Troop 701 will resume its carpooling program for transportation to and from camp starting in April. Since we have not been able to offer this program for the past two years because of the pandemic, we thought a review of the program would be helpful for all of us.
Troop 701’s bylaws express an expectation that all families will participate in the carpool program. The expectation is that every family will drive a full carload of Scouts to or from camp a total of two (2) times per Scout per year.
The carpool program has several benefits:
– Carpooling saves our troop families some time by sharing the responsibility of transportation.
– It is consistent with the Scout Outdoor Code, which asks us to be conservation minded in our activities.
– The tradition of our Troop meeting at Chapman Elementary School at 7:01 on camping Fridays, and returning to Chapman for pickup after camp, simplifies the food and gear management for our food purchasers and quartermasters.
– Some of our camping locations have limited parking space, so fewer cars present at these sites is more efficient and safer for our families.
– Being a driver for your Scout and some of his friends can be an enlightening experience, as they talk about their experiences at camp and other things on their mind – before they fall asleep, that is 🙂
The challenges of the pandemic have impacted our routines, and we realize that some families may not yet be comfortable with a full car of Scouts. If you wish to opt out of the carpool program for the scouting year, we will ask you to contact Kate Miley, our transportation chair, so she can remove your scout from her list of scouts who will need transportation. We will still ask you to meet at Chapman before and after camp so you Scout does not miss important information and activities.
For the families participating in the transportation program, sign-ups for driving will be included on TroopWebHost in addition to the signup for camp. Please include the number of seatbelts available for Scouts. Please remember that neither late arrivals/early departures nor Father-Son camp counts toward the transportation requirement.
