Welcome to the official online home for T444! We have active troops for boys and girls with approximately 75 scouts and a dedicated group of adult leaders.
Our mission is to help scouts learn, develop and grow in a safe, caring environment and to help families bring up moral, civic-minded leaders. We will place the well-being of the scouts ahead of any other considerations and we will respect the needs of our constituent families at all times.
Do you need to fulfill the First Class rank requirement #10 (Tell about your scouting activities and invite a person to join scouting)? Are you looking to earn service hours?
If you have spent a couple of years already in the troop, please consider attending one (or more) of the events of the School Night for Scouting below. We will have the opportunity to speak with interested 6th graders who are considering joining our troop.
You may be asked to speak for 2 minutes about your experience in scouting. We will also be answering questions from the audience.
Please arrive on time (early) and dressed in Class A uniform.
Welcome to another great scouting year, 444 Families! Lots of news to share here, so let's get to it (this is posted on t444.org, too)...
CALENDAR: The troop calendar at t444.org has been updated with nearly all meetings, campouts and other events through May 2025. If you haven't already, please sync it with your calendar, which you can do at https://t444.org/ical.
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KICKOFF EVENTS: - 444B: Patrol welcome back event with games, competitions and pizza will be held this Sunday, Aug. 11 from 4-7pm at Breckenridge Park. Wear Class B uniform (troop T-shirt) and sunscreen, and bring water!
- 444G: Event is being planned - details will be sent out soon!
- Troop Meetings: Our first regular meetings this year will be Monday, Aug. 19 at AUMC, beginning with TFC at 7pm followed by troop meetings from 7:30-8:30.
- Parent Social: Our first Parent Social (just for adults) of the year will be Thursday, Aug. 22 from 7-9pm at Loro in Addison, 14999 Montfort Drive. Even if you've never come to a troop or committee event before, please join us - this will be a fun chance to get to know more parents in an informal setting! Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA9AC28A5FF2-50555608-444fall
- Parent Committee: Our first committee meeting of the year will be Sunday, Aug. 18 at 8pm via Zoom. Lots to discuss, so hope you can join us! Login details are on the website calendar.
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UNIFORMS:
If your scout is outgrowing their uniform, before you go to the Scout Shop to buy more, check our inventory first. We will have our clothing bins available for browsing in the Scout Hut during the first troop meetings on 8/19.
--------------------- CAMPOUTS: - As you'll note on the calendar, 444B and 444G both have their first campouts of the year on the weekend of Sept. 27-29. Stay tuned for signups and further details. We do still need campout leads for several other weekends this year in both troops, so if you would like to help with that please let your scoutmaster know!
--------------------- ADULT VOLUNTEER NEEDS:
URGENT - POPCORN HELPERS - We need someone (or two, or three) to help with popcorn sales this fall. This is an URGENT need. John Byrd (our popcorn lead the last two years) is happy to help talk you through what it will need, and provide materials - but since popcorn sales are starting we need to fill this spot ASAP. This can be multiple people if a few folks want to share the load. If we don't get volunteers, we will reach out to folks later this week to begin asking :) We have placed our intial order and will have some storefront opportunities coming up in mid-August (just over a week away), so keep an eye on your email for that.
- FLAG DEPLOYMENT LEAD - We help with 3 flag deployments in the Heights Park neighborhood each year, and we need a parent to help coordinate those as they are an important fundraiser for our troop. This is an easy time commitment, so please consider taking this on - let me know if you can do this.
- CAMPOUT LEADS: Both troops still need leads for some campouts. If you are willing to step up and do this (it's a good way to start if you've never volunteered before)
--------------------- CURRENT SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES:
- Flag Repair FUNDRAISER, Aug. 17 at 1pm at Scout Hut: Join us for a flag repair fundraiser project like we did in the spring, where we will mend and restore flags that have weathered the elements. These flags are among those that are displayed in neighborhoods during major holidays. This is a new and important fundraiser for our troop!
- Harmony School: We have a great service opportunity to help with back to school needs. From now through next Friday (8/2-8/9), The Harmony School needs help distributing supplies. Contact Mr. Evans (Camden's dad) at tevans@harmonytx.org to arrange a time to help out. These are scoutmaster-approved service hours - just let your SM know how long you were helping. The school is located at 11995 Forestgate, Dallas, TX 75243
- Nature Conservation Service Project July 27 - August 31: The Canyon Creek Wetland and Wildscape (CCWW) Project is requesting the watering of young trees and recently planted grasses. There is no water available at the site, so we will carry water in jugs. A volunteer shift takes about one hour and it requires a car and a driver for transporting the jugs. The scouts are expected to carry 1 gallon jugs and dispense the water at the Wildscape. For more information and to sign up, please visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4DAFAE22A3F58-50367343-nature If you have empty 1 gallon jugs (not the typical milk jugs, but something with a larger and more comfortable handle) please consider donating them to this project. Thank you for your help!
--------------------- PHILMONT TREK - SUMMER 2025: Please check your inbox for an email sent Friday about Philmont treks in July 2025. We need to fill two crews, so please let Alan Melson know if you are interested at alanmelson (at) gmail.com.
