Articles

Scouts Donate to Quantico & US Coast Guard!

January 3, 2020 by The Scouter Digest Staff

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Boy Scouts have always had a strong tradition of giving back to the community especially in regards to our military. Every year Scouts sell popcorn in person or online with the hopes of receiving donations in lieu of popcorn sales.

On December 31, 2019 the Military Donation took place. This year Scouts raised $126,000 worth of popcorn. The tasty snacks were delivered by Moyer and Sons to Quantico and the US Coast Guard-TISCOM.

A specials thanks to Moyer and Sons for assisting with that large delivery. And big thanks to all Scouts for your efforts this fall. You made a bunch of service members very happy!

Troop 793 Messengers of Peace

December 23, 2019 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Toys for Tots is a program in St Marys County and all over the United States of America. It is lead and coordinated by the United States Marines. They begin by putting boxes around the county to collect gifts from people willing to donate to needy families. You can find them everywhere. In large stores like Wal*Mart and in small places like Sweet Frog. They put these boxes out in late October and it runs till December. When complete with store collection boxes, they collect the toys, then bring them to a local warehouse, and finally set up the toys. They set up the toy store and get many volunteers to help the needy people pick out toys for their families.

I went on Dec. 14 and volunteered for the day. I first began by helping people get their toys to their cars. We would take their bags full of toys and load up their cars. After a while of doing that I went inside and helped people shop. We went around and helped the family pick out toys for their kids. We would give them ideas and help them make decisions. They would also get a large toy such as a bike or a skateboard. They also got some games and books.

They would finally get stocking stuffers and wrapping paper. Everybody there was so kind and we all had smiles on our faces there wasn’t a single volunteer that looked sad or unhappy. Everybody contributed in all kinds of ways making families happy.

I learned to be grateful for what I have. These people that I interacted with didn’t have what I have. So I learned to be appreciative of what my family does for me. I think many of the other Scouts who helped that day felt the same way. It was great we all got to make a difference for so many less fortunate people during the holidays. This seems to be what being a Messenger of Peace is all about.

Messenger of Peace Link: https://www.scout.org/node/551720

Nathan Davio

12-23-19

Seeking Camp Staff: Summer 2020!

December 19, 2019 by NCAC Camping Department

Do you like camping and the outdoors? Did you have a great time at camp? Why not go there for the whole summer?

Be part of an awesome group of people and work at one of the coolest summer jobs you could ever have!

Ready to engage your imagination and lead Cub Scouts into the stars? Apply to work at Camp Snyder! The 2020 Camp Theme, Space, is carried through archery, nature, crafts, swimming, boating, and all camp activities as Cub Scouts and their leaders explore the outdoors.

Want to escape to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains for the summer? Apply to work at one of seven Goshen Scout Reservation Camps! Join our energetic and goofy staff at our Webelos Camps – Camp PMI and Camp Ross. Want to teach your favorite Merit Badge? Choose one of our three Scouts BSA/Venturing camps – Camp Bowman, Camp Olmsted, or Camp Marriott. Looking for adventure? Become part of our elite staff at Lenhok’sin High Adventure Base. Want to support camps in retail or in emergency medicine? Our administration camp – Camp Post – might be the place for you.

Staff must be 15 years or older to be an instructor and 16 or older to work at Goshen’s Lenhok’sin High Adventure. Not yet 15? If you’re 14, you can be a Counselor-in-Training at any of our Cub Scout, Webelos, or Scouts BSA/Venturing Resident Camps. We’re also on the lookout for those 18 years of age or older to take on leadership positions.

Have friends or family that love the outdoors, but aren’t in Scouting? Tell them about it! Prior experience with the Boy Scouts of America is not required.

Employment dates are from June 13 to August 4, 2020 for Goshen Camps and June 29 to August 14, 2020 for Camp Snyder.

