HELPFUL INFO

Parent Information

Parents can be involved right along with their Scout every step of their journey.  Family involvement is as important to Scouting as your family is important to you. The volunteers who run a Scout troop can be mentors to your son, but they can't replace you. Scouting is filled with fun activities that combine learning and the outdoors into a cherished adventure.  Our Troop presents each Scout with specific challenges to help them grow and learn from doing.  We lay out the path to follow and with dedication and determination, your Scout will succeed and learn to respect themselves and others.  

Troop Expenses

New and Existing Scouts pay Annual Troop Dues of $150 per Scout.  Adult leaders do not pay Troop dues.  Most monthly campouts cost between $5 - $20. This includes food for the campout and any activity/location fees.  High-Adventure trips have averaged around $250 per person per trip for 7 days. While there is some gear that will need to be purchased (or borrowed from outside sources), the Troop provides cooking supplies, tents, and other gear that can help keep Scout expenses at a minimum.

Troop Fundraising

We offer many opportunities for Scouts to earn their Scouting expenses so payment does not always come out of Mom and Dad’s pocket.  The Troop does an annual Pancake Breakfast / Silent Auction fundraiser.  In addition, Scouts have an opportunity to sell Trail’s End popcorn. All proceeds go toward the Scouts account (the Troop does not take a % of this).  We are always looking for ways to help the Scouts offset these costs. 

Outdoors

The Outdoors is where Scouting happens. Sure, some things are done in a building. They can even be done in front of a computer, but the most important things happen outdoors. Let's face it, Scouting wouldn't be any fun if you didn't get to go outside. In Scouting, your son will get to be outside a lot! He'll learn to be comfortable sleeping in a tent in the winter. He'll learn to swim, hike, camp, cook his own food, follow a wild animal, and lots of other things.  

Advancement

Advancement is how Scouts learn things. Not only will your son learn skills like camping and first aid, but he'll have the chance to try out lots of hobbies and careers like dentistry, electronics, journalism, fishing, coin collecting, and pet care. Each badge will present your son with several requirements that are challenging. They make him think about the world around him, plan tasks, and motivate himself to accomplish them. Advancement in Scouting isn't like School. It's self-directed, fun, and helps your son to develop the confidence to do just about anything he puts his mind to.

Personal Growth

Personal growth is not just an outcome of Scouting. Scouting helps your son learn about his strengths and weaknesses. It gives him a chance to try different things in a place where failure isn't punished. He may start out learning about himself without knowing it, but it won't be long before he really starts to look inward and see who he is. It's not just the end result of Scouting - it's an important method of Scouting as well.

Adult Association

You might think that adult association isn't that important to your son, but it is. Everywhere kids go, they are looking for adult approval. Sadly, they rarely get it except at home. Scouting gives your son a chance to get to know adults and learn to work with them. He'll get a chance to see how adults act, and that will give him some good examples to go by when he becomes an adult. Scouting also gives you a chance to be directly involved in an activity with your son. Parents aren't just spectators in Scouting, they're the Scoutmasters, committee members, and merit badge counselors that make Scouting possible.

Leadership Development

One of the most exciting things about Scouting is leadership development. Unlike other youth organizations, Scouting isn't adult oriented. Adults are there to be guides and mentors. It's the youth who make the decisions, develop the program, and make Scouting work. In Scouting, your son will get a real chance to make decisions, learn to compromise, and actually lead other Scouts. He won't simply be doing what the adults tell him to do, he'll be deciding what to do and how to do it.