We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Service

Productive Fall Work Weekends at Goshen

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This fall has been a productive one for Goshen Scout Reservation! We hosted two work weekends in October – one run by the Goshen Staff Alumni Association (GSAA) and one open to youth and adult volunteers.

The GSAA accomplished a number of projects, including:

  • Clearing a tremendous amount of brush at the Olmsted Chapel
  • Building new and resurfacing 17 picnic tables
  • Preparing the Marriott Administration building for an upcoming renovation project
  • Distributing previously built tent platforms and the aforementioned picnic tables to camps around the lake
  • Creating plans for chuck box construction in preparation for the Spring Weekend

The Volunteer Work Weekend projects included:

  • Repainting the Olmsted Shower House and Quartermaster/Trading Post facade
  • Replacing split rail fence at various program areas at Camp Olmsted, Camp Bowman, and Camp Marriott
  • Brush clearing throughout Camp Marriott OJ Corral
  • Counting and mapping all the buildings and shelters at Goshen to support the Goshen Admin staff with an updated inventory for insurance

Thank you to all the Scouting volunteers, alumni, and current camp staff who attended and for all their service to Goshen Scout Reservation! We hope to see them and others at future weekends.

 

Be sure to save the dates for the Spring Work Weekends:

  • GSAA Spring Service Weekend: April 28 – 30, 2023
    • Open to current and past Goshen camp staff, ages 18+. See old friends, meet alumni from across the decades, and work on camp projects.
  • Goshen Spring Volunteer Work Weekend: May 12 – 14, 2023 (tentative)
    • Open to youth and adult volunteers. Come down to Goshen for a weekend of service, camping, beautiful mountains, and fun!

Local Life Scout Mobilized his Community to Save Ukrainian Lives

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My name is Nicholas Flanigan and I am a Life Scout from Troop 160, located in Chantilly, VA. Soon after the war started, I mobilized our Troop and community to help meet overwhelming needs in medical supplies, baby items, and food for Ukraine.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 0f 2022, one of my close friends shared concerns about his family in Kyiv, Ukraine, and the hardship they had to face to survive from Russian bombing of their homes and neighborhood. I started thinking about how I might be able to help. My research led to a local nonprofit organization, United Help Ukraine (UHU). This charitable organization receives and distributes donations, food, and medical supplies to people of Ukraine affected by Russia’s invasion and families of those wounded or killed for freedom and independence of Ukraine.

I reached out to the Board members of this organization in March of 2022, inquiring how I could help. After a month of conversations and successful presentations to over 20 Board members of UHU, District Eagle Advisor, and Troop 160 Board, my project was approved for planning and execution. My Eagle Advisor recommended I develop a website that allowed me to promote my project within the local community. Website presence helped me to distribute messages about my project via email, in social channels, and local blogs. Because of the valuable advice from my Eagle Advisor I looked into online presence rather than going down the path of distributing many printed flyers, which allowed me to save total costs.

In my research, I discovered that many tech companies like Google, Microsoft/Bing, and Facebook offer opportunities for people supporting nonprofit-related initiatives to receive credits to run free advertising. I took advantage of those free advertising credits to run ads on these digital networks to get my project known throughout the community. I also used local blogs and platforms, Patch.com and NextDoor, to inform my neighbors about this effort.

My project took many months to plan. I spent over 300 hours developing the site, made digital ads, wrote articles, and reached out to many local organizations and nearby Troops for help. I partnered with a local church, Fairfax Church of Christ, to use their building and parking lot for my donation drive. I also led my Troop to distribute printed flyers in adjacent neighborhoods to amplify my online efforts. Just under 100 people helped me to make this project a success.

My project was completed on 2 weekends. On June 4th, many scouts, volunteers from the church, and parents helped to pack supplies previously donated to the church to support this effort. They packed and loaded over 100 boxes to a truck ready to take everything to an airport in Delaware for air shipment to Ukraine. We packed almost 80 boxes of food, baby items and medical supplies, and collected 70 boxes of diapers. On the same day, almost 20 scout volunteers from Troup 160 distributed over 3,000 flyers to neighborhood houses. On June 11th, we collected donated medical supplies, baby items, and food essentials from the same houses. My goal to collect and pack an additional 40 boxes was exceeded with a total of 55 additional boxes, despite poor weather conditions and heavy rain at collection time.

I am very proud of the work my Troop and I did because of its impact and because it helped to save lives. I want people to know about the work that takes place to support Ukraine and other countries in the same circumstances around the world.

I received many compliments and recognition for our efforts from my Troop, local leaders, the media, and UHU. My project was featured in the National Morning in America episode on May 27th as one of the top feel-good stories across the U.S. and covered in the local Fairfax Times newspaper and by Patch.com.

As a result of my efforts, I received a personalized letter from Chairman McKay from Fairfax County Government. In his letter, Chairman McKey congratulated me on the tremendous success of my project and how impressed he was with my commitment to helping others. He recognized my leadership skills for being able to gather dozens of fellow scouts, friends, and neighbors to help accomplish this goal. Of course it was easier with a helpful Troup backing me up!

“It is true that we all do far better when we work together”, stated Chairman McKay in his letter. “I am encouraged about the future of Fairfax County and our nation when I read what young people like you are doing to heal the breaches in our society.”

