Pack 131 is a coed, family Cub Scout Pack from DeKalb. We officially recruit from three public schools: Founders, Lincoln, and Tyler, however we welcome boys and girls from anywhere in the DeKalb area. We have some Scouts who are homeschooled, from Littlejohn, and in the past even from Cortland. Our leadership team is made up of volunteers (none of us are paid) who have kids in the Pack. There are lots of volunteer opportunities, some big and some small, that will help Pack 131 continue to run smoothly. You can find out more on the Volunteers page.
When Do We Meet?
Our Pack Meetings are at 6:30pm on the 3rd Monday of every month at the DeKalb Elk Lodge (4th Monday in August). Each den meets twice a month on whatever day best fits the parents' schedules.
What Do We Do?
What don't we do! In addition to our pack and den meetings, we generally have at least two fun pack activities every month. These include sporting events, camp outs, community service, pinewood derby races, and much more!
What Does It Cost?
We do not have monthly dues, but there are annual dues of 75. There is a registration fee of $36 for BSA dues and $39 Pack dues (as of 2018) to register for a year of Scouting. This covers your registration with Boy Scouts of America, insurance, and all the patches and awards Scouts will earn throughout the year, as well as a pinewood derby car, raingutter regatta boat or space derby rocket, and more!
How Do I Join?
The best way to join is come visit us at an activity or pack meeting and see what we're all about. There are fun leadership opportunities for adults, too! For more information contact
More Detail
Also, be sure to check out the Pack Resources page for important links, files, registration forms, unifom information, and more.
What does the $75 per year cover?
The $75 covers $36 for the Boy Scouts of America dues (including insurance from Three Fires Council) for the year and $39 (as of 2018) goes to the Pack. With that $39 we provide a ton of stuff for your child:
Scout Handbook - Each Scout receives a handbook at the beginning of each year's rank (Webelos books are more expensive than other ranks, but they last two years).
Adventure and Rank Awards - The Pack provides all the Belt Loops, Pins, and Patches that each Scout earns throughout the year. This includes the required Adventures, one elective Adventure, and the Rank badge.
Pinewood Derby Car - Each Scout will receive a Pinewood Derby kit about two months before the race. Additional cars may be purchased for siblings, outlaw races, etc.
Raingutter Regatta Boat or Space Derby Rocket - Each Scout will receive a boat or rocket kit for the event that we pan to hold each year. Additional kits may be purchased for siblings or anyone else who wants one.
Additional Patches and Awards - The Pack also provides additional awards throughout the year, including hiking patches, hiking staffs, trophies for the derbies, additional elective adventure rewards, event patches, and more.
Pack Event Costs - The Pack generally covers some food, entertainment, and supplies for events like the Blue & Gold banquet, derbies, picnic, campout, etc. Some of these events may have a small fee or potluck aspect to them in addition to what the Pack provides.
Activity Supplies - Den Meetings and Pack Nights often have activities, games, crafts, and more that have supplies the Scouts use (and often take home).
Leadership Expenses - Each leader has a leadership guidebook that helps them plan meetings. There are also some training events that the pack will offer full or partial reimbursement for (all leaders are required to complete training by the BSA). These training events help our pack's volunteer leaders become the best leaders for our Scouts. The pack also covers the volunteer leaders' BSA registration fees.
The $39 covers only some of these expenses. The Pack pays about an additional $100 per Scout per year. We earn this additional amount through fundraising events, like the annual Popcorn Sales. Without the funds from popcorn sales (and any other fundraisers we run), some items may need to be canceled or have higher fees. We ask that each Scout try to sell at least $500 worth of popcorn. To learn more about Popcorn Sales, visit our Popcorn Sale page.
NOTE: BSA Dues are per calendar year, January to December. Pack 131 Dues are coordinated with the School Year, August to July. The BSA pro-rates their dues, so if you sign up in the fall you'll actually pay for a few months of the current year, plus all of the following year. E.g. if you sign up in September the BSA dues include September-December of the current year, plus all of the next year. Pack 131 also pro-rates Pack Dues: August-December, $39; January-May, $25; June-July, $10.
What do we need to purchase?
In addition to the Pack Dues, there are some other expenses. Most are optional, although recommended.
Uniforms - BSA highly recommends that all Scouts have a Class A uniform, although this isn't actually required to be a Scout. However, a Class A uniform is required to participate in certain events. A complete Class A uniform consists of a Shirt, Neckerchief & Slide, Belt & Bucke, Hat, Pants, and Socks. Pack 131 recommends a Shirt, Neckerchief, and Belt. Many Scouts also purchase a Hat. Pants and Socks are rarely purchased. You can purchase a uniform from any Scout Shop (there are two in the Three Fires Council), online at ScoutStuff.org, or occasionally in a resale shop. You may also be able to purchase, borrow, or receive a uniform from a family that no longer has a Cub Scout.
Short Sleeve Shirt: About $25
Neckerchief: About $17
Belt & Buckle: About $10
Uniform Patches - Uniforms only come with the American Flag patch sewn on. Also required is the World Scout Crest, Pack Numbers, Den Number, and Council Shoulder Patch. Patches total about $12.
Pack 131 T-Shirts - Pack 131 T-Shirts are not required, but it is nice to have a more casual shirt for some events, like hikes, camping, picnics, and other outings. We have shirts avaiable for both youth and adults for $12 each.
