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Welcome to Osceola Lodge #564's official website. Osceola Lodge is the Order of the Arrow lodge of Southwest Florida Council,
serving Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hendry, Lee, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties. Please use the navigation buttons above to view our site. If you
have any questions, comments or suggestions, please use the "Contact" button to send us an e-mail.
Here you'll find the latest announcements for our lodge. Be sure to check back often to see the latest updates.
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The message below is from Ken Knaebel, Adult Adviser for next year's FourCorps 2010 Section service project. FourCorps will be similar in nature to the ArrowCorps 5 project in which service was delivered to 5 National Forests across the country. Nearly 4000 Arrowmen helped build trails and campsites, remove invasive plants, and many other projects during the summer of 2008. Now, an opportunity to provide service to Ocala National Forest is being put together.
The training mentioned in Mr. Knaebel's message will be provided at NOAC but there will also be an opportunity to partake of similar training at next November's Section Seminars.
The project, itself, will take place June 13-19, 2010. The host base camp will be Camp LaNoChe. I want to encourage as many of you as possible to consider becoming involved in this event. As more information becomes available, we will keep you posted.
Brothers,
Planning for the inaugural FourCorps service project in the Ocala National Forest is progressing. In an effort to help make this event successful, I would like to mention some upcoming training and ask for your assistance.
At NOAC 2009, a special training called the Arrowmen Conservation School will be offered. Arrowmen Conservation School (ACS), is designed to provide lodge and section-level youth officers with the knowledge and training required to develop and execute a localized ArrowCorps project. ACS will also provide adult advisors with support-related training to assist youth in mobilizing the necessary resources for project planning and execution. This program is built as a follow-up program to supplement the success of ArrowCorps5. In order to attend this training, a 3-man team from each lodge must be registered. The team must consist of two youth and one adult. I strongly encourage you to send a team from your lodge! Arrowmen that have completed the ACS program at NOAC, have attended an OA High Adventure Program, or participated in ArrowCorps5 will have the first opportunity to serve in a leadership role at FourCorps 2010.
A similar training is available at the Section Seminars in November at Camp La-No-Che. This training will consist of training in the morning and a hands-on service project in the Ocala National Forest in the afternoon. This training is available to all members and 3-man teams are not required. Arrowmen who choose this training must notify the Section and host lodge in advance. A special form will be available to sign up participants.
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Are you receiving mailings from the Lodge? Have you moved, changed your telephone number or have a new email address? Is the information that Osceola Lodge has on record for you inaccurate? Then you need to provide the updated information to the Lodge.
Information you provide to the Southwest Florida Council office is not given to the Lodge. The database containing information on Arrowmen is different than the one the council maintains in ScoutNet. It is important that when you move or your contact information changes, you provide the new information to your unit, the Southwest Florida Council office, and Osceola Lodge.
Follow this link to the page on the Council's website and then click on the logo at the bottom of that page to update your info:
http://www.swflcouncilbsa.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=29666&orgkey=347
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Attention all members! A new method for keeping up on your dues has been added. You may now pay your lodge dues online by linking to http://www.swflcouncilbsa.org/Registration/CampaignDetail.asp?orgkey=347&activitykey=618358
Follow the easy steps provided and have your credit card handy.
Now you can keep your dues up-to-date even if you are unable to attend an event and you don't have to worry about catching someone at the council service center during business hours... the online method is available 24/7!
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All fourteen of our lodge's allotted delegate spots are now filled. Registration fees have been paid on time, flight reservations have been made, and we are all looking forward to an exciting time at Indiana U. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in preparing for this event!
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Plans for NOAC 2009 are moving right along. The National Order of the Arrow Conference held Aug. 1-6 at Indiana University near Bloomington is a very special experience for all who attend.
The cost for the week which includes the conference registration fee, meals, and airfare is $860 per person. The number each lodge can take is limited and a $100 non-refundable deposit must be included when registering. The balance of payments must be received by May 15th.