We’re coming up on hiring season! Apply online and get more information on our website. Visit www.gotogoshen.org/staff for Goshen Camps and www.gotosnyder.org/work for Camp Snyder.

Check Out This Inspiring Eagle Scout!

December 17, 2019 by Ana Schobitz

Meet Noah Harmon, an animal lover with a passion for his religion. For Noah’s Eagle project, he built an entire rosary garden for the St. Jude Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, VA. This huge task took Noah and his team of 62 volunteers almost six months to complete! The first steps of his project was the fundraising.

Noah raised $3,291.13 from selling mulch, popcorn, having two car washes, and from receiving several private donations. With the help of all his fundraising, Noah began his task of leading the physical labor. He had to dig about six inches into the ground and get rid of the many roots in the area. After clearing the area completely, Noah created the cement path, making religious shapes and phrases in a circle around the garden space.

The rosary garden included a large statue, several benches and a great deal of plants which were donated to Noah’s project. In a total of 345.5 hours, Noah and his team successfully built his rosary garden. Noah found that by “having confidence in [himself], and working hard,” he was able to create a beautiful, livable space for the church to enjoy.

Troop 1203 Meets AT Hiker

December 12, 2019 by Eschenbrenner David

After summiting and exploring Mcafee Knob and Tinker Cliffs VA while backpacking the Appalachian Trail, Leo Eschenbrenner and Zumi Hersey from Troop 1203 set up camp at the Lambert Meadows Campsite. The boys cooked dinner utilizing their lightweight stoves as they have so many times. Dinner was Leo’s tried and true favorite, chicken and broccoli with rice.

About the time we had all we could eat a south bound, AT hiker named Bob hiked into our campsite. Bob was a south bounder or SOBO as they are called. He started his AT journey in Maine on Mt. Katahdin and had been hiking sense the spring. AT hikers don’t typically carry a lightweight stove or cook meals but live on cliff bars and fruit.

Leo offered a hot meal to Bob and Bob gladly accepted. After Bob enjoyed his hot meal, Bob spoke to the boys about trail angles. Trail angles offer kindness to AT hikers and the kindnesses the boys offered to Bob was some magic that made his journey a little more special. We talked to Bob for seemed to be about 45 minutes and discussed his amazing experiences and the people he had come to meet along the way. Bob departed before sunset with the goal of seeing the sunset from Tinker Cliffs. Leo spoke about Bob and the friendship they shared over his trail angle hot meal.

A Scout is friendly and a Scout is kind
ASM Dave Eschenbrenner
Troop 1203
California, MD

Troop 159 Earned the Hornaday Unit Award

December 10, 2019 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Written by Scouts Corbett and Kendall

Troop 159 of Herndon, Virginia earned the prestigious Hornaday Unit Award by supporting a combined Hornaday Badge/Eagle project called START, led by a Scout in our Troop. We helped pull an invasive plant known as the Japanese stiltgrass from Frying Pan Farm Park, a local park in Herndon, near the place where our Troop meets.

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After 10 sessions of removal events that spanned 14 months, we replanted native species to help restore the park land. We also helped educate the public about the invasive stiltgrass, as well as the proper ways to remove and dispose of it.

Hornaday Awards are prestigious conservation awards named in honor of William T. Hornaday, a taxidermist at the Smithsonian who is credited with saving the American bison from extinction. The Hornaday Unit award requires 60% of the registered youth scouts of a unit to participate in a single, sustainable conservation project that addresses and remedies a well-defined environmental problem. Our participation was in support of John Foong’s project at Frying Pan Farm Park. The project was a combination of teaching the public about non-native, invasive plants and how to remove them from our community, as well as actively working to remove the plant, Japanese stiltgrass, from an area in the Park. This project was conducted in partnership with Fairfax County Park Authority’s Invasive Management Area (FCPA IMA) program.

For more information about Hornaday awards, https://www.ncacbsa.org/advancement/awards-and-recognition/hornaday/