When and Where We Meet
Our Chartered Organization is Hope Community (previously Cork Methodist Church), in the Cork area on the northwest side of Plant City, FL.
The church is located at 4815 W Sam Allen Rd, Plant City, FL 33565, just west of Cork Road. You do not have to be affiliated with the church to join our Pack.
All our weekly Den Meetings are currently held on Monday evenings, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the Hope Community classrooms. Den meetings are every Monday that school is in session, unless otherwise noted.
We hold our Pack Meeting also on Monday evenings in lieu of Den meetings. Our Calendar page includes the dates of our Pack meetings.
Our Leaders, and How to Contact Us
NOTE: To help reduce the amount of spam, and to keep our email addresses constant over time, we have established the following email addresses for our leadership.
Email to Pack Cubmaster and Committee Chairman: info@pack734.info
Committee Chair – Claude Carter: (813) 986-3389; email: cbandmcarter@gmail.com
Cubmaster – Staci Alderman; email: staci.alderman@gmail.com
District Executive – Catherine Eisenhart-Mora (813) 872 2691
AOL Den Leaders (5th graders) -Steven Harris and Brian Alderman
Webelos Den Leader (4th graders) – Lloyd Thomas
Bear Den Leader ( 3rd graders) – Marthann Carter
Wolf Den Leader (2nd graders) –
Tiger Den Leader (1st graders) –
Lion Den Leader (Kindergarten) –
Uniforms
Scouts should have the proper Scout shirt (Lion T-shirt for Lions; Blue shirt for Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos; and tan shirt for Arrow of Light) with insignia and neckerchief, and a Scout belt. We suggest you get a shirt with two years growing room. Check our uniform exchange before purchase. The pack has a one-piece “734” patch available for $3.
BSA uniform pants, or nice jeans or camp shorts are acceptable pants. Hats are optional. The neckerchief slide can be handmade and unique, or purchased. New uniforms can be purchased at Tampa Bay Area Council Headquarters (near Fletcher Ave & I-275), or Woods and Waters in Brandon, or ordered from BSA Supply. Uniforms should be worn with Respect and Dignity. Rank badges must be earned and are provided by the Pack. “Experienced” uniforms are available from online or other sources, and are a good value. The Pack maintains a uniform bank of “experienced” items that may be available, so ask if you are in need of a uniform item.
Pack Meetings
The Pack Meeting is the monthly meeting of all members of the Pack when we all gather for the Scouts to receive recognition for their achievements, display what they have learned, show off, and have fun. It should be attended by the Scout, his family and friends. Parents should be present for the Scout to receive an advancement.
See our Pack Calendar for the monthly dates when Pack Meetings will be held. Meetings start promptly at 6:30pm and will end by 8:00pm, and are usually held at Hope Community (previously: Cork Methodist Church) in the Multi-purpose room.
At the Pack Meetings, we will be providing some form of a meal for those attending the Pack meeting, such as pizza, deli sandwiches, etc. We ask that each family bring a light side dish. We have a sign-up list so we have a variety of items.
Den Meetings
Generally held once a week, at Hope Community (previously: Cork Methodist Church) – about 1 hour long. Currently, all dens meet at 6:30PM on Monday evenings. We have use of several classrooms at Hope Community. Scout should bring his book to each meeting so the leader can check for earned achievements. Parents are welcome to stay. Scout must be picked up promptly after any meeting. If the Scout is to be picked up by someone other than parent, please let his leader know ahead of time. Dens may also meet at other times in order to work on their Adventure programs.
Adventures
In addition to the Den Meetings, parents should go through the Cub Scout Handbook and work on adventures at home. For any completed adventure, the Parent should sign the Cub Scout’s Handbook (including the adventure tracking page in the back of the book) and notify the Scout’s Den Leader. The Scout should be able to demonstrate knowledge of any completed achievement or elective. In general, to prepare for the transition to Boy Scouts, Webelos and Arrow of Light rank books should signed by the leader for all activities (and not the parent) even for adventures completed at home. Webelos and AoL ranks may earn activity pins and skill awards.
