Venturing Chronicle V4 I3

Area 7
The
Venturing
Chronicle
Volume 4 Issue 3 Oct./Nov. 2018
The Newsletter of
Southern Region Area 7
Table of Contents
Page 2-5 – Double Whammy
Page 6 – World Neckerchief Day
Page 7-10 – A Dream Rescued
Page 11-13– Resources for Trauma
Survivors
Page 14 – Circus of Demise
Page 15 – President/Advisor
Page 16- 19 – Council News
Page 20 – Links/Social Media

Double Whammy: Florence and Michael
By Duncan Harling
I live in Fayetteville, NC. We got
visited by two of the named Hurricanes
this fall: Florence and Michael. At first,
it was great to get out of school. It was
hard work, moving every little thing out
of our yard into the house and garage.
Then we helped the neighbors because
anything can be flying debris. We
actually looked out front when the wind
really started blowing. Rain blew
sideways and branches literally flew off
trees, banging cars and houses. When
the screen porch blew apart we were
glad to be inside.
At one point, there was a loud crash
and the power went out. Soon we heard
a loud squeal. My brother and I saw a
tree down across the road right on the
curve. We called 911 and went back for
the safety vests we used in our Crew. I
took one part and my brother the other,
waving cars down before they sped into
the tree. When the emergency folks
arrived, the power company clipped the
wires. Then they sliced the tree at both
ends and we rolled the middle off the
road.
It rained for two and a half days, with
gusts coming through occasionally. The
linemen couldn’t work on the powerlines
until the wind stopped. Given the height
of the lines, it looked dangerous enough
without the wind. We were cooking
everything we could from the freezer
and checked in with friends. Some lost
parts of their roof, some had trees down,
and some had barely anything.
Then the waiting set in. Hurricane
Florence had moved around, but not
2
Continued next page

Double Whammy continued…
away, so rain was washing into the
local rivers. In my area, both the Cape
Fear and Little Rivers crested, or rose,
several feet above their banks. People
who had survived the wind and rain
were flooded out.
Wilmington and Lumberton were
two of the hardest hit cities. Schools
were flooded or flattened. We had all
pretty much recovered from Hurricane
Matthew a couple of years ago, but this
flooding was worse. Matthew flooded
things more with the rain, the flooding
sucked but this was much higher.
Just as the waters started to recede,
what was left of Hurricane Michael
came through with more rain, filling
the rivers again. Michael was
catastrophic for Florida, from what we
saw on TV. The city of New Mexico
Beach was flattened. We only dealt
with the leftovers but that was bad
enough After checking the damage at
home, my Crew went to our chartered
Organization Hair and Matthews
American Legion Post 32, My Eagle
Project, a brand new sign for the Post,
withstood the wind, but lost a light and
small sign. My brother’s Eagle project,
benches and planters around a flagpole
memorial, lost a bench. The roof of the
Post patios were peeling off and
dangling. Tree limbs and small trees
were bent and broken. We fixed that
and the calls for help started coming.
My Crew cleaned up disabled
veterans yards, then we helped clean
up and reroofed our shooting sport
partner, Crosse Creek Pistol and Rifle
Club.
By this time, the Red Cross was
helping serve people hot meals. We
held a relief drive at our Post.
American Legions in other states sent
truckloads of supplies to our Post,
sometimes showing up without much
warning. I learned to lift with my legs
and not my back.
.
3
Continued next page

Double Whammy continued…
Soon after the waters had dropped
back close to normal, we looked at the
neighboring council’s Scout Reservation,
along the Cape Fear River’s tributary:
Camp Bowers and Camp McNeill. As a
cub, I visited Camp McNeill , nicknamed
“Cubworld” and camped in the “forts”. I
played under the “teepee” roofed pavilion.
As a Boy Scout and Venturing Crew
youth, I spent camporees wandering
Bowers. The pictures my brother brought
back were terrible enough, and he hadn’t
been able to make it to the actual camps
because the roads were washed out. As
soon as they could, the Cape Fear Council
put out the call for help. Two Crews from
LaFayette went out the first weekend
Crew 32 and Crew 740. They joined the
Cape Fear Troops and Packs clean up
campsites, roads and buildings.
The next weekend, Area 7 Advisor Rick
Daigneault joined the groups helping with
repairs and clean up. Crew 740 chose to
go back out again, in part to make sure
that things were as ready as they could be
for the upcoming TLV: Circus of Demise
event.
The Occoneechee Scout Reservation,
including Camp Durant and Camp Reeves
by Carthage, North Carolina also suffered
damage, with trees down and roads
washed out or damaged. The work day
was put off for a while and events still
took place in useable parts of the
reservation.
Please consider camping at these
camps and helping finish the repairs and
clean up. If you can do it, think about
reaching out to the Panhandle of Florida
camps, too.
4

