New England Scout Shops Opening Soon!

That’s right! We’re happy to announce the New England Scout Shop in the Brickyard Square Plaza located in Southborough has reopened with modified operating hours to help further your Scouting adventure! Over the last several weeks, we have been working hard to implement enhanced safety measures that make yours and our team members safety the top priority!

Effective today, you’ll notice the following changes upon entering our location:

  • Hand sanitizer is available for customer use in all Scout Shops.
  • We’ve implemented rigorous cleaning routines throughout the day and have temporarily closed fitting rooms.
  • Prior to beginning every shift, all team members must complete an Employee Health Screening to ensure they are ready and able to work safely.
  • Every team member is provided with facial coverings to use during their shifts and are asked to frequently wash their hands.
  • Social distancing markers are placed in every Scout Shop.
  • All product returns are being disinfected or quarantined for five business days before returning to the salesfloor.
  • We have updated our payment systems to need fewer signatures and to accept contactless pay to include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
  • Plexiglass sneeze guards are installed at checkout points, in areas of the country where required.
  • Limited occupancy regulations will be in place in compliance with state and local requirements.

While not mandatory in every Scout Shop, we respectfully request you to follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores to help protect yourself and our team members.

Now that we have re-opened, we are very excited to announce that we’ve redesigned our in-store shopping experience with your safety and convenience as our main goal.

Effective today, you can purchase any of our 600 Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA Advancement related products online, and have the order gathered, bagged, and set aside for you to either pickup in-store, contactless curbside, or have the items shipped directly to you!

Click on the image below to check it out.

Looking ahead, we will continue to evaluate and modify our safety measures and in-store experience with you and our team members in mind. In the meantime, we’re taking this seriously so we can get it right. We cannot wait to welcome you and our Scouting community back to our Scout Shop!

New England Scout Shop

23 Turnpike Road

Southborough, MA  01772

Days/Hours of Operation

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 10:00 – 6:00
Wednesday: 10:00 – 6:00
Thursday: 10:00 – 6:00
Friday: 10:00 – 6:00
Saturday: 10:00 – 1:00

And finally, to help reignite your Scouting adventures, we are working on a one-of-a-kind, special offer to celebrate our re-opening. We hope to be able to announce the details in the next day or two. So be sure to check your email and follow us on Facebook for the announcement!

Remember, every purchase made in our store supports the future of local Scouting.




2019 Eagle Scout Recognition Ceremony

Come celebrate Mayflower Council’s Class of 2019 Eagles Scouts

Thursday, June 18, 7:00pm!

This event is an opportunity to recognize all of our 2019 Eagle Scout’s achievement along with other fellow Eagles. Parents, family & friends are welcome to attend.   Join us tonight at 7:00 pm for the first ever virtual Eagle Scout recognition. We will also congratulate our Outstanding Eagle’s, VFW Scholarship winner, and announce the Glenn & Melinda Adams National Eagle Scout Association award winner. You can view us live on the the Mayflower Council facebook page or on the Mayflower Council YouTube channel.

Click on the image below to down load the event program book.




Trail’s End Popcorn – Online Direct Selling




National Recruiting Webinars

Join the National Recruiting Webinars happening this summer. These regular, one-hour sessions will cover topics important to recruiting in 2020, including geofencing, BeAScout.org, Zoom 101, online registration, and much more. Plus, the hosts will answer your questions. Mark your calendars.

Register today!

Schedule:

June 24 – 8:00 pm:  National Recruiting Webinar – Virtual Recruitment Events, Working with Schools

July 9 – 8:00 pm: National Recruiting Webinar, Tech Edition – BeAScout.org, Invitation Manager

July 16 – 8:00 pm: National Recruiting Webinar – Scoutbook 101, “Who’s Zooming Who?”

July 23 – 8:00 pm: National Recruiting Webinar – Geofencing, Search, Social Media, Peer-to-Peer Recruiting

August 6 – 8:00 pm: National Recruiting Webinar – Local PR How-to’s Print, Digital, Video

August 20 – 8:00 pm: National Recruiting Webinar – It’s Not Too Late: Five Things You Should be Doing Now




Last Chance Popcorn Kickoff Meeting

LAST KICKOFF MEETING, ARE YOU SIGNED UP?

Join The Fundraiser That Can Fund Your Scouting Adventures All Year!

Does your unit need to earn funds for events and activities? Was your unit unable to have your scheduled spring fundriaser? Are you a new unit looking for ideas on how to earn funds?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then please join us and we will show you how your unit can earn enough money in one fundraiser to support your Scouting adventures for the entire year!

We’ve got a way so simple, you don’t even need to touch the product to earn money for your unit.

Registration is required and the link will be emailed to you the morning of the scheduled meeting.

You must attend one of the virtual training sessions for your unit to earn an extra 3% above the base of 30% and pay on-time.

LAST MEETING is scheduled for:  Tuesday, June 23rd, 7:00 – 8:30 pm




Headwaters June 4th Roundtable Follow up

Hello Headwaters

Thank you to the Pack and Troop leaders that joined our Roundtable team on Thursday for a conversation about the recent changes and announcements to Scouting.  We appreciate everyone that shared their thoughts, questions, concerns and comments through our anonymous Google Survey (link below).  These concerns will be analyzed by our District Leadership and brought to the conversation with the Council Key 3 and other District Key 3s.

The Council is planning to hold two Council-wide Roundtables so that we can collaborate and answer questions as Scouting and the state of Massachusetts start to reopen and update safety measures.  They are scheduled for July 15th and August 19th.

