One of the highlights of the District Banquet on March 14th will be the announcement of the 2018 District Award of Merit recipients. The District Award of Merit is a council award presented by districts in the same manner that the Silver Beaver is a national award presented by councils, and is available to Scouters who render service of an outstanding nature at the district level. To nominate a deserving district volunteer, fill out the nomination form (DAOM Form 33720), which you can download from the district website (https://www.silvercometdistrictbsa.org/system/files/DistrictAwardofMerit...).

In a little over a month, the Boy Scout program will become Scouts BSA, and we will welcome Girl Troops into our Silver Comet family. In addition, the Order of the Arrow will begin conducting elections in Crews. There are lots of great resources to help units manage these exciting additions to the Scouting program. Even if you're not specifically involved with a new Girl Troop or the OA, you'll want to review the latest information so that you'll be able to confidently and correctly answer any questions that might be asked by the families in your unit.

Position-specific training courses for Cub Scouts leaders and Boy Scouts (Scouts BSA) leaders are being updated and will be available January 2, 2019. Any progress on current training materials will not carry over to the new learning plan, so plan to complete any in-progress training before December 31, 2018.

Our Silver Comet Commissioners will be available at this week's Roundtable to meet with Unit representatives and complete their Unit's recharter for 2019. This will be the last opportunity Unit representatives have to sit down with our Commissioners, work through the details, and complete their Unit recharter for 2019.

Units not ready to complete their recharter by Thursday evening at Roundtable should work with the Program Center staff at the VSC to coordinate and complete their recharter.

Note: Remember your charter expires on 12/31.

For questions or guidance contact recharter@silvercometdistrictbsa.org

Thank you for all you do for your Scouts,

The Silver Comet Commissioners.

Each year, a child from Austria fetches the Peace Light (a flame) from the grotto in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

The light is then flown to Austria from where it is distributed at a Service of Dedication to delegations, including Scouts and Guides from across Europe who take it back with a message of Peace to their own countries for use at ecumenical services throughout the Continent. Austrian Airlines then flies the miner’s lamps containing the Peace Light to New York City. The goal is to help the light spread like the branches of a huge tree rooted in New York and spreading throughout the North American continent.

The Peace Light arrived in Atlanta on Saturday, December 08, and will be available starting on the 10th at the Atlanta Area Council Service Center (see Donna Carr) and also at the Silver Comet District Round Table on December 13th where you may receive the light (in a suitable safe container or lantern of your own) for your scout unit, your religious institution, your own home, hospitals, homeless shelters, retirement homes, prisons, and places of public, cultural, and political importance. The peace Light is available to anyone who appreciates the significance of the "gift" of peace.

The Fifth Annual Silver Comet District Awards Banquet will be held Thursday, March 14th, 2019 at the AAC Volunteer Service Center, 1800 Circle 75 Parkway SE Atlanta, GA 30339.