Author’s Note: Please read carefully, important information below!

 

My Fellow Brothers,

 As many of our keenly observant Brothers may have noticed, I didn’t send out a July “Chiefly Speaking,” so let’s just call this one the “July/August Mega Edition.” One of the reasons I have been delayed is because of a recent event I attended called the National Conservation and Leadership Summit at the University of Indiana (also the host of the 2009 NOAC, in case you didn’t know). This 5 day event was extremely educational, specifically in the area of Arrowcorps⁵. At NCLS, our Lodge leadership started work on an exciting publication which will be published in mid September: The O-Shot-Caw Lodge 2007-2012 Strategic Plan. This plan, structured around the National Strategic Plan (which was unveiled at NCLS), focuses on an increase of service in many different areas including the Cub Scouting Program, Camp Sawyer, the South Florida Council, the Joseph Aaron Abbott Campership Fund and the Hal Hollis NOAC Fund. The plan will also integrate our current Lodge Goals for the 2007-2008 year into it as well.

 

 Speaking of Lodge Goals, the time to decide those goals (our lodge LLD) is fast approaching. As many of you have already heard about, the O-Shot-Caw Lodge Leadership Development (LLD) is being held at the Palm Aire Resort next Saturday, August 25^th. It will last from 8am to 4pm and the cost is $25 per person. Any arrowman interested in attending, who is not already an LEC Member, is highly encouraged to do so. Please contact either your Chapter Chief or myself ASAP. At the LLD, our new and future leaders will be trained in various aspects of Lodge and Chapter administration as well as important fellowship and teambuilding exercises. We are also honored to be hosting several special guests from around the section. This is an event you don’t want to miss!

 

 Now I’d like to take some time to clear up some confusion and rumors floating around.

 

#1: The Fall Ordeal:

The Fall Ordeal is being held the weekend of September 28^th-30^th at Tree Tops Park in Davie. This is nearly the perfect venue for our Ordeal and is very easy to get to. More information when the time gets closer. All eligible brotherhood candidates are HIGHLY RECCOMENDED to seal their ties at this Ordeal if possible. I am also strongly recommending all my brothers in Gokhos and Paldani, who live 5 to 10 minutes away from the park, to please stay and actually camp in opposed to going home at night. It’s very tempting (I personally can account for this, living less than 5 miles away), yet it’s not the appropriate thing to do.

 

#2: The Haunted Forest:

Many rumors have been floating around about the Haunted Forest, so here are the facts: The Haunted Forest is being held Saturday, October 20^th. The location as of right now is still TBA, yet it seems to be leaning toward Markham Park. I will get back to you on that ASAP.

 

#3: The Lodge Website:

Many people who read my last E-Mail have been disappointed when viewing O-Shot-Caw.org and finding no updates. I would like to explain… Our Lodge has just employed a new Website Committee Chairman, Matthew Glinski from Pooca Tooka, who has been working non-stop on creating an amazing new website. Matt owns his own web server, so he has been building the new Lodge website on a different URL address, yet I have been told by him that his brand new website will be fully functional on the O-Shot-Caw.org domain by the end of the week! I have been working closely with Matt on this project and have seen the site myself. It includes a Trading Post (which will be fully functional by the LLD), a Chiefly Speaking Blog, RSS Feeds, Individual Chapter web pages, full photo galleries, updated Patchwork downloads, updated news and calendars, event registration and much, much more! I would like to thank Matt for his hard work thus far and encourage all O-Shot-Caw members to visit the site this weekend when we will hopefully be up and running on the regular Lodge domain.

 

 I would like to thank both Gokhos and Paldani Chapters for their work this summer. Paldani Chapter hosted a free Luncheon at the West Broward Masonic Lodge earlier in July with 3 very special guests of honor: Our Southern, Central and National OA Chiefs Alex Gomez, Don Hough and Evan Chaffee. They answered questions, talked about High Adventure, promoted Arrowcorps⁵ and ate a lot of great BBQ. Thanks to Paldani for hosting this incredible and impressive event.

 

Gokhos Chapter helped out in a different aspect with the Council Volunteer BBQ at Camp Seminole in early August. They cooked and served food, set up tables, broke down tables, cleaned up trash and a lot of other messy stuff a guy like me hates doing in the 97 degree summer heat… all in the spirit of servant leadership. Thank you Gokhos Chapter for representing O-Shot-Caw Lodge so well through your simple acts of cheerful service (a little side note: Gokhos’ Chapter Chief Justin BakerRobinson, on behalf of his Chapter, actually volunteered to do this before anyone in either the Council or the Lodge asked them or anyone else to do so… this is the true spirit of cheerful service).

 

 I am extremely proud at how the year is progressing thus far. Although we are temporarily without a camp, we are making due in style and everything is flowing smoothly. The Lodge Executive Committee this year may be one of the best I have seen since I became an LEC member back in 2002. Let’s keep the momentum up, and that powerful O-Shot-Caw spirit high!

 

WWW,

Michael D. Worley

O-Shot-Caw Lodge Chief

 

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Above: O-Shot-Caw Vigil Honor brother and Southern Region Chief Alex Gomez teaches a class at NCLS.