Scouts, here is a nature conservation related service hours opportunity that runs between July 27 and August 31 (almost over!):
The Canyon Creek Wetland and Wildscape (CCWW) Project is requesting the watering of young trees and recently planted grasses. There is no water available at the site, so we will carry water in jugs. A volunteer shift takes between one and a half to two hours and it requires a car and a driver for transporting the jugs. The scouts are expected to carry 1 gallon jugs and dispense the water at the Wildscape.
If you have empty 1 gallon jugs (not the typical milk jugs, but something with a larger and more comfortable handle) please consider donating them to this project.
- TROOP MEETINGS RETURN THIS WEEK. We'll be back at AUMC Monday night (8/19) beginning at 7pm. See you there!
- PARENT SOCIAL THIS THURSDAY. We'll meet at Loro in Addison on Thursday 8/22 at 7pm. RSVP: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA9AC28A5FF2-50555608-444fall
This is an important reminder that popcorn sales ARE NOW UNDERWAY. Please note that participating in fundraisers for the troopis an expectation of troop families, as these funds are necessary to keep our troops healthy and thriving.
We also still need volunteer help to manage popcorn sales logistics. No one has reached out yet, but NOW'S YOUR CHANCE - please email me and I'm happy to get you the info you need. Thanks to our previous popcorn lead John Byrd for helping us get going this year, but we need additional parents to make this successful.
--- HOW TO START ---
As in past years, sales are managed through trails-end.com or the Trail's End app:
1. Go to portal.trails-end.com. If you have a 444 account from last year, enter your login info (or do the Forgot Username or Password options at bottom to regain access).
2. If you did NOT sell with 444 last year, click on Register Scout or Unit Leader, then Scout, then follow instructions. When it asks for unit code, ours is XW422.
--- HOW TO SELL ---
There are several ways your scout can begin selling immediately:
- Online Direct: Log in and click one of the “Share Your Page” options at top (recommended is "Copy Link", or you can do the QR code option and share that with others.
- Storefront: This is the easiest way to make sales quickly. We have options beginning THIS WEEKEND - see below for instructions on how to sign up.
- Wagon: 3 Hours Go door to door with or without product; also have your parents ask their co-workers.
As in past years, your scout can earn rewards for sales; you can track those and see options by clicking on Rewards after logging into Trail's End.
This year, they have simplified the lineup so there are six easy options for popcorn sales, or they can make a donation to the Heroes and Helpers program to ship popcorn to military bases, food banks, and first responder organizations serving police officers, firefighters, and more. (see attached flyer for popcorn items).
Also a reminder that our main messaging point is that popcorn buyers are supporting Scouting. If people ask about the pricing, simply share that they are making a donation in support of the character building, leadership and community service that scouting provides its scouts, and they're getting popcorn as a bonus!
--- STOREFRONTS ---
There are avails we need to fill beginning THIS SATURDAY. Please note that Ace Hardware is no longer an option, so John was able to find us some slots at other local businesses.
Here are our two-hour slots:
Saturday 8/17 8am, 10am, 12pm - Lowe's Lake Highlands - 11333 E Northwest Highway
Saturday 8/17 2pm, 4pm, 6pm - Lowe's Lake Highlands - 11333 E Northwest Highway
Friday 8/23 4pm, 6pm - Lowe's Richardson - 501 S. Plano Road
Sunday 9/15 8am, 10am, 12pm - Lowe's Lake Highlands - 11333 E. Northwest Highway
Thursday 9/19 4pm, 6pm - Tom Thumb - 819 W Arapaho Road
To sign up for a slot, log into Trail's End website or app and click on STOREFRONT in the menu. You'll see options on the calendar - click on a date to see shifts listed below. Click "SIGN UP" next to a shift to take a spot. We typically have two spots per two-hour shift. The scouts who work split the total sales for that slot - if you work solo, you get credit all of that shift's sales! Please note that at least one parent needs to stay with the scout(s) for that shift - they cannot be left without an adult. Even if you can only spare one two-hour shift, we can easily fill all remaining openings with the number of scouts we have in our troops.
Sales are now cashless - scouts can use the Trail's End app to manage all sales under the Storefront Sales section for their shift. If someone wants to simply make a donation without buying product, you can do that in the app; if they want to give you cash, have the adult take it and connect with troop treasurer David Dao (daviddao0028@gmail.com) to get it to him.
For your shift: Please wear your Class A uniform and comfortable shoes. Please bring plenty of water, and make sure you eat a good breakfast/lunch before your shift. Our sales positions should be in the shade, but sunscreen is a good idea, too.
Thanks for participating - our troop sold over $12,000 in popcorn last year and we'd love to build on that this year.
Arapaho UMC has been a wonderful host for our troops for many years, and we are always looking for ways to give back since they provide facilities and resources for us.
They have requested our help setting up tables and chairs for their monthly Faith and Grief gatherings over the summer.
On 6/19, 7/17, and 8/14, we need a few scouts to set up four large round tables with chairs and a rectangular table in the Youth Room.
The work won't take long, so please sign up if you can. If you sign up for two of these dates, it's a super-easy service hour (each counts as 30 minutes of service)!