Event Fees - We often do events as a Pack that have various fees associated with them. We do plenty of free events, and none of the paid events are required, but there are some great opportunities that do have registration fees. Some highlights each year include Cub-O-Ree, Jonamac Orchard Scout Overnight, NIU Sporting Events, Klondike Derby, Webelos Resident Camp, and more! Some other events we've done in the past include Medieval Times, Sycamore Speedway, Bartlett Nature Center Electronics Overnighter, and Egyptian Theatre performances.
Pack & Den Meetings
Our Pack Nights are generally held on the 3rd Monday of every month, August through May, at 6:30 at the Elks Lodge at 209 S. Annie Glidden (the 4th Monday in August). Very rarely we have a Pack Night at a different location and/or time (e.g. we got a tour of the new Police Station before it opened a few years ago), but we will let everyone know well in advance if that happens. Pack Nights generally last about an hour, and go faster if Scouts are well behaved.
Den Meetings are on various nights based on the availability of the Den Leader and the other families in the Den. Please contact your Den leader if you don't know what day and time your Scout's Den meetings are. We also have monthly hikes that are usually on the third Sunday, but sometimes that shifts.
Parents are welcome to attend all meetings. It is highly recommended that they attend Pack Nights since that's when we will be giving out details about events coming up and collecting registrations and payments for certain things. Den meetings are fine to drop off kids, although it's great if a parent or two stays, especially for dens that only have one leader (because of the 2 Deep leadership requirement of the BSA). Lion and Tiger parents must attend all events.
Scouts are expected to behave at all meetings. Pack Nights are very busy, so please reinforce good behavior with them so that we can get through everything quickly. Most of the Dens are at full capacity, which is great, but it also means that leaders will have their hands full teaching and working with the Scouts, so good behavior is essential to make sure that everything can be covered in the meetings quickly.
Behavior & Expectations
Pack 131 is an inclusive organization that is welcoming to everyone. We have people from many different educational, cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds and we appreciate and respect all. That said, we do have a few rules that our members must follow in order to make everyone feel safe and welcome at all times.
Youth Protection - All leaders are required to take Youth Protection Training through the BSA's training programs. All adults are encouraged to also take it, even if you aren't a registered leader. All Scouts are required to complete a booklet with their parents at the front of their handbooks each year. This talks about youth safety policies, warning signs, and what to do in the event of a bad situation. In addition to many common sense rules, the BSA has a few firm policies that must be followed by everyone in the Pack. Please keep these in mind when working with the Scouts.
2 Deep Leadership - All Pack events must have at least two adult leaders present at all times. This must include at least one registered leader age 21 or older and one other adult age 18 or older.
Never Alone - Adults are never to be alone, one on one, with a child that is not their own. Always make sure that there is another Scout or adult with you at all times. This includes at all events, and when driving to and from events. If you do have to take a child aside to talk to privately make sure it is still within sight of others.
Camping - when camping, no adult may sleep in a tent with a child other than their own. Even if your child is in the tent with you. It is OK for Scouts to sleep in a tent together without an adult (although it is recommended that the Scouts be Bears or older), and adults may not share a tent with anyone other than a family member.
No Bullying - Scouting does not tolerate any kind of behavior that can be construed as bullying. There is no hazing allowed, name calling is not appropriate (especially of a derogatory nature), and physical violence is not tolerated. This includes physical disciplining of Scouts.
Respect - All Scouts and adults should be respectful at all times. This means respecting the people around us as well as the locations we are at. We always strive to leave a place cleaner than it was when we arrived. It also means being polite to others and behaving during meetings. When someone else is speaking Scouts and adults should be quiet (adults, please don't have side conversations during the meetings) and remain seated. Everyone should pay attention to the Cub Scout Sign and be quite immediately when they see it raised. Doing so will help keep our meetings quick and efficient.
Positive Role Models - One of the core goals of Scouting is to raise strong, moral young people. This means that all adults should be positive role models for our Scouts and older Scouts should be positive role models for our younger Scouts. Following the rules set out, being respectful, and generally following the 12 words in the Scout Law is a great way for both adults and kids to be positive role models for those around them. For adults we do have a few additional rules:
No Smoking - Smoking within sight of Scouts is not allowed. If you do smoke, please do so away from any Scouts. You may need to leave a camp or location that we are at in order to smoke. This includes vaping and e-cigs.
No Alcohol - Alcohol is not allowed at any Cub Scout events. This includes social events like our Pack Picnic and Family Campout, council or district events like Cub-O-Ree, and all Pack and Den meetings. Occasionally we attend events where alcohol is served (like sporting events, Medieval Times, etc.) and it is recommended that parents abstain from drinking alcohol at these events.
No Profanity - Please use child appropriate language around the boys. Crude, crass, or vulgar language will not be tolerated.
No .... - Please use common sense. Don't bring anything illegal, immoral, or otherwise inappropriate to any Scouting events. This includes things like firearms, fireworks, weapons, drugs, pornography, etc.
Etc. - The BSA has a long list of rules that spell out what is and isn't appropriate in a Scouting environment, however for the most part common sense will be fine. If you have a question if something is allowed, please ask. But if you keep in mind the Scout Law you should be fine.