Rush Creek Cadet Council has a volunteer team to Develop Counselor Education (DCE).  This team plans workshops at monthly counselor meetings in order to help counselors expand their knowledge of the Cadets ministry, and be more effective counselors.  Please look over the 2026/2027 workshop schedule, and select some workshops to attend.

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** No Head Counselor Meeting **

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Thursday, Sep 17, Cedar OPC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

• Setting up Your Year: Cadet Zone and Corps Website: Get your cadet year off to a great, digital start with this workshop on two key Corps websites.  Russ Rozeboom from Corps will highlight both websites, so you as a counselor and your cadets can access online resources.

• Cadet Awards: Do you know about all the awards and achievements cadets and counselors can earn through the Calvinist Cadet Corps? If not, and even if you think you know them all, come to this workshop to find out everything available to give to the men and boys in our clubs for going above and beyond the normal expectations.

• Head Counselor Certification: If you are a new or uncertified Head Counselor, please plan to attend this workshop.  Craig Bruins will take you through the certification course, which will be recorded by Corps.  You will also have a chance to ask questions about what this important role in the Cadet ministry entails.

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Thursday, Oct 8, Faith Community, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

​This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• Council Board Job Descriptions: Don Van Der Klok will present to you the various jobs on the Grand Valley and Rush Creek boards.  From Secretary to Treasurer, Congressman and President, Don will show you what serving on the board could mean in your cadet ministry.

• Counselor Certification: New counselors belong at "Counselor Certification," led by Scott Oudbier and Paul De Windt.  Come for an open-ended conversation about what a counselor needs to know to be effective in this ministry.  If you have questions about cadets, council activities, or the Cadet Corps, this is an opportunity for you!  Before this workshop, an open book course should be taken whose purpose is to make a new counselor familiar with all aspects of cadeting in general, and the counselor manual in particular.  The DCE team will take finished workbooks or the new interactive PowerPoint version and give a counselor stripe and name tag at a later meeting, free of charge.

• Jr Counselor Certification: Do you have Cadets that are being called by God to become an effective leader? Only a few Christians are given that calling and this workshop is for those Cadets listening to that call. In this workshop the Cadets will learn what leadership is and what skills, qualities, and attitudes a Christian leader should have. They will acquire from Tom Caryl and Craig Bruins the certification needed to allow them to lead younger Cadets to become more Christ-like in all areas of life.

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Regional Training Conference

Saturday, November 7

Westwood CRC in Kalamazoo - Website and Registration

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Thursday, Nov 12, Fairway CRC, 7pm

​This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• Working with Cadets with special needs: Back by popular demand!  Guest speakers Tim Paauw and Scott Schermer will speak on working with and including youth with special needs in our ministry.  If you have questions about boys on the spectrum that you'd like covered, please bring them to the October counselors meeting and we'll get them to Tim and Scott.​​​​

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Thursday, Dec 10, Beaverdam CRC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

​The dinner before this meeting will be a first ever, RC Council Chili Cookoff!  Bring your best chili, and then join other counselors in voting for the best version by donating to Rush Creek council.  The chili that earns the most money wins!

• 3D Printing Merit Badge: We've all heard about 3D Printing, but what is it?  How on earth would we guide cadets through the merit badge?  Zach VanDyke is an experienced 3D Printing enthusiast, and will show you how to complete the merit badge, and demonstrate to you a 3D printer and the kinds of things it can do.

• Weather Merit Badge: Would you like to learn more about the weather we experience from a weather expert? Then join us for this workshop on the cadet weather merit badge led by one of the meteorologists from Wood TV 8.

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Thursday, Jan TBD, Cornerstone CRC, 7pm

• Workshop Exchange from Thornapple Council: TBA​​​

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​​​​Thursday, Feb 11, Baldwin St CRC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• Flag Knowledge and Color Guard: ** Cadets Invited ** The DCE team will teach you how to get cadets through the Flag Knowledge merit badge.  Then, we'll all hike across the parking lot to Jenison Christian School, and practice our color guard commands while raising and lowering the American flag.

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Thursday, Mar 11, Cottonwood CRC, 7pm

• History of the Bible Merit Badge: Did you know there is a cadet merit badge about the history of the Bible? Come to this workshop to learn more about the badge as well as some cool history behind the Book we all love.

• Pop Bottle and Stomp Rockets: These affordable rockets are always popular with cadets, and counselors.  Scott Oudbier and Craig Bruins will show you how to build and launch these two kinds of rockets.

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Thursday, Apr 15, Hanley OPC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• Annual DCE Roundtable: Do you have some great ideas for workshops to bring to Counselor meetings for next year? Do you have any suggestions for improvements to our workshops and meetings? Please bring those to this meeting and share them with the rest of us. All ideas and Counselors are welcomed by the DCE teams of GV and RC Councils.

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