I hope to receive my Eagle Rank in October after completing the last Eagle-required merit badge, Scoutmaster conference, and the Eagle Scout Board of Review. I will continue my role in scouting as an ASPL, giving back to my Troop by helping and leading others. I am a proud member of the Order of the Arrow BSA Honor society and participated in 3 high adventure camps. Throughout my scouting career, I earned 77 merit badges, and seven distinguished scout awards. I also volunteered as a Counselor in Training this past summer at Camp Snyder, a BSA camp in Haymarket, VA, and will return to the camp as their trained Counselor next summer.

Upcoming Events at Goshen Scout Reservation!

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Registration Goes LIVE – September 1, 2022

Registration for the Goshen 2023 Summer Season will go live on Thursday, September 1, 2022. Find out more about the Goshen camps and programs at www.gotogoshen.org

Labor Day Family Camp – September 2-5, 2022

Enjoy a weekend with family and friends at the Goshen Scout Reservation family for Labor Day Family Camp! Available program areas will include Aquatics (swimming and boating), COPE and Climbing (giant swing, rock climbing), Shooting Sports (rifles, archery), and Handicraft (arts and crafts).

Register for Family Camp: www.gotogoshen.org/family-camp

Goshen Staff and volunteers supply all the program. You just need to bring your own food and camping equipment!

New this fall and one time only – Merit Badge Make-ups! Scouts with partial merit badges from the summer can bring their records and finish up the last few requirements with some of our counselors from the summer.

Fall Alumni Work Weekend – October 7-9, 2022

Goshen Scout Reservation Staff Alumni are invited by the Goshen Staff Alumni Association (GSAA) for a fall work weekend! Open to staff alumni from any Goshen camp and any friends or family who want to help out, ages 18 and up. We’ll be fixing, painting, building, maintaining, and doing other such work on many projects around the Reservation. Meet other staff alumni new and old, spend some time at Goshen, and help us prepare for the next season of summer camp!

More information and registration can be found here: www.gotogoshen.org/gsaasw

Volunteer Work Weekend – October 28-30, 2022

Units and volunteers are invited for a fall work weekend to assist in camp beautification! Open to members of the scouting community, participants will assist in painting, brush clearing, and other beautification tasks.

Participants should bring their own food and tents. More information and registration link to follow.

Scouts Helping the Community Through Tornado Damage

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Troop 1688, chartered by the American Legion Post 66 in Bowie, MD, was getting ready for their regular weekly meeting Tuesday night, Jul 5. Families had already spent time sheltering due to the tornado warning released by the Emergency Alert System, but after the storm the skies looked good for their outdoor meeting.

Then the call came through. Assistant Scoutmaster, Bill Schmidt, sent out a request that everyone come to his house. His neighborhood had been hit by a tornado and the community needed help. Every family that was heading to the Legion changed course and went to Mr. Schmidt’s. There they found seven large trees blocking two roads.

The scouts, their families, and neighbors (both from the street and from Bowie) came together and cleared six of the seven trees. (The last tree needed heavier equipment than a chainsaw and the strength of youth.) The County Executive came by, saw the work, and gave her thanks.

Troop 1688’s Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Nicholas Mocko, was interviewed by WUSA9. Fortunately, no one was injured during the tornado and there was minimal house damage in that area.

Scoutmaster, Mark Zelenka, praised the boys saying how much he appreciated their dedication to the community. It was not the weekly meeting they expected, but the scouts of Troop 1688 went home knowing that they had lived up to the Scout Oath and Law.

 

Earth Day is Every Day for Scouts

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In honor of Earth Day 2021 and every day for Scouts, members of Scouts BSA Troop 1191G and 1191B, Mount Airy rendered community service by clearing trails of invasive plants and removing trash from the waterway on the trails at Gillis Falls, Salt Box area. Scouts focus on conservation projects throughout the year, often completing service for town and county governments as well as civic organizations. For the month of April, Troop 1191G is furthering their knowledge of the environment by focusing on requirements for the Sustainability Merit Badge, one of the two choices for the environmental focused required merit badge that Scouts must earn for the rank of Eagle. Conservation and environmental studies have been a long standing focus for the Boy Scouts of America since 1910. Among the interesting artifacts recovered during their conservation work were a turntable, computer, pool ball, and half of a metal drum. The most significant recoveries of the morning were 31 tires and 3 bicycles.

Scouts BSA Troop 1191G and 1191B are both chartered by the American Legion Goldstar Post 191, Mount Airy Maryland. Both meet on Monday evenings. If you have an interested youth between the ages of 11-17, please contact us at Troop1191info@gmail.com to come visit us at our Troop meetings or join us for one of our many adventures.

Troop 544 Creates and Distributes Blessing Bags to The Less Fortunate for MLK Day Service Project

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On January 20, 2020, Troop 544 traveled to downtown Franklin Square Park in Washington D.C. to distribute over 50 blessing bags to the less fortunate. Most of the persons in the park are homeless. The bags were created from donations from the scouts and their families. Items were gathered and assembled at the Troop meeting the Saturday before.

We had a great turn out for both events. The scouts were very eager to provide service to others, which made the leadership very proud. They not only were obeying the scout law and oath, but they also practiced the motto of doing a good turn daily.