This issue’s column is by Committee Chairman and former Scoutmaster Paul McClain. 

The Troop Committee Helps the Troop Go! Boy Scouts Troop 125 in Granby, CT, should give thanks.  We are a long-standing chartered organization of the Boy Scouts of America, sponsored  by the St. Therese Church of Granby, which provides us with a top-notch meeting place.  We have an inventory of serviceable gear, including tents, cooking gear, and canoes.  We have enough money in the bank to replace equipment as required, and to purchase merit badges, rank badges and other awards.  We have a group of lively, active and engaged Scouts who are headed toward adulthood with skills and values and memories of Scouting.  And perhaps most importantly we have a group of uniformed adult leaders who give generously of their time and talents to ensure that the boys enjoy and benefit from their Scouting experience.  These men and women work with the Scouts, teaching them the skills and values of Scouting.  They organize outings, arrange for transportation and equipment, plan trails and camp-sites and ensure the safety of the Scouts.  They make sure the Scouts do their part in the preparation.  Perhaps most impressively, they sleep on the ground.  They get in their tent and they sleep on the cold, hard ground.   And so it makes sense that these dedicated and hard-working individuals, who, in addition to serving as leaders need to work and maintain their homes and cook meals and do laundry, should not be responsible for the myriad administrative tasks that help to keep the Troop going.  Additional people are needed to work behind the scenes, running fund raisers, writing newsletters, updating websites, taking charge of training.  People are needed to organize Courts of Honor, to keep track of equipment, to liaison with our charter organization.  People are needed to track the Scouts achievements and to buy badges, to keep track of our finances and to sit on Boards of Review for Scouts seeking rank advancement.  These people comprise the Troop Committee.  A lot goes into running a quality Boy Scout Troop.  Please help.  Call me or write to pmcclain@cox.net if you can give us some of your time and talent.

Scouts Participate in Leadership Training:  

The adult leaders of Boy Scout Troop 125 want their Scouts to learn and live by the scout oath, law, motto and slogan.  Additionally, Scouts should become skilled, comfortable and caring in the outdoors.  They should learn the importance of community service.  They should experience the satisfaction of advancing responsibly through the ranks and requirements of Boy Scouting.  They should build memories and friendships.  They should challenge themselves, and build self-confidence.  And they should learn to become leaders.  To this end Troop 125 tries to give each scout an opportunity to experience the challenges and satisfaction of leading by filling a variety of leadership positions.  These include Patrol Leader, Sr. Patrol Leader, Assistant Sr. Patrol Leader, Scribe, Historian, Quartermaster, etc.  And the Troop takes the additional step of offering training to Scouts taking on these positions.  On September 23, 2006, 22 Scouts came together for 3 hours for a training session.  A Power Point presentation was delivered and Scouts participated in a conversation.  Training Coordinator Bryan Moreau, who organized the session and created the presentation, says, “We try to teach the Scouts that they have a responsibility to sometimes take the Leadership role, the same way different geese will take the lead position in the “V” formation.  The leadership skill can be applied in serving your patrol, your troop, your company, your church, your community, any organization.  Scouts should feel especially compelled to serve in this capacity because of the training and leadership experiences they have had.”