer's work and why you think they should be recognized. 

Thank you for your commitment to Scouting. If you have any questions about awards reach out to me or your unit commissioner. 

Yours in Scouting, 

Summer Lamb

Osage Hills District Executive

918-812-7788 

When: Friday, January 31, 7;00 PM to Sunday, February 2, 5:00 PM

Where: Camp McClintock, Dining Hall

Cost: NONE

All Lodge officers and their advisers are required to attend. Other Arrowmen are encouraged to attend to learn more about how the Lodge functions.

Wilderness and Remote First Aid

Washington County Red Cross is again offering Wilderness First Aid February 8-9, 2025

Wilderness First Aid is a 16-hour training course now required by Scouting America (formerly BSA) for Philmont and other backwoods activities. The course also offers enhanced content to meet OSHA’s Best Practices for Workplace First Aid Training Programs. Wilderness and Remote First Aid training is also strongly suggested anytime a group is more than 20 minutes from Professional Medical help.

This course includes instruction, participant interaction, and many scenarios. Participants should be at least 14 years old; knowledge of First Aid and Current CPR is a prerequisite for this class. 

The cost for this course is $65. We will have a short break for lunch, which is not included in the course pricing. Our location is near multiple fast-food restaurants or you could bring a sack lunch. A $20.00 discount will be available for those who do not need the Wilderness and Remote First Aid Reference guides. If you would like the reference guides, PLEASE let us know at least 10 days in advance of the class.

The course will be held in Bartlesville. Participants must attend both classes to complete the course. Completing the course also requires passing a 25-question test requiring an 80% or better and satisfactory completion of all skills.

The class will start at 8:30 am each day and be completed before 6:30 pm each day.

The class will be limited to the first 24 participants.

For further information and to sign up email Charles Lewis. Registration will end on January 22nd.

Eagle Scout Scholarship

The Arthur M. & Berdena King SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) Eagle Scholarhip Program awards scholarships to Eagle Scouts annually.

The deadline for application is December 31, 2024.

National awards are as follows: 1st Place $10,000; 2nd Place, $6,000; 3rd Place, $4,000; 4th Place, $1,000; 5th through 10th Place, $500; and, 11th through 15th Place, $200.

The Oklahoma State Society level winner receives $500 and the winner at the Bartlesville Chapter level receives $100.

Applications should be submitted to:

Earl J. Agee,

Chairman, Bartlesville Chapter

6701 Dorsett Drive

Bartlesville, OK 74006

Have questions or need assistance in applying? Please call 918-335-2170 or e-mail earlagee@outlook.com

To be eligible, an Eagle Scout does not have to be associated with the Sons of the American Revolution organization or have an ancestor who participated in the Revolutionary War.

All Eagle Scouts in the council are eligible and are invited to participate.

2025 Guide to Advancement

The Guide to Advancement has been updated. You can find the 2025 version at https://www.scouting.org/resources/guide-to-advancement/

During a quick look at the 2025 Guide this morning, I identified the following changes:

• Active Service - The text regarding alternatives to the third test (GTA 4.2.3.1) has been shortened significantly with an increased emphasis on participation in Scouting.
• Group-Online Merit Badge Instruction (GTA 5.0.8.0) - The text clarifies group instruction and mentions generative AI.
• Unit Leader's Role in Merit Badge Process (GTA 7.0.0.3) - Strengthens the unit leader's role in counseling Scouts about merit badge counselors.
• Merit Badge Fundraising (GTA 7.0.4.10) - Merit badge instruction must not be used as a fundraiser.
• Group Merit Badge Instruction (GTA 7.0.4.12) - A new section was added with guidelines about aspects that are good, of concern or to be avoided.
• Recording Boards of Review (GTA 8.0.1.2) - Recording boards of review, either voice or video, is never appropriate.
• Eagle Reference Letters (GTA 9.0.1.3) - The number of references changed from six to four with all four now being general references. There are no specific references for employer, education, etc. Parents and relatives are not to write reference letters. The unit leader and committee chair do not write letters for the Scout.
• Collecting Eagle Reference Letters (GTA 9.0.1.7) - The Scout is now responsible for requesting references. Councils choose the method and where the letters are to be submitted.  
• Advancement for Members with Special Needs (GTA chapter 10) - This has been significantly rewritten. 

The above list is NOT a comprehensive description of all the changes in the 2025 Guide to Advancement. They were the ones that jumped out at me as I took a quick look.  

Ben Abbott

Training Chair

Osage Hills District

Doenges Toyota Supports Non-Profits

Doenges Toyota is celebrating its 56th anniversary this December, and it wants to share the celebration with the community by giving back to local non-profits like Cherokee Area Council.

Throughout December (and through January 6th) each time someone purchases a new Toyota or pre-owned vehicle from Doenges Toyota the purchaser will select a non-profit to receive a $50 donation in their name. The organization that is chosen the

most will receive a total of $2500 from Doenges Toyota and may be eligible for a $2,500 Toyota match for a total of $5,000.

Summer Lamb

Osage Hills District Executive