A Glimpse of Hurricane damage
5

World
Scarf
Day!
Every August 1, we
celebrate the worldwide
Scouting Family. All over the
globe folks are wearing their
scarves, or neckerchiefs,
proudly wherever they go.
Our own Area 7 had
neckerchiefs on display from
Northern Virginia to
Southern North Carolina.
Show your Scout Pride!
6

When Patrick Sheedy saw the new
arrivals to his troop, he noticed that the
brothers were both Eagle Scouts and
already “had sashes filled with tons of
merit badges. I went up to Eric and
started talking to him and his brother
and the rest is history.” All three were
“military brats”, used to moving around
a lot. Patrick says he was “Born in
Florida and moved around a lot living in
New Orleans, Japan, Virginia Beach,
Yuma Arizona, Norfolk, and back to
Virginia Beach.
The three friends stayed
together for a couple of years before
they transitioned together to Crew 490
sat Gregory the Great Catholic Church.
Patrick noticed that the Crew was small
and “struggling to stay alive.” Eileen
D’Andrea, Dylan and Eric’s mom
stated, “Together Eric and Dylan and
Patrick resurrected Crew 490 from the
ashes. That’s how the Crew earned the
logo of the Phoenix.”. Patrick agreed,
‘When we joined it was a huge breath of
life for the crew.”
The new Phoenix Crew went on a lot of
adventures, growing the Crew and
adding future Summit candidates.
A Dream Rescued
A Summit Story continued…
by Kaelyn Harling
7
Continued next page

Patrick Sheedy says of his friendship with
Dylan and especially Eric, “Many of my
favorite memories of Eric come from our
time in scouting. From the many times
going to Howl-O-Scream, snowboard/ski
trips, 2013 National Jamboree, flag
retirement ceremonies, 2015 NOAC, and
everything in between.” They even shared
issues with classes in high school, “ We
even shared difficulties in advanced
chemistry.” Patrick went on and relayed
his favorite adventure with Crew 490:
Eric and Dylan D’Andrea with Patrick Sheedy at 2015 NOAC
“My favorite adventure with
the crew would have to have been our
spring break trip to Shenandoah. The
D’Andreas, Helen Schoening, Charlie
Schoening, Doug Farrar, my dad, and I all
went on the trip. It was also our first
Kodiak as well, which was being led by
Eric and Dylan. We went on day hikes
everyday, one of which included a small
rock scramble which was fun. One day a
stormfront came through and draped over
the mountains. We got to see this firsthand
and it was amazing as you couldn’t see
more than a few feet in front of you. Eric
had gotten caught up in it but was able to
find his way back to camp.”
Things changed in a big way,
when Eric D’Andrea ended his life. It
impacted his younger brother and
motivated Dylan to complete the first
Area 7 Summit. It also impacted Patrick’s
life. He was in college, where support
systems after personal loss are generally
not comprehensive and can be non
existent, going through the grieving
process, while attempting to return to an
emotional sense of normalcy. “One impact
it also had on my life was my place at Old
Dominion University (ODU). I struggled
the semester following his death. I no
longer wanted to stay all day like I had
used to. I was disinterested in classes and
received no support from the
administration members who visited me at
his funeral who said that they would help
me. I no longer want to return to ODU.”
Patrick’s experience is not unusual.
Resources that may be helpful to others
who experience a traumatic and
unexpected loss will follow this article.
Images from Patrick Sheedy’s 2017 Summit
8
Continued next page

