Purchase of badges by advancement chair

[Fibonacci]

what reason is there to make a kid wait? lot of the previous posts say this is what we do but don't explain why they do it that way.

Possible reasons to delay awarding a merit badge patch........
*Scout Shop is miles & miles away.
*Cost to mail is $3 to $7 per package, even just for one patch.
*Advancement Chair does not have time to print out an order & get signatures every time one Scout finishes a merit badge.

It looks like the policy that smtroop168 quoted is for Rank Advancement patches only, not for Merit Badge patches. "presenting the Scout with his new badge of rank"

My 2 cents: I have a secret (illegal) stash of rank advancement patches that we award as soon as a Scout finishes a rank. Without that stash, it would be close to impossible to get the patch to the Scout in a week or two. For merit badge patches, the Scouts wait till the Court of Honor (that's the only time they wear their sashes anyway.)

[smtroop168]

Fibonacci.....Here you go!

Should we wait until the next court of honor to present the merit badge?
No. "Presentation of merit badges and rank badges should not wait until the next court of honor; awards and badges should be presented at the next meeting after they have been earned." Advancement Policies #33088 (p. 25)

[cballman]

BUT when the books say to award them ASAP which is great. BUT reality needs to be thought about also. I live about 25 miles from the scout shop which in return says about 3-4 gallons of gas at say 3.00 gallon right now which is $9-12. now shipping is about the same for mail. So for 1-5 patches is it really worth making 1 trip per week to the scout shop? Or even 1 trip per month? Now why cant we make the kids until our next COH which we do every 3 months? If we were allowed to purchase extra then INSTANT ones would be great but now due to the economic turndown I have no problem with them waiting. Sometimes common sense must overrule some things or maybe there are some people who have the time and money to just make that drive every week. Also if we do have to make that trip each week WHO PAYS for it?

[wagionvigil]

Most scout shops will sell extra badges to SM and ASM. I had a bunch on had when I was SM. Mostly Rank Badges. I always tried to give them the Rank at the Next Meeting


UPDATED: I just called our service center and they said When I was SM I could do that but they cannot anymore. The Service Center is 110 round trip from me. Most of the time I would mail in the advancement sheets and they would mail back what I needed. Our councuil only charges what the Postage actually is.

[Quailman]

The boys in our troop were asked, and they are fine with not getting MB patches until the next CoH. Why? Because the only time they get to display them is at a CoH. Their rank patches are visible every time they put on a uniform, so they want them (and get them) right away.

[kwildman]

i dont see what having to pay the cost of mailing or driving has to do w/ rewarding the youth. I wouldn't let them out of their requirements for rank or a merit badge with either of these excuses.

These purchases could be made by anybody as long as they have the signed unit advancement record. Even if you do only one trip a month it would be better than waiting until a COH. How frequently do you have COH? a couple of months is an eternity for a youth.

[smtroop168]

I don't think anyone is recommending you drive 100 miles to pick up a single MB. Do you even recognize their Advancement after their BOR? We do it at the end of the meeting without the badge and then get the badge as soon as practical.

Also if you use Internet Advancement, you can order the badges on line as part of the advancement report.

[WVBeaver05]

We have also had enough show up at an Eagle service project and do one there.

YiS

I'm assuming you do NOT mean an Eagle Scout BOR. That requires Committee Chair and Council signatures prior to the BOR and Council or District representation that would not normally be at an Eagle Project.

Scouts coming up for Star/Life may be completing Service hours requirements, or even finishing up their time, or turning in last requirements for a MB needed to attain the rank.

Should have been more clear, I guess. During one Scout's Eagle Service Project, another Scout (advancing to 1st Class) was present, working. There were also enough CMs present that we took a break, he put on his uniform, and they held the BOR. (Then back to work!!)

YiS

[WVBeaver05]

I am well aware that there are differences on this subject. (Oh my aching head!)

However, referring to the quotes provided by SMTroop168, the BSA position seems clear to me. As with other things, I don't see how it is really arguable.

The definition of ASAP is certainly open for discussion as are the practical aspects of how soon that can be. But IMO, not the intent.

YiS

[LSR]

.......UPDATED: I just called our service center and they said When I was SM I could do that but they cannot anymore. The Service Center is 110 round trip from me. Most of the time I would mail in the advancement sheets and they would mail back what I needed. Our councuil only charges what the Postage actually is.

Sweet Lord! The Scout Shop won't sell rank/Merit badges to a *SCOUTMASTER*? I think they need to get over themselves. As far as I know, I can buy anything in any amount (good thing as the Scout Shop is a 130 mile round trip.)

[riverwalk]

Scouter since '82, and our Council requires an Advancement report, even for duplicates.

[smtroop168]

Advancement items are Controlled items for an obvious but unfortunate reason - abuse of the system. Use internet advancement!

[FrankJ]

Our nationally owned scout shop use to require proof to buy rank insignia. The last time I was in there, they did not. I do not know if this is a change in policy or just an oversight.

[WeeWillie]

We are approximately 100 miles from council. Other troops in our didtrict are 140. Obviously we aren't running to the Scout Shop for every rank advancement.

We fax or scan our advancment reports with signatures and go on line to Internet Advancement. The Scout Shop has a list of who is authorized to pick up from each troop. One of those is a co-worker who is also on the Council Commissioners Staff. Once a month he picks up our advancments and anything else we need. Our OA Chapter Chief's dad pick up badges for his troop during the Lodge Executive Council Meetings. Other troops have similar arrangements.

[Cowboy]

As someone on here said: Like religion and politics, no one will change the others mind. Unfortunately, there will always be a way around the rules. There are many websites dedicated to selling rank patches for the BSA and many other organizations. So there are numerous ways to obtain an illegal stash. Our boys are able to request a SMC any time that our SM is in town which means every Monday night and often on Saturdays also. They are also allowed and encouraged to request and receive a BOR immediately after the SMC. Just one of the benefits of having a large committee I guess. The drawback is that we will often have boys advance or earn a MB in the middle of the week. Our boys stay very active and I would estimate that at least one MB is earned every week, and two advancements per month. To take the time out of meetings each time something is to be recognized would seriously decrease the Troop Meeting time. We do let everyone know that someone has earned an advancement, but usually the boys beat us to it. Especially for the younger boys we have found that being able to show off that badge or patch in front of everyone including Grandma means more than the other boys seeing it for a couple of extra weeks at the meeting.