Dear Fellow Arrowmen,
Hi! I’m Helen Van Houten (Mrs. Van Houten to those of you under 18) and I will be the Lodge Advisor for the new lodge created from the merger of Onteroraus and Ga-Hon-Ga. I was inducted into the Order in 1998 and am a Vigil Honor member. I have served Onteroraus as Chapter Advisor, Associate Lodge Advisor, and have been the Lodge Advisor since December 2013. I have also served as a Ceremonies Advisor, Conclave Coordinator Advisor, and Conclave Vice Chief Advisor. I enjoy working with the Order of the Arrow and I’m looking forward to meeting you soon.
We have a very special event coming up and I’m hoping you will be there. On Saturday, May 14, 2016 we will have the first meeting of our new merged lodge. This meeting will be held at 9:30 p.m. in the dining hall at Camp Henderson and will last about an hour. (Yes, 9:30 at night. This is taking place at the camporee after all activities are done.) At this meeting, we will be announcing the new lodge name, number, and totem, and will also be holding elections for the new lodge officers. This is a special election and those elected will take office immediately. They will serve in their position until August 2017.
Four officers will be elected: Lodge Chief, Lodge Vice Chief, Lodge Secretary and Lodge Treasurer. Any youth member of the lodge may run for office as long as they will be under the age of 21 for the entire term of office. If you are interested in running for office, your dues must be current and you must have a letter from your Scoutmaster or Lodge Advisor stating you are registered with BSA and a member in good standing. This letter must be in either my or Ben Obernesser’s hands before the meeting begins on May 14th. You will also need someone to nominate you; self-nominations will not be accepted.
If you are interested in running for office but cannot be at the meeting, send either Ben or I a short write-up stating which office(s) you are interested in running for and describing yourself and why you would be a good choice. Be sure to include your letter from your Scoutmaster. You will still need someone to nominate you at the meeting and we will have someone read your statement.
The officers elected at this meeting will be involved with building and establishing our new lodge. This is a unique opportunity that may require a lot of time and effort but will also offer excellent opportunities for growth and leadership.
What else is involved in being an officer? Officers are expected to attend all lodge functions as well as all Lodge Executive Committee meetings. (The Lodge Executive Committee consists of the four elected officers, the Immediate-Past Lodge Chief, appointed Vice Chiefs, Committee Chairs, the Lodge Advisor and Associate Lodge Advisors, and the Lodge Staff Advisor. Only the youth members have voting rights.)I expect all the Lodge Officers to stay in communication with each other and their advisors and to keep their lodge duties within their top 5 priorities of their life. (Things like family, academics, lodge/Scouts, church, friends, extracurricular activities such as sports, school plays, band or orchestra or chorus, dance, etc., etc., etc.).
If you have any questions, please contact me. I’ll see you on the 14th, if not before!
WWW,
Mrs. Helen Van Houten
Lodge Advisor