The MoCo Pinewood Derby is the only place (that we know of) to see Thanos and DC United go head to head!
Brendan D. Jacobs is a Webelo and Boy Scout in Pack 499 and Troop 1441.
Scouts BSA
Ashburn’s Troop 58 Helps Pack 100,000 Meals
For the fourth year in a row, Ashburn’s Troop 58 supported the annual Cross Catholic Outreach’s You(th) vs Hunger event at St. Theresa Catholic Church on March 16. Over the course of the day volunteers packed 100,000 rice meals! Troop 58 Scouts were onsite from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM acting as the hub of the operation delivering and refilling rice, beans, soy, dried vegetables and vitamins to the stations to be measured and weighed to make individual bags of a complete meal. As each box was filled with meals the Scouts hauled it outside using dollies to stack on a pallet. Once each pallet was full, they wrapped it in plastic to prepare it for shipping. The meals will be shipped to those in need in Haiti, Guatemala and other countries the ministry serves. More than twenty Scouts from Troop 58 participated in the event under the leadership of Troop Chaplain, Allen Shen and Chaplain Aide, Charlie McClelland. Over 400 volunteers were needed in total for the day.
BSA Troop 58 is chartered by St. David’s Episcopal Church in Ashburn, Virginia, and meets at the Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM. For more information, please visit the following websites: http://troop58ashburn.camp; https://sainttheresaparish.com/activity/youth-vs-hunger/; http://www.sdlife.org/; https://ashburnfirerescue.org/.
Local Eagle Scout Wins $1,000 Eagles-Only Award In Leadership / American History Competition
Northern Virginia Eagle Scout Matthew Lawley of Herndon (Troop 157) was awarded $1,000 in a Leadership / American History statewide competition held in Richmond February 9th sponsored by the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (VASSAR). All current Eagles and aspiring Eagles should pay attention to this program for the coming year as this is a program limited to Eagle Scouts.
Matthew had first won the competition at the local chapter level competition sponsored by the Fairfax Resolves Chapter (http://fairfaxresolvessar.org/) (Fairfax and Loudoun county areas VA) of the Sons of the American Revolution. There are 28 Virginia SAR chapters eligible to participate in this annual competition. Matthew will now move forward to the national competition to be held this summer in Costa Mesa, CA which provides a top award of $10,000 and lesser amounts for second ($6,000) and third ($4,000) place.
Eagle Scout Matthew Lawley won the Arthur M. and Berdena King Eagle Scout competition by submitting an impressive application documenting the leadership he has already shown in his young life through scouting, in the community and through his church. The Eagle Scout competition consists of an application reflecting accomplishment, a four generation genealogy chart of the Scout’s family and a 500 word patriotic themed essay related to the revolutionary war. The competition is open to all Eagle Scouts under the age of 19. The SAR gives extra credit to those applicants that have secured the American Heritage, Law and Genealogy merit badges. Matthew had all three of these badges. For his essay, Matthew wrote a persuasive argument as to the need to have a monument to John Adams in Washington, D.C. John Adams is one of the few founding presidents not so memorialized.
The SAR sponsors a range of competitive educational programs for youth (4th through 12th grades) to enhance their understanding of the founding principles of our nation and the role the Revolutionary War played in establishing our freedom (https://www.sar.org/education/youth-contests-and-awards). There is no requirement for Revolutionary War ancestry in order to compete.
Colonial Unit in Action: Troop 996 DC Tour and Lock-in
Submitted by Troop Scribe Scott R. and Senior Patrol Leader Teddy G. Troop 996 is chartered by Aldersgate United Methodist Church
The Scouts of Troop 996, chartered by Aldersgate United Methodist Church, chose to tour the Nation’s Capital and hold a lock-in for their January event. The event was planned by Star Scout Aiden H., with adult assistance. On Saturday January 26th, Troop 996 gathered for a fun-filled day that began at the Pentagon, where scouts learned about the history of the facility and the U.S. military. The Troop also visited the Hall of Heroes, which is a room dedicated to all of the Medal of Honor recipients. The tour ended after visiting 9-11 memorials and hearing first-hand accounts from that day.
After touring the Pentagon, the Troop departed for the District of Columbia to enjoy lunch at the National Law Enforcement Memorial and tour the brand-new National Law Enforcement Museum. The Troop split into patrols for STEM-focused guided tours. Following the tour, the Troop explored independently and learned about bullet proof vests, new police cars, fingerprinting, SWAT takedowns, and lots of other cool stuff. In the museum, they even had a real patrol car that Scouts could sit in.
After touring the museum, the Troop visited Arlington National Cemetery. The Troop was led on a tour by Mr. Tom Schultz, a representative from DC Military Tours. The Troop respectfully observed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and witnessed a very moving ceremony, a changing of the Guard, and a wreath laying. This tomb has been guarded every minute of every day by the Old Guard since 1937.
Following the tours, the Troop returned to Aldersgate United Methodist Church for dinner and an evening of camaraderie and friendship playing board games and cards – without electronics.
Big thanks to Mr. Hicks for our Pentagon Tour and Mr. Schultz for the tour of Arlington National Cemetery.
A Scout Is Reverent: Units Gather During Scout Sunday
On Scout Sunday, mass at Blessed Sacrament was celebrated with Scouts from across the Colonial Districts. Participating units included Pack, Troop and Crew 129 chartered by Westminster Presbyterian Church, Troop 1515 from St. Stephens and St. Agnes Schools, and Pack 614 chartered by James K. Polk PTA.
More Than 100 Hikers Answered the Call to High Adventure in this Year’s Carpe Adventure Trek
Promptly at 6:30 A.M., the first wave of Scouts set out from Alexandria toward National Harbor as part of Colonial’s Carpe Adventure Trek, or CAT. The 40 and 20 kilometer distances challenged Scouts to seize the (early) call for adventure during a day with a brisk wind and a high temperature of 47. In its second year, the CAT challenge was answered by 29 more hikers than in 2018 and included 14 units from four districts in the Council.
At support stops at Fort Hunt Park, Belle Haven Park, and at National Harbor, enthusiasm was high among Colonial’s hiking Scouts as they ticked off milestones and achieved greater distances. The smiles and laughs were plentiful (as were a few sock changes, blister treatments, and water breaks).
The first group of Scouts returned to Alexandria just shortly before 3PM to receive the coveted CAT Claw challenge coin for completing the 40km distance (akin to hiking a marathon).
Congratulations to all our CAT hikers who completed the trek. In addition, special thanks to Colonial’s Order of the Arrow chapter for managing the support stop at Belle Haven Park and to our many parent volunteers who helped at Good Shepherd Parish (host for the hike), Fort Hunt Park, Belle Haven and at National Harbor as well as the numerous volunteers who helped behind the scenes make this year’s CAT Trek successful.
The CAT awaits you in 2020….answer its challenge! “Many Are Called, Few Will Triumph.”