In August, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) awarded sisters Lauren Nedrow and Lyndsey Nedrow their Venturing Summit Awards at a Summit Court of Honor ceremony held at the Brownstown Emmanuel United Methodist Church. Family members and Scouts from Venturing Crew 1861, Troop 82, and Venturing Crew 82 were present. The master of ceremonies was Erin Blank, Scoutmaster of Troop 82.
Known as one of BSA's rarest achievements, the Venturing Summit Award is the highest award in the Venturing program. It is estimated that fewer than 50 Summit Awards are presented each year to youths among BSA's 2 million Scouts and 192,000 Venturers.
BSA's Venturing program focuses on adventure, leadership, personal growth, and service. Lauren and Lyndsey have spent four years as active members and officers of New Birth of Freedom Council's Venturing Crew 1861 of Gettysburg. In addition to traditional Scouting activities, Crew 1861 portrays a Civil War fife and drum corps and participates in major re-enactments, community parades and events. Crew 1861's members hail from Maryland and southcentral Pennsylvania, and the group is chartered by the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association.
Both Lauren and Lyndsey were youth leaders for the New Birth of Freedom Council contingent at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree. Lyndsey received the New Birth of Freedom Council's Venturing Leadership Award for her leadership qualities, particularly at the National Jamboree.
Lauren and Lyndsey also applied their leadership experience to form the new Scouts BSA Troop 82 in Brownstown, which the troop reported is the first girls' troop in Pennsylvania Dutch Council, and Venturing Crew 82, which provides high adventure experiences for young men and women. Lyndsey also sought inclusion of female youths in the Order of the Arrow, BSA's honor society. Earlier this year, Lauren and Lyndsey became members of the first group of young women and Venturers to be elected into the Order of the Arrow.
The Nedrow sisters have received BSA's Venturer, Discovery, and Pathfinder awards on the advancement track to the Summit Award, and both Scouts have also earned the Ranger Award for mastering outdoor skills