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For All Adults
April District Roundtable
April 15 @ 7 pm via Zoom
April's meeting will be on April 15 at 7pm via Zoom and will include:
Lisa Whitmer from Candlestick Point SRA and Bob Siegel from Crosstown Trail presenting on outing and volunteer opportunities at the sites/trails. Prepared to be surprised on what's possible inside SF city limits!
Breakout will be focused on favorite local volunteer opportunities and outings.
Special for Cub Scout Leaders: Q&A on Webelos / AoL Adventure Camp (register/info) with Kara from GGAC
NEW: Current Scouters, Alumni Scouters, and Friends Gathering
April 17 @ B Restaurant & Bar (Moscone Center area)
Enjoy delicious food, great conversation, and amazing views from the rooftop terrace overlooking Yerba Buena Gardens and the city skyline. B Restaurant is known for its seasonal cocktails, fresh menu, and inviting atmosphere—right in the heart of the city.
Excitement is in the air! Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at San Francisco Sailing Whaleboat Association's fundraising dinner. The SFSWA is the main supporting non-profit behind our San Francisco Sea Scout programs. We'd like to bring Alumni, family, and friends together for an evening of camaraderie and celebration as we support the legacy of Sea Scouting in our city.
Our dinner will be held at the Elk's Lodge in San Francisco with a no-host bar reception at 6pm, and dinner at 7pm. If you would like to sponsor a raffle item, please reach out to sfbay.seascouts@gmail.com.
IN PERSON: BALOO and IOLS Training Mega Super Regional List
Various Dates
Need to complete BALOO training so your Cub Scout Pack can go camping? Want to tackle IOLS to complete your ASM/Scoutmaster Position-specific training? Well, you're in luck -- this is the MEGA list of all regional offerings currently available. You will find this list NOWHERE ELSE.
Don't procrastinate in signing up as these trainings WILL fill up!
IOLS 2025 - for Scoutmasters/Assistant Scoutmasters
In addition, for the first time since 2010, there will be a Level 2 (Master Educator) course available in northern CA. Greater Yosemite Council is hosting the Leave No Trace Level 2 Instructor course in August 2025.
It is preferable to have your Level 1 before taking Level 2 so if interested one could take the Level 1 on May 17-18 at Camp Herms and then the Level 2 course August 25-29, 2025 at Camp McDonnell (Livingston is halfway between Turlock and Modesto).
If you have questions, please contact Lillian Remer at (202)834-4199 or remer@astound.net
Are you a Basementeer at Sports Basement? Name GGAC as your Beneficiary
Did you know that Sports Basement donates money from your purchases towards the non-profit of your choice? Yes! And you can choose Golden Gate Area Council as the benefeciary with these simple steps:
New Location for 2025! We'll be holding the 2025 Bike Rodeo at a new location -- the back parking lot of Stonestown Mall! All youth under 18 are invited to attend -- scouts, non-scouts, friends, family and more.
Date: May 10 2025
Time: 90 minute sessions start at 10am, 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm. All sessions are the same.
Where: Back parking lot of Stonestown Mall (where the Farmer's Market happens on Sundays)
What: Participants will have their bikes inspected/adjusted, take on the CHP Bike Challenge Course (we promise: no traffic tickets!) and go on an escorted bike ride around the Lakeshore area.
Cost: Free!
We also need volunteers! Both adults and Scouts BSA/Sea Scout/Venture Scouts are invited to volunteer! Volunteer hours will be happily approved (at your unit leader's discretion) - register for volunteer roles at the same link below.
Weeks of June 9 - July 14 @ Sea Scout Base, San Francisco
Incoming 6th through 9th grade campers spend every day exploring the best the San Francisco waterfront has to offer! Each day participants will learn the basics of kayaking, outrigger canoeing, and sailing on our fleet of traditional craft at San Francisco Sea Scouts Base. Campers meet at the Base in Aquatic Park for hands-on boating with a team of Sea Scout leaders and counselors, learning boating skills and safety procedures. They also have games and activities on our lawn, on the beach, and explore the sites like the Maritime Museum.
Save the date! Registration coming soon. On June 29, scouts, friends and family are all invited to march in the Scouts for Equality – Golden Gate contingent. We march in the family/community section of the parade.
ScoutZone @ Sunday Streets
October 19 @ Excelsior District
Save the date! This year's ScoutZone will be at the Sunday Streets in the Excelsior District (along Mission St) on Sunday, October 19. We'll have another great event, and it's a fantastic time to recruit new scouts into your unit! Each Pack, Troop, Ship, Post, Crew and Club is invited to host a fun activity!
Around the District
🏆 District Pinewood Derby Winners 🏆
Congrats to Eva T (Pack 12) for her 1st place🥇 finish in the 2025 Golden Gate District Pinewood Derby race off! Thank you to Pack 88 for hosting the race this year, and great job to Packs 12, 14, 88 and 108 for sending your best and fastest racers to this year's race!
