Introduction Letter from Greater Pittsburgh Council Venturing Executive George Barron District Calendar March     18 VOA, Flag Plaza, 3rd Floor Conference Room, 7:00 p.m. 18  Council Venturing Committee, Bicentennial Room, 7:00 p.m.     April     15   VOA, Flag Plaza, 3rd Floor Conference Room, 7:00 p.m. 15 Council Venturing Committee, Bicentennial Room, 7:00 p.m. 17 - 19 Area 4 Quest and Summit     May     8,9,10 Venture work day at Camp Twin Echo 20 VOA, Flag Plaza, 3rd Floor Conference Room, 7:00 p.m. 20 Council Venturing Committee, Bicentennial Room, 7:00 p.m. Venturing Great Race  - August 14- 16, 2009  See Details Venture work day at Camp Twin Echo May 8,9,10. Cost will be $15.00. Work part of the day then fish or relax the rest. Please let Bill Milliron at scouter712@msn.com know if you or your crew will be attending.  Venturing Membership We Are Growing! Did you know VENTURING is the hottest program in Scouting, growing last year almost 21% nationally? Here in Greater Pittsburgh Council, we are also starting to grow as word spreads about our exciting program. Right now, we have more than 110 crews with high-potential new-crew “leads” and this year we have already signed up 13 new crews and registered more than 450 new Venturers!  Tips for Growth Here are some ways you—as a crew officer or member—can help us grow: Plan a “Bring a Friend” crew activity to “draw in” new members. Write an article for your school newspaper about Venturing and your crew activities. Pass out school informational fliers on your crew.  Hang Venturing posters at your school and church, and other places where 14-19 year olds hang out. Send an article (with a photo if possible) to your local newspaper on a special crew activity you are planning, a recent success or high-adventure trek, or a Venturing Award a crew member has earned. Put together and staff a Venturing exhibit for a school event that involves extra-curricular or hobby activities. Call us. We can provide marketing materials. We can help, too! Send us an email message describing what works and what doesn't in terms of recruiting and retaining members for your crew. What ideas do you have that we could implement at the Council level to help your crew and other crews function better? What do you need to improve your recruiting efforts?

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District Chairman: Jack Getkin 412-341-9255   jackg@herrmann-assoc.com     District Commissioner: Joe McNally   joemcnal@verizon.net      District Executive: George Barron   412-325-7974   gbarron@bsamail.org Venturing Officer’s Association (VOA) What do they do? We develop an annual program plan of events to bring Venturing youth and crews together from throughout the Council. Our annual coordinated program consists of youth leadership development programs, like the Venturing Officer’s Leadership Conference, and Venturing Leadership Conclave. Skill based activities, such as the annual ski and snowboard weekend, and special “Fall Activity”, which features a new skill area each year. High Adventure programs such as the GPC-VOA Super activity conducted every two years. How can I become involved? You can become involved through representing your district, becoming elected to the VOA as an officer or volunteer to serve as a chairperson or staff member for a VOA sponsored event. Every crew officer is invited to participate in the VOA meetings and offer their services in developing and executing VOA events. Are there additional leadership opportunities in Venturing? Experience in the VOA does much to prepare a youth for future service to the organization through the Northeast Region VOA and the National VOA. Council Venturing Committee Please join the Greater Pittsburgh Council Venturing Committee in welcoming Keith Plummer, Tayon Mitchell (youth minster) Clark Memorial Baptist Church, Dr. Sheila Johnson-Hunt (assistant pastor) First Baptist Church of Penn Hills, and Jennifer Cairns is an attorney specializing in products liability litigation as well as a member of the Pittsburgh Passion Full Contact Woman’s Professional Football Team to the Venturing Advisor committee. Venturing and Council Communications Sign up for e-mails and communications about events in your district and throughout the Greater Pittsburgh Council.  In order to receive the latest and greatest information on Venturing, you’ll need to subscribe to My GPC-BSA.  It is easy if you follow these instructions. Visit www.gpc-bsa.org.  Click on the “My GPC-BSA” link in the menu box on the left side of the home page screen.  Click on the “JOIN” button on the next screen. Register by answering a few questions.  Click “REGISTER” when complete.  Log in using your new username and password. Click on “JOIN GROUPS.”  Be sure to click on the boxes for Venturing and Council Events.  Take time to click on the box for your district. After you submit these changes, you will be able to access the Council calendar and any groups that you have joined will have their activities listed on your calendar.  We will also be able to send you electronically calendar changes and announcements of upcoming events. To locate a Venturing crew near you.  Simply click on the Venturing logo on the council webpage and type in your zip code.