About Pack 828 and Cub Scouts
Who are Cub Scouts?
The Cub Scout program at Twin Creeks, also known as Pack 828, has been around since 1976. We are proud of the scouting traditions we bring to our school and to our community. We are also proud to be early adopters "all family scouting" - boys and girls are welcome to join our Pack. Our pack is part of the Meridian District which covers Walnut Creek, Alamo, Danville and San Ramon. The Meridian District is part of the Golden Gate Area Council (GGAC).
What is Our Mission?
We are a family and home-centered program for boys and girls grade K through 5th grade (or age 10-11). We strive to provide a high quality learning experience for our kids, using predefined Scouts of America programs, emphasizing family, loyalty, goodwill in our schools and communities, and outdoorsmanship. We have age appropriate programs for all our Cub Scouts to help them do their best. Our goals are to teach kids core values to make good moral and ethical choices, experience and respect nature, be good citizens in their communities, and help them “bridge” over to become Scouts.
Cub Scouts 12 Core Values:
Citizenship: Contributing service and showing responsibility to local, state, and national communities.
Compassion: Being kind and considerate, and showing concern for the well-being of others.
Cooperation: Being helpful and working together with others toward a common goal.
Courage: Being brave and doing what is right regardless of our fears, the difficulties, or the consequences.
Faith: Having inner strength and confidence based on our trust in God.
Health and Fitness: Being personally committed to keeping our minds and bodies clean and fit.
Honesty: Telling the truth and being worthy of trust.
Perseverance: Sticking with something and not giving up, even if it is difficult.
Positive Attitude: Being cheerful and setting our minds to look for and find the best in all situations.
Resourcefulness: Using human and other resources to their fullest.
Respect: Showing regard for the worth of something or someone.
Responsibility: Fulfilling our duty to God, country, other people, and ourselves.
What is a den?
A den is a small group of typically 6 to 8 cub scouts who are in the same grade levels or age range starting with Lions and advancing through Arrow of Light. Dens meet regularly to work on activities, earn badges, and engage in scouting adventures together. Each den is led by Den leader, often a parent volunteer, who helps guide the scouts through their activities and advancement requirement. Dens meet once or twice a month to work on advancement activities that are guided by our Cub Scout handbooks. NOTE: Kids can join at any grade level.
The Cub Scout ranks are:
Lions - Kindergarten
Tigers - 1st grade
Wolves - 2nd grade
Bears - 3rd grade
Webelos - 4th grade
Arrow of Light - 5th grade
What is a Pack?
A pack is a larger group that consists of multiple dens. It's the primary unit within the Cub Scouting program and brings together several dens, which are smaller groups of Cub Scouts based on grade level or age. Packs usually meet once a month for a pack meeting, which is a gathering of all the dens and their families to celebrate achievements, recognize accomplishments, and participate in various activities. The pack is often led by a Cubmaster, who oversees the pack's activities and helps coordinate events for all the dens within the pack.
Pack Meetings & Events
Once every month during the school year, all of our Dens gather together to attend a Pack Meeting. A pack meeting fosters a sense of community for all kids and their families, grades K-5. It encourages pride for scouting and of course, we have a ton of fun. This is also the time to learn key information on upcoming events such as the Pinewood Derby and our Blue and Gold Dinner. The kids in each Den will have a full academic year to work towards advancing to the next rank. Once the kids reach Arrow of Light and complete their achievements, they are ready to “bridge” over to the Scouts and join a local troop.
Here’s just a glimpse of some really cool stuff we do:
• Family Hikes
• Family Campout
• Visiting local police station or fire station
• Pinewood Derby
• Blue and Gold Banquet Celebrating the Birthday of Cub Scouts
• Community Service (Scouting for Food, Earth Day clean-up, etc)
• Many more
Uniforms
Uniforms are an important part of Cub Scouting because they help to create a sense of belonging. They symbolize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Wearing the scouting uniform gives scouts and adult members a sense of identification and commitment. Depending on the event, we encourage all of our scouts to wear their Class A uniform or the informal (Class B) Pack 828 T-shirt during scouting activities.
Costs
There are reasonable annual dues and many of our events are subsidized or fully covered by our fundraising. We do one fundraising popcorn sales event each year, additional fundraising may occur as needed.
Examples of Projects Done
In keeping with the Cub Scout theme of "Fun with a Purpose", we perform ongoing projects to help out our elementary school partner (Twin Creeks Elementary) and participate in Scouting for Food to help the Contra Costa Food Bank.