The Order of the Arrow is Scouting’s honor society. Founded in 1915 by Dr. E. Urner Goodman to recognize honor campers, the Order has grown to become a major force in Scouting, promoting camping and providing service to the council and the community.
Each council’s OA members are organized into a lodge. Circle Ten Council’s lodge is Mikanakawa. Each lodge is divided into chapters, which correspond to the council’s districts. White Buffalo’s OA chapter is named Wacondi Hatachi. Each troop with boys in the OA should designate a Troop Representative to serve as a liaison between the chapter and the troop. (This position counts for rank advancement.)
The Wacondi Hatachi Chapter meets the fourth Thursday of the month at the Troop 709 Scout Hut at Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church on Lovers Ln. (See the calendar for more info.) All OA members are encouraged to attend these meetings. Membership in the Order of the Arrow begins with a unit election. Elections are held in the spring, from January until mid-April. Elections must be held by trained OA members to be valid. Elections are usually scheduled as part of a troop meeting. All boy members in attendance may vote in the election.
To be eligible for election, a boy must meet four criteria:
First Class or above
Have at least 15 days and nights of camping, including one long term camp
Currently registered in Scouting
Approved, before the election, by unit leader.
Adults are nominated separately by the unit leader or committee chairman, and must meet the same camping requirement.
Once elected, candidates must participate in a weekend of service and symbolism called an Ordeal to become members of the Order. After completing the Ordeal, members are entitled to wear the pocket flap or ribbon pin and the sash of the Order of the Arrow.
For more information, contact Mike Milam, Wacondi Hatachi Chapter Adviser, at 214-855-7550, or visit the Mikanakawa Lodge web site.
Chapter Officers for the 2007-08 year are:
Chapter Chief
Joe Sorce
Vice Chief, Camping Promotion
Warren Noble
Vice Chief, Administration
Sebastian Vowell
Vice Chief, Inductions
Rob McMenamy
Vice Chief, Service
Joseph Davidson
Vice Chief, Native American
Joshua Tates
Vice Chief, Technology & Communication
Ryan Case
Please see the information, below about an exciting new adventure and service project that the Order of the Arrow will be promoting this summer, from June 7-14, 2008. This service and conservation project will be held in the Mark Twain National Forest located in the Ozark Mountains in Southeastern Missouri. The event is called "ArrowCorps5." Click on the logo to the left to view the project details. Alternatively, the following blog also lists specific information about the project: http://arrowcorps5-s3.blogspot.com/.
The conservation project will involve working with the National Forest Service to remove old and sick trees and to restore growth of native grasses in the national forest. You will experience a genuine adventure at ArrowCorps5.Youth and Adults may attend. Philmont height and weight requirements will apply. A youth must be 14 years old by June 1, 2008. The fee to attend the project is$290 which includes all food at the project site, round trip transportation to Missouri via chartered bus and meals on the return trip to Dallas. The fee is payable in two installments; the first in the amount of $100 is due before February 1, 2008 and the remaining $190 is due before May 1, 2008. You may download an interest form on the Lodge’s website, www.miki.org. More information is available at the ArrowCorps5 website http://event.oa-bsa.org. Also you may contact Ken Meadors at kmeaders@meaderscpa.com or Frank Cusimano at pibguitarist18@yahoo.com to communicate your interest. Registration is limited, so please do not delay. I hope that many of you will participate in this worthy conservation effort. Mike Milam Chapter Adviser