At our Roundtable we showed a few items on our screen that everyone asked to have sent to them, so we have attached the documents below:

1 – Troop 14 Bellingham shared a Super Cub Summer Passport – 2012SuperCubSummerPassportEDIT

2 – they also shared a Summertime Passport for Cubs to check off the activities they complete on their own – SummertimePassport2014

3 – Scoutmaster from Troop 22 Whitman has shared their April Virtual Campout agenda –  April_Virtual_Campout

Take a look at these resources and make edits for what works best for your Pack, Troop or Crew!

Our message from last night: The only limit to what we can still do as Scouting Units is our own imagination.  Let’s get creative and find the new way to provide an excellent Scouting program!

Additional links:

– Trainings – https://www.mayflowerbsa.org/program/adult/training/

– Popcorn Kickoff Meetings:

– Summer Camp Resident camp FAQ – https://www.mayflowerbsa.org/scouts-bsa-summer-camp-faq/

– Adventure Day Camp – https://www.mayflowerbsa.org/cub-scout-summer-camp-update/




Virtual Merit Badge Offerings – June/July

The Mayflower Council has secured merit badge councelors to teach a few merit badges virtually.  Scouts can now sign up for the following virtual merit badge offerings.

Space is limited, please sign up as soon as possible.  Each course is only $10.00.

Click on the merit badge you are interested in to sign up.

Genealogy Do you know your family tree? Do you know how to trace your heritage and family ancestry? Join us for a remote and virtual merit badge experience to earn your Genealogy Merit Badge!  Wednesday’s, June 17, June 24, and July 1 from 6:30 – 7:30pm.

Electricity – Do you know how your house get’s power? Do you know how to wire a circuit? Do you know the first aid for electric shock? Join us for a remote and virtual class of Electricity Merit Badge! Wednesday’s, June 10, June 17, and June 24 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm.

Citizenship In The Community – Now is an important time to take Citizenship in the Community. Continue your trail to Eagle Scout by taking this required merit badge that explores doing your duty as a good citizen in your neighborhood and town. Tuesday’s June 9, June 16, June 23, and June 30 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm.

Sustainability – Are you interested in the sustainability of our planet? Do you know about renewable energy and upcycling by products? Take Sustainability Merit Badge, an Eagle Scout required alternative badge to Environmental Science that explores how we can reduce, reuse, and recycle to help our planet. Monday’s, June 8, June 15, June 22, and June 29 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm.

Public Health  – There is no better time to be learning about public health than right now. Everyone has learned a lot about infectious diseases and their effects on our communities and nation. Learn from the real-world example of Covid-19 as we teach you about how Scouts can help our communities in the Public Health Merit Badge. Monday’s,  June 15, June 22, June 29, and July 6.

Session A – 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Session B – 7:00 – 8:00 pm

Emergency Prep – Scouting it built on our motto, Be Prepared! Every Scout should be prepared for any situation that could occur such as medical emergencies, home emergencies, search and rescue emergencies or natural disasters. This merit badge explores what you can do today to start preparing with your family, home, troop and community. Continue your journey to Be Prepared with the Eagle required merit badge, Emergency Prepareness! Thursday’s, June 11, June 18, and June 25 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm.




National BSA Member Fee Increase

Dear Scouting Family,

Today the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America announced an increase to the annual membership fees. These increases are a result of rising operational costs and COVID-19, which has created a substantial unplanned loss of revenue due to mandated Scout Shop closures and shortened high adventure base seasons.

Locally, our council is also facing financial challenges and we are doing our best to address the impact of three months of office closure, activity cancellations, diminished fundraising campaigns, and the loss of some of our summer camp season. We know, however, that our staff and volunteers will continue to do their best to offer high-quality Scouting experiences during these challenging times.

We understand many of our Scouting families are also dealing with similar financial issues. We do not want finances to be a barrier to participation in Scouting, and will do our best to assist families who need it, to the fullest extent possible.

We are aware some of our members may have heard about these fee changes this weekend via social media. The Mayflower Council did not share this information previously because the National Council requested that all councils wait until June 1st before distributing this news. Some councils, unfortunately, chose to share the information prematurely, which may have spawned some confusion. The Mayflower Council apologizes for any inconvenience this action may have caused.

Please review the infographic below. Click here to view the frequently asked questions about the fee increase. As more information is released, we will share the most up to date information here.

Thank you for your continued dedication to our Scouts. As Scouting navigates these turbulent times, we stand together to achieve our shared mission: helping young people in our community learn, grow, and thrive.

If you have specific questions regarding these changes, please contact your district executive or email us.

Yours in Scouting,

Mike Rotar
Council President

Josh Paulin
Council Commissioner

Bryan Feather
Scout Executive / CEO




Scouts BSA Summer Camp FAQ

This is the one spot where you will find the most up to date answers to your frequently asked questions regarding our Mayflower Council resident camp.

Click here to download as a PDF




Stay Safe Special Shoulder Patch

Join us in supporting our frontline workers!  We have designed a special limited edition Mayflower Council shoulder patch.  Only 250 have been ordered and we will not be reordering.  We will be donating 50% of the raised proceeds to support our local hero’s fighting the coronavirus.  Each patch is only $20.00.

Pre-orders are being taken – order yours today before they are gone!

We have chosen to support Boston HealthCare for the Homeless (BHCHP) COVID program. We chose them because the homeless community was and is being hit hard by COVID. 1 in 3 homeless in Boston have had the virus. The population has unique and hard to manage needs. BHCHP has long performed outstanding service to this population with limited resources and under very difficult circumstances. They set up and ran COVID housing for homeless individuals with COVID, and managed all the health care issues outside the hospital, taking critical pressure off the hospital as we surged. They staffed Boston Hope at the convention center. They set up and ran 2 health tents in the city for homeless with COVID, and they handle(d) the health care needs across the cities shelters.