Questions? Contact Lodge Adviser, Mac Aldrich.
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Elections were held during the Lodge Meeting at the 2009 Ordeal Weekend on Sunday, March 8th. Several Arrowmen submitted letters requesting candidacy. As per the Lodge's voting rules, each chapter was allotted ten votes to divvy up between the candidates however they saw fit. The results of the election:
Lodge Chief: Jacob Jansen
Vice-Chief Administration: Devin Kuehn
Vice-Chief Program: Tyler Lucas
Secretary: Jacob Fisher
Treasurer: Bill Tracy
Historian: Ricky Sdrenka
Congratulations to all!
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What a great weekend! 120 candidates successfully completed the Ordeal and became our newest members. The projects they worked on side-by-side with their soon to be brother Arrowmen included setting up 70 wall tents in Seminole, scraping down and repainting the storage tank at the water plant, electrical work at the boat island, and constructing a concrete erosion control rip rap on both sides of the bridge. The clans who built the rock wall even incorporated OA symbolism into it.
After lunch, a memorial tree-planting service was held for Phil Squicharinni who passed away last summer. Skip Johnson led the service that was attended by all. Several individuals spoke and everyone learned more about a very special man.
At the conclusion of the service, the clans continued their day of service by setting up more tents and picking up litter around the property. Arrowmen had opportunities to work on Native American crafts, throw "hawks, and watch a chainsaw woodcarving demonstration.
46 Arrowmen sealed their ties of Brotherhood on Saturday afternoon providing our lodge a good margin toward meeting our Brotherhood conversion rate. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to the challenge and joined the ranks of Brotherhood. This is a milestone in our lodge's history.
The Ordeal ceremonies were divided between two ring sites and both teams conducted two separate ceremonies apiece. The ceremonies were held on time and everyone was able to arrive at the dining hall in time for the feast.
The feast incorporated a new spin on welcoming the new members which (with some minor modifications) we hope to make a tradition at future Ordeal weekends. During the feast, the new Brotherhood members were introduced and the Elangomats were recognized for their service with a special patch created just for them. Mr. Steve Rees who was unable to complete his Vigil at the Winter Fellowship, followed through this weekend and was recognized for his accomplishments.
On Sunday morning, a brief, but notable Scouts' Own Service was led by Nick Betancourt and the Jump-Start, Lodge Meeting and Chapter meetings were held before gathering for the song and dismissal. Lodge elections were held resulting in new leadership for the coming year. Those elected will be inducted at the Summer Fellowship in June. The results of the election are in a separate article.
A big thanks to the Lodge leadership team for a great weekend!
To see some photos from the weekend, visit http://gallery.me.com/mac_aldrich. The 2009 Ordeal photo galleries are password protected (osceola/lodge). If you took any photos, please feel free to add to any of the galleries.
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Existing text
ARTICLE IV- Lodge Officers
Section C- election of Lodge officers
Item 4. A simple majority of votes cast shall be required for election. If no person receives a majority of the votes cast, the person receiving the fewest votes shall be removed from the ballot and another vote will be taken. In the event of a tie, there shall be one re-vote. If there remains a tie after the re-vote the lodge officers only will then vote for that office.
Proposed amendment
Item 4. A simple majority of votes cast shall be required for election. If no person receives a majority of the votes cast, the person receiving the fewest votes shall be removed from the ballot and another vote will be taken. In the event of a tie, each candidate shall give a second speech, then there shall be one re-vote. If there remains a tie after the re-vote an individual ballot will be cast, with each member present receiving one vote. If no candidate receives a majority of individual ballots the Lodge Executive Committee (with more than 50% of its voting members present) will then vote for that office.
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Our Lodge has recently created its very own group on Facebook. if you have a facebook acount look us up and join the group this will give everyone a more interactive chance to get involved with what our Lodge is doing.
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The updated version of the Elangomat handbook is now available online. This guide offers invaluble information to anyone interested in serving as an Elangomat. You can find it in the induction's folder on the resources page. The password is our admonition.
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