About Us

About Pack 535

Pack 535 is a Cub Scout group based in Austin, Texas and is part of the Thunderbird District in the Capitol Area Council. The pack consists of girls and boys, in Kinder to the 5^th grade, who live in and around Kiker Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary in southwest Austin. Our charter organization is The Exchange Club of Austin.

Cub Scouting includes a year-round variety of fun and exciting activities for the entire family. While the pandemic school years were unique, with most pack events remote, 2022-2023 is an all new year and all our pack activities are back! All children and their families are welcome to join. Our leaders, like the kids, are imaginative, energetic, and lots of fun! There are many activities available, such as camping, the Pinewood Derby, community service, field trips, tours, and sports. We use these activities to fulfill the requirements the Scouts need to earn their next rank. Anyone interested in scouting is welcome to contact us and we will be happy to help you and your son enjoy the scouting experience!

The Purpose of Cub Scouting

Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting. Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting. Currently, Cub Scouting is the largest of the BSA's three membership divisions.

The 10 purposes of Cub Scouting are:

Character Development
Spiritual Growth
Good Citizenship
Sportsmanship and Fitness
Family Understanding
Respectful Relationships
Personal Achievement
Friendly Service
Fun and Adventure
Preparation for Boy Scouts

Membership

Cub Scouting members join a Cub Scout pack and are assigned to a den, usually a neighborhood group of six to ten boys or girls. Tiger Cubs (first graders), Wolf Cub Scouts (second graders), Bear Cub Scouts (third graders), and Webelos Scouts (fourth- and fifth graders) meet weekly.

Once a month, all of the dens and family members gather for a pack meeting under the direction of a Cubmaster and pack committee. The committee includes parents of scouts in the pack and members of the chartered organization.

Volunteer Leadership

Pack 535 is an entirely volunteer-led organization and we always have a need for more volunteers. Nothing is a more rewarding volunteer experience than volunteering to support scouting!

Thousands of volunteer leaders, both men and women, are involved in the Cub Scout program. They serve in a variety of positions, as everything from unit leaders to pack committee chairmen, committee members, den leaders, and chartered organization representatives.

Like other phases of the Scouting program, a Cub Scout pack belongs to an organization with interests similar to those of the BSA. This organization, which might be a church, school, community organization, or group of interested citizens, is chartered by the local BSA council to use the Scouting program. This chartered organization provides a suitable meeting place, adult leadership, supervision, and opportunities for a healthy Scouting life for the boys under its care. Each organization appoints one of its members as a chartered organization representative. The organization, through the pack committee, is responsible for providing leadership, the meeting place, and support materials for pack activities.

Membership Dues

The membership dues for 2023-24 are $110 per scout. This includes the national dues ($80) and pack dues ($30).

$30 Pack Dues cover:

All patches and belt loops that your Scout earns
Pack t-shirt for each Scout (also called the Class B Uniform)
Pinewood Derby kit for each Scout
A portion of pack expenses like trophies, website annual fee, and storage unit rental
Membership fees for Adult volunteers

$80 National Dues cover:

Liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities
Training for Leaders
Upkeep of facilities

No child will be excluded from scouting due to the inability to pay. Please contact Treasurer Ellen Thelen or Cubmaster Mark Gouldsmith about financial assistance.

In general, groups responsible for supporting Cub Scouting are the children and their parents, the pack, the chartered organization, and the community. In Pack 535, the Scouts pay an annual pack fee which helps pay for BSA dues, insurance, awards, pack operations, and the many pack activities. In order to keep this fee as low as possible, the pack also obtains income by working on approved money-earning projects. In general, the community, including parents, supports Cub Scouting through Friends of Scouting enrollment, bequests, and special contributions to the BSA local council. This financial support provides leadership training, outdoor programs, council service centers and other facilities, and professional service for units.

Publications

Volunteers are informed of national news and events through Scouting magazine (circulation 900,000). Scouts may subscribe to Scout Life (formerly Boys' Life) magazine (circulation 1.3 million). Both are published by Scouts BSA. Also available are a number of youth and leader publications, including the Tiger Cub Handbook, Wolf Handbook, Bear Handbook, Webelos Handbook, Cub Scout Leader Book, Cub Scout Leader How-to Book, Cub Scout Program Helps, and Webelos Leader Guide.

Camping

Age-appropriate camping programs are packed with theme-oriented action that brings Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts into the great out-of-doors. Day camping comes to the youth in neighborhoods across the country; resident camping is at least a three-day experience in which Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts camp within a developed theme of adventure and excitement. "Cub Scout Worlds" are used by many councils to carry the world of imagination into reality with actual theme structures of castles, forts, ships, etc. Cub Scout pack families enjoy camping in local council camps and other council-approved campsites. Camping programs combine fun and excitement with doing one's best, getting along with others, and developing an appreciation for ecology and the world of the outdoors.