Wednesday, August 31, 2016

CHANGES ARE COMING!

It is with great regret that we announce Keepers of the Faith will be closing their doors!  You can read more about their decision here: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/.  While they have stated that PDF versions of their handbooks will be available in the future and that badges will be sold under another entity, we have decided to change to a different program.

Quest is an educational incentive program for kids and adults ages 3 -103 that uses badges and awards to encourage kids and adults of all ages to explore anything and everything.  From spies and painting, to chemistry and farming, there are over 1200 badges and awards to choose from, and they are writing more everyday.  There are many benefits to this program above what we currently have, and we are excited for this opportunity!  You can read more here: http://questclubs.net/

Our Club goal is still to teach and model Christian character and service alongside practical and educational skills to our children in a group setting.  We will still run our club the same way, with a few minor changes.

1) Club Name - Of course we are going to have to change our Club's name.  Quest does not require us to use their name in our club name, we can call it anything we want!  At our picnic in September, we will take a vote on the new name, so start thinking about that.

2) Registration Fee - In the past we have never charged a fee and kept costs to the very minimum.  There is a yearly fee for us to have a Quest club, so we will have to charge a small registration fee per family.

3) Badges - The good news is: Quest badges are much cheaper than KOF badges ($1 vs. $2.65), so in the end, the total yearly cost to do our Club will likely be the same or cheaper.  They will even make custom badges if there is something we want that they do not offer, at the same price!  We will also have to decide how to display our badges.  Quest has vests available but we are free to choose something else.


4) Handbooks - There is no handbook to buy.  With the Quest membership, I will be able to print off and copy the badge requirements for each skill for the Club.  For each badge, there are different levels of activities required, according to age.  We can also create our own badge requirements.

Red - Preschool (ages 3 - 5)
Yellow - Level 1 (grades K - 2)
Blue - Level 2 (grades 3 - 5)
Green - Level 3 (grades 6 - 8)
White - Level 4 (grades 9 - 12)
Grey - Level 5 (ages 18+)

 
We hope that these changes will be a positive thing for our Club and that this year will be our best ever!  Hope to see you at the picnic on September 30th! (See calendar for details.)