My name is Laura Kuras and I am the NCAC District Executive for our US Virgin Islands and Director of the local Boy Scout Camp here in St. Croix, Camp Howard M. Wall. I am extremely excited to be here in the USVI because it is such a beautiful location filled with amazing people who are ready and willing to bring Scouting back in to the community.
Looking back, I am happy to say, I have been lucky enough to make Scouting a part of my life for over twenty-seven years and from that I have gained so much. My parents introduced me to Scouting at the age of five so, as a little kid I was able to learn and appreciate the outdoors in a way that not all young people get to and for that I am so thankful. Throughout grade school and well into my college years I was able to use my Scouting experiences to open so many new doors that I believe wouldn’t have been possible without my background in the outdoors. Before graduating from college, I was fortunate enough to work for two of the BSA high adventure bases, Sea Base and Philmont, which gave me the opportunity to really figure out what I was passionate about in life. Now as an adult, I get to share my experiences with others which could allow them to see the world from a whole new view. Throughout my life I hope to inspire others to enjoy the journey of life and take in every opportunity to try new things always, and I hope to do the same for as long as possible.
Upcoming topics and activities on the post’s agenda include: the Five Basic Cooking Techniques, Understanding “Sous Vide” Cooking Methods, Sustainable Seafood and Cooking Techniques, Understanding Nutrition and Healthy Easting, Environmental Impact of Cooking, two community service projects (Scouting for Food and cooking at a charity kitchen), visits to a farm or food vender, and a hotel visit. There will be a cook-off at the end of the year with the members cooking their favorite dish and serving it to the other members of the post.
This summer 16 Scouts and 3 Scouters of Troop 26 (“26 KICKS!!”) experienced the North Carolina mountains in BSA’s Southern Region, Area 5, Daniel Boone Council. We were way back in the holler, about 15 miles from Asheville as the crow flies. The 8-hour drive from Stafford was well worth it for the variety of activities and the opportunity to visit Boonesboro Village for our older Scouts, not to mention the cooler, drier air of the mountains – getting out of the heat and humidity was, well, pretty cool! Not only did Scouts and Scouters alike learn to appreciate the refreshing frigid temperature of spring fed mountains streams, but several older Scouts also participated in the Boonesboro Village living history camp. There they honed skills essential to living in the 1770s such as hatchet throwing, black powder rifle shooting, blacksmithing and making their own clothes. Average temperatures were 20 degrees cooler than those of their lowland Scout brethren which made for very restful evenings – good sleepin’ weather. As an added bonus the Troop camped at the New River Trail State Park and toured the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower that manufactured lead shot (musket bullets) hundreds of years ago. Our Scouts found both locations so outstanding that they are in the rotation to be visited again.
Once each year, ten distinguished Sea Scouts from around the United States are invited by the US Coast Guard to spend a week sailing aboard the USCGC EAGLE.
The week paid off with at least one NCAC Sea Scout sending forward an application to the very prestigious and selective US Coast Guard Academy.