Hold the date: Next year's District Pinewood Derby will be on March 21 2026, starting at 1:30pm. Plan your pack races accordingly.
On Saturday, April 19th, venture down to the waterfront for free activities, exploration, and fun! You can dive into maritime history and culture with activities like miniature boatbuilding, ropemaking, scrimshaw, and more! Love to learn with a rhyme scheme? Our Mermaid puppet show will return again this year! Come hear the story of Kenichi Horie and his daring voyage across the Pacific in the Maritime Museum Building, with shows at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30!
Activities and entrance are free. Hands-on activities are available from 11 AM – 3PM and our Maritime Explorer Club will be providing boat rides during this event!
FILLING UP: Camp Yunakin (Cub Day Camp) Registration
June 16-20 @ Golden Gate Park
Join us for our incredible Cub Scout Day Camp from June 16th to 20th 2025 in Golden Gate Park! This Cub Camp is open to all youth entering the 1st – 5th Grade in Fall 2026.
Get Paid To Rent Out Your Pack's Derby Track (April 17)
From Lauren Millington: We are looking for a pinewood derby track to use for a small team building activity in San Francisco on April 17th! Please let me know if you are able to rent your track out and what the cost would be for delivery + rental.
Also, if you prefer to have someone on-site to monitor the activities and ensure the track is in good hands, we are happy to pay for someone to remain on site as well during the activity!
From Pack 12: We’re thinking of upgrading our pinewood derby track and wanted to see if anyone else in the district might be doing this same. Ours is like 100 years old so someone else’s castoff would be a considerable step up for us assuming it’s not broken.
From Kate Shipman: For the folks interested in their own "cub bucks," I've attached a couple designs I created a few days ago. They were made with a combination of AI images spliced together and edited, so the details aren't perfect, but they're certainly more currency-like.
Cub Bucks can be printed out and then handed out by adult leaders (and/or non-leader parents) when they spot a Cub Scout doing something good. Once the scout collects a few Cub Bucks, they can turn them in for a prize -- something as small as candy, or as big as a camping gadget.
This concept was mentioned in the April BALOO training held led by Scott Dylewski and seems like a great idea! Thank you Kate for creating these fun images.
Alaska Airlines and Boeing are proud to host our Annual Aviation Day at SFO on Saturday, June 14, 2025 for youth ages 11 to 18.
This free event is aimed at inspiring aviation dreams in youth in our local communities. Aviation Day provides the opportunity for young adults to learn about the various paths in the aviation industry as well as educational paths to a career. For a full list of the courses and their descriptions, please click here.
This event WILL FILL UP QUICKLY! Register today with your best-guess scout/adult count! There must be a 1:4 adult:youth ratio for this event. You can modify your group's registration (including adding or canceling youths) at any time using your email address and your confirmation code.
Troop 479 in Cupertino has a High Adventure trip to Florida Sea Base planned for July 1 - 6 and are looking for some additional (solo) scouts to join in. This may be one of the only ways to go to Florida Sea Base this summer!
The Scouts BSA Test Lab is an exciting way to help in the development of fun and interesting new topics unique to the Scouts BSA program. The requirements for each badge have the look and feel of merit badges, but instead of a printed pamphlet, you will find links to digital resources to help you complete the requirements.
Featured this month: Robin Praeger, District Chair
GGD is actively working to rebuild connections with our “lost” scouters—those who were once deeply involved but have since drifted away. Events like the GGD Alumni Social Hours, NESA gatherings, and the Royaneh 100 celebration are all designed to reunite fellow scouters and strengthen those bonds that time and circumstances may have weakened.
We believe that when the timing is right, and given the opportunity, alumni will find value in re-engaging with today's Scouting program. Unfortunately, lost contact information, unit closures, council mergers, and simple neglect have created a gap between the present and our Scouting past.
Still, we've found that a personal touch goes a long way to rebuilding those connections. Phone calls, emails, and even LinkedIn messages have helped reconnect with many alums. For instance, I've recently reached out to almost 20 former members of my old troop—Troop 333—from the 1970s and 1980s. These individuals had been out of touch for decades but will now be added to the 333 alumni list. My hope is that, once reconnected, they’ll receive troop updates, and in return may contribute support, and lend a helping hand. Only time will tell how fruitful this effort will be, but I’m optimistic.
A similar outreach is underway for Royaneh 100. At next month’s 100th Anniversary Gala, I will see some familiar faces I haven’t seen in nearly 40 years but have recently found and reached out to —friends from our days on camp staff. The response has already been heartening, many thanked me for the unexpected phone call or email, and I’m just as excited to reconnect.
Every GGD unit has its own share of missing alumni. I believe there are senior scouters out there from your units who would be glad to help reach out to old friends from their Scouting days. Next time you speak with one, consider asking—they might surprise you.
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