A DREAM RESCUED CONTINUED…
Patrick was able to rebound,
remaining in touch with the D’Andrea
family. He says” I do this through scouting
events but I mostly do this by hanging out
with Dylan. I always try to find a way to
hang out with Dylan any chance I get to. “
“
With me being at James Madison
University and Dylan being at the
University of Maryland, there’s only a
two-hour distance between us from
hanging out for sports events or just in
general.” He also was able to get back on
track academically, managing to “hold an
Associates Degree of Science in
Psychology with a Magna Cum Laude
GPA of 3.766, currently going to James
Madison University to complete my
Bachelors of Science in Psychology.” His
interest in the martial arts may helped as
well, as he “practiced kendo for ten years
in the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai dojo.” He
also stated that “One of the biggest
impacts [of Eric’s death] was that it made
me look closer at people who may not be
in a good place. It makes me to go talk to
those people.”
Patrick Sheedy served as the
Tidewater Venturing Officer’s Association
(VOA) President for two years. It made
him look at the last step in his Venturing
journey: the Summit. “It took a long time
to choose this project. After Eric’s death, I
never really got on my Summit Award
project for a long time.” It wasn’t until he
was about to turn 20 that he finally got
back on track for his Summit Award.
“When I was looking at what I wanted to
do for my project, I scrapped my original
idea and decided to take up Eric’s project.
I decided on picking up his project for a
couple reasons. The first was that I did not
want his project to be forgotten and not
completed. The second reason was that it
would allow me to carry out his living
legacy and make sure that he was not
forgotten.”
.”
9
Continued next page

A Dream Rescued continued…
Patrick knew of Eric D’Andrea’s dream of
helping the Crew’s Chartered Organization
refurbish their baseball field. Dylan had built
the stands, but no one had stepped up to Eric’s
idea of refurbishing the dugouts. He said, “ The
project was installing dugout shaders at St.
Gregory the Great Catholic Church’s baseball
field. It is one of many Eagle Scout and Summit
Award projects that have been completed in
order to further complete the baseball field.”
The fact that he was picking up Eric’s project
made things a little different. “… I had asked
Chris D’Andrea if it was alright if I picked up
Eric’s Summit Project. I felt that it was
appropriate and right to ask him before I
decided to complete the project.
Because of thorough planning,
and lots of help, the project was pretty
straightforward.” “The project was completed
on a Saturday with the assistance of Chris
D’Andrea, Doug Farrar, Suzanne Montgomery,
Bill Sheedy, Meghan Sheedy, and Tim Roy.” He
says there was one obstacle though, “The only
major difficulty we faced was that on the third
base dugouts, the ground was extremely hard to
dig into and required the use of a hand jack.
Overall, it took about 8 hours that day to
complete the project.” Patrick explained the
benefit of his Summit project.
“The benefit of my project was that it provided
towards the completion of the baseball field at
St. Gregory’s. It also allowed me to give back to
my chartered organization as my Eagle Scout
project was installing the batting cage at the
baseball field. It also allowed me to complete
Eric’s project.”
The last phase of the project
included hanging signs on the dugouts: one was
for Patrick’s grandfather, the other was for Eric
D’Andrea. Patrick reflected“the hardest,thing
was putting up plaques on the dugout shaders.
There were two plaques that we had made, one
with Eric’s name and one with my grandfather’s
name. Chris (D’Andrea) put up Eric’s plaque
while my dad put up his father’s plaque.
When asked about a ceremony
celebrating his Summit Award, Patrick says
matter-of-factly, I did have a ceremony.” The
D’Andrea’s, members of my family, Chuck
Kubic, Tom Sawyer, and other Tidewater
scouters. It was a very emotional ceremony.” He
commented that this was also when, “I was also
awarded my VLA for my time as President of
Tidewater VOA.”
Patrick seems content with all he
accomplished so far, “Looking back on my
Summit Award, I see that it was a long journey.
It included losing a brother, changing schools,
and changing majors. It was also a time for me
to think on how I wanted to give back to
scouting as a youth one last time and how I
wanted to do that. After looking back, I am
extremely happy with how I got to accomplish
everything.”
10