Pack Finances
Effective April 1, 2024, Boy Scouts of America registration fee of $85 per year is required to pay for National Youth Registration. 100% goes to the BSA (not to the Pack). Our local council also charges a $33 Program Fee, which allow us to use council facilities without a charge. Each year afterwards, BSA will send a renewal message a month before the original registration anniversary, and members will pay BSA direct. A new member registration to BSA would total ($85 + 33 =) $118.
For returning members who registered prior to August 1, 2023, the pack will collect registration fees in November and December so that the pack can complete the required recharter paperwork by the middle of December and will pay BSA for those registrations.
In addition, the Pack requests a $50 annual Pack activity fee to cover expenses including rank badges and pins, pinewood derby car, den meeting crafts, pack meeting food, and leader supplies.
Scouts may also subscribe to Scout Life magazine (optional – $15 per year).
For a complete year, the total returning member registration with magazine fee would come to $85 + $33 + $15 + $50 = $183. If finances are a problem, please discuss this with a pack leader.
District or Council events may charge additional participation fees, which we will collect from each participant, or is paid direct upon event registration..
A program book will cost $24 for a spiral bound handbook, or $20 for a digital downloaded book ($10 for Lion book, or $9 for a download book).
We have our pack T-shirt available for $12.
A uniform shirt with insignia will total about $60. “Experienced” uniforms are a good value.
If finances are a problem, please contact one of our leaders to discuss.
Dens may collect dues (as set by den) per meeting, which are used for Den supplies. The Scout should earn this money, and bring it to the Den Meeting.
Our Pack also gets operating money for badges, trips, and supplies from Trails End Popcorn sales, Sno cone sales at the Plant City 4th of July festival, sponsors, and other fundraisers.
Pack Committee and Parent/Committee Meetings
All parents are encouraged to participate in the Pack as Den Leaders, Assistant Den Leaders, Pack Committee Members or Event/Activity Committee Members.
Parent/Committee meetings take place throughout the year, typically held on Sunday afternoon prior to each Pack meeting. These are organizational meeting for the pack, attended by leaders and committee members. Parents are encouraged to attend and contribute their ideas and concerns. This is the place to air any grievances, problems, or criticisms; not in front of the Scouts. A member of each event/activity committee should attend the Pack committee meeting as the activity approaches.
Religious Growth Programs
Each rank has an adventure with a religious program as part of their required items for their rank.
Additionally, there are programs of various church denominations that enhance a youth’s knowledge and understanding of his faith. Although it is not an official BSA program, it is endorsed by BSA and is included as an optional way of earning cub scout rank awards. It is typically lead by a member of the youth’s church. Material may be available through BSA (check with the pack as we may have the booklets), or check with P.R.A.Y. at 1-800-933-7729 or online at www.praypub.org.
Adult Training Programs
In the front of each Cub rank Adventure book, there is a section that the parent should read about youth safety. Part of the rank advancement requirement is to certify that this has been done.
All adults (leaders, committee members and parents) that will have direct contact with the Scouts are required to participate in the BSA’s Youth Protection Training, even if they are not filling a formal leader role. This training takes about 1 hour and is available online at My.Scouting.org. You do not need to have a Member ID to take Youth Protection Training. Please provide the Cubmaster or Committee Chairman with a copy of your completion certificate.
All leaders should also participate in “This Is Scouting”, Leader Fast Start training for their role, and Leader Specific Training for their role. This training is also available online at My.Scouting.org, and you include your Member ID in your account profile. The Council and District also offer these training sessions in person at various events during the year.
Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) introduces parents and leaders to the skills needed to plan and conduct pack outdoor activities, particularly pack camping. Our pack must have BALOO trained leaders to camp. You don’t have to be a registered Pack or Den Leader to obtain this training, so please consider attending.
All leaders are encouraged to attend the District Leader Roundtable, sometimes on ZOOM and sometimes at the Kings Avenue Baptist Church, 2602 S Kings Ave. (south of Lumsden), in Brandon. The Roundtable is a district leader meeting and training, typically held at 7:00PM on the second Thursday night of each month, to share information, learn about up-coming events, receive training, and get ideas for den and pack activities. Some Roundtable meetings are held online, beginning at 7:00.
The Council also offers a Council-wide Saturday training event called University of Scouting (typically early January) for leaders to learn skills, gain knowledge, and get new ideas about working within the Scouting program. This is typically held yearly in the winter.
Many other training events are available, and information can be found at the Council and District websites.