Harvard Women's Health Watch
Excerpts from Left behind after suicide
Published: July, 2009
Getting professional help
• Suicide survivors are more likely than other bereaved people to seek the
help of a mental health professional. Look for a skilled therapist who is
experienced in working with grief after suicide. The therapist can
support you in many ways, including these:
– helping you make sense of the death and better understand any psychiatric
problems the deceased may have had
– treating you, if you're experiencing PTSD
– exploring unfinished issues in your relationship with the deceased
– aiding you in coping with divergent reactions among family members
– offering support and understanding as you go through your unique grieving
process.
• Immediately after the suicide, assistance from a mental health
professional may be particularly beneficial if you experience any of the
following:
– increased depression (or if you have a history of depression).
– flashbacks, anxiety, or other symptoms of PTSD.
– unwillingness of family or friends to continue talking about the loss.
– suicidal thoughts or plans.
– physical symptoms, such as ongoing sleep problems, significant weight gain or
loss, or increasing dependency on tobacco or alcohol.
– feelings of being stuck or unable to move forward (however slowly and
painfully) in the grieving process.
– discomfort in discussing troubling aspects of your relationship with the
deceased.
– little improvement after several months.
The value of family therapy after a suicide has not been well studied, but a
family therapist can sometimes help relatives communicate better and
manage feelings of guilt and anger. However, it may not be possible to work
through your own feelings in the presence of family members who are
concerned mainly with finding someone to blame.
11

A friend in need
• Knowing what to say or how to help after a death is always difficult, but don't let fear of saying or
doing the wrong thing prevent you from reaching out to suicide survivors. Don't hold back. Just as
you would after any other death, express your concern, pitch in with practical tasks, and listen to
whatever the person wants to tell you. Here are some special considerations:
• Stay close. Families often feel stigmatized and cut off after a suicide. If you avoid contact because
you don't know what to say or do, family members may feel blamed and isolated. Whatever your
doubts, make contact. Survivors learn to forgive awkward behaviors or clumsy statements, as long
as your support and compassion are evident.
• Avoid hollow reassurance. It's not comforting to hear well-meant assurances that "things will get
better" or "at least he's no longer suffering." Instead, the bereaved may feel that you don't want to
acknowledge or hear them express their pain and grief.
• Don't ask for an explanation. Survivors often feel as though they're being grilled: Was there a
note? Did you suspect anything? The survivor may be searching for answers, but your role for the
foreseeable future is simply to be supportive and listen to what they have to say about the person,
the death, and their feelings.
• Remember his or her life. Suicide isn't the most important thing about the person who died. Share
memories and stories; use the person's name ("Remember when Brian taught my daughter how to
ride a two-wheeler?"). If suicide has come at the end of a long struggle with mental or physical
illness, be aware that the family may want to recognize the ongoing illness as the true cause of
death.
• Acknowledge uncertainty. Survivors are not all alike. Even if you are a suicide survivor yourself,
don't assume that another person's feelings and needs will be the same as yours. It's fine to say you
can't imagine what this is like or how to help. Follow the survivor's lead when broaching sensitive
topics: "Would you like to talk about what happened?" (Ask only if you're willing to listen to the
details.) Even a survivor who doesn't want to talk will appreciate that you asked.
• Help with the practical things. Offer to run errands, provide rides to appointments, or watch over
children. Ask if you can help with chores such as watering the garden, walking the dog, or putting
away groceries. The survivor may want you to sit quietly, or perhaps pray, with him or her. Ask
directly, "What can I do to help?"
• Be there for the long haul. Dr. Jordan calls our culture's standard approach to grief the "flu model":
grief is unpleasant but is relatively short-lived; after a stay at home, the bereaved person will jump
back into life. Unfortunately, that means that once survivors are back at work and able to smile or
socialize again, they quickly get the message that they shouldn't talk about their continuing grief.
• Even if a survivor isn't bringing up the subject, you can ask how she or he is coping with the death
and be ready to listen (or respect a wish not to talk about it). Be patient and willing to hear the
same stories or concerns repeatedly. Acknowledging emotional days such as a birthday or
anniversary of the death — by calling or sending a card, for example — demonstrates your support
and ongoing appreciation of the loss.
Harvard Women's Health Watch
12

13

Circus of Demise
Camp Bowers White Oak, NC
November 9-11, 2018
• More than 100 people are
attending 2018 The Last
Venturer: Circus of Demise
• The TLV team represents people
from 7 different councils
14

President’s Corner: Ellie Leonetti
The past several months, the Area 7 VOA has
been hard at work with planning our event,
looking into Venturing themed products, and
updating and recreating our website. I want to
give a HUGE thank you to anyone who has
been involved in a committee. If anyone
would like to be on a committee, please
contact an area officer! We are always looking
for more help!
The Last Venturer is looking to be an amazing
event, and our VOA is ecstatic to get to meet
everyone! We can't wait for everyone to see
what we have planned and for you to enjoy
the different events. If you haven't already,
please be sure to read through the leader's
guide!
Advisor’s Corner: Rick Daigneault
"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."
--Helen Keller
As 2019 rapidly approaches and a new era of scouting is
in view, it is time for all of us to think of ways to work
together for the betterment of all young people. The
number of Venturers is on the decline for multiple
reasons. This means less young adults are receiving the
advantages Scouting brings to them. We need to work as
a team to help bring more youth into our crews. As the
new troops full of young lady start up in February, crews
should be teaming up with these units to help guide them
in achieving their goals of Eagle and instilling dreams of
adventure. These new young Scouts may someday be
new young Venturers with the right role models in place
now.
15

Area 7 is a family. As you look at the Council level
events, see what resources are nearby.
Each Council offers an Adventure
–Council Camporees
–Venturing specific events
•Each Award Level has a Learning Component
–Venturing
•-Personal Safety and Awareness
–Discovery
•Goal-setting training
•Time-management training
–Pathfinder
•Project management training
•Experiential training in conflict resolution,
communications, group dynamics, cooperation, and
ethical controversies
–Summit
•Mentoring
•Each Award Level has a Personal Leadership Component
–Crew Officer Orientation
–ILSC
–NYLT
–Rangemaster
–Leave No Trace
•Each Award Level has a Skills Component
–Hunter Education
–NRA Shooting Skills
–First Aid
–Wilderness First Aid
16

Council News
Blue Ridge Mountains
Cape Fear
Wilderness First Aid
Nov 17 – 19, 2018
SR Area 7-The Last Venturer
Nov 9-11
Winter Camp
Dec 28 – 31, 2018
Colonial Virginia
Climbing Merit Badge Campout
November 16 -18
East Carolina
LNT Trainer Course
Dec 8 – 9 Murphy's Mill Cabin
Camp Boddie Ecology Weekend
Dec 14-16, 2018
BSA Lifeguard
Dec 1, 8, 15, makeup 29th
Winter Camp
Friday, Jan 18-20, 2019
17

Council News
Heart of Virginia
Occoneechee
Boy Scout & Venturing Camporee
November 30 - December 2, 2018
Camp S. Douglas Fleet
OSR Day of Service
November 17, 2018
Winter Camp
January 18 - 21, 2019
Old Hickory
Holiday 50 Miler
December 26, -31, 2018
Old North State
Fundamentals of Training
Nov 17, 2018 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wilderness First Aid
11 /16/2018 - 11/18/2018,
Family ski Day Jan 6
2018 Rangemaster’s Sporting Clay
December 29th, 2018
18

Council News
Shenandoah Area
Stonewall Jackson Area
Trainer's EDGE Course 2019
1-5-19
Winter Games 2019
1-26-19 Camp Enon Rock
Tidewater
Camp Work Days
Nov 10, Dec 1, 2018
8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Camp Shenandoah
Tuscarora
Zomboree
Dec 2-4, 2018
Tuscarora Council 95th Anniversary
Celebration Camporee
Nov 30 – Dec 2, 2018
CPR / First Aid
December 8 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00
Trainer’s EDGE
Saturday, Dec 1, 2018
19

Follow us on
Social Media
On Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/gr
oups/11327804303
Or Southern Region Area 7
On Instagram
sr7venturing
On Twitter
Sr7Venturing
On Snapchat
sr7venture
Thanks to the members of
the TLV team. You survived
a hurricane and other
obstacles to make sure
people had fun in the woods!
vpcomm.srv7@gmail.com
A HUGE THANK YOU TO CFC, RANGER JACOB,
AND MATTHEW BULL AT CAMP BOWERS FOR
HOSTING US AT TLV!!!!
Have a story idea? Email me
or message me on Facebook.
vpcomm.srv7@gmail.com
Editor in Chief-Connor Harling
Reporters- Kaelyn Harling, Duncan Harling
Designer-Kaelyn Harling
Photos- Connor Harling, Patrick Sheedy, Eileen D’Andrea
Finder of Info-Michele Harling
Chief Adult of Communication-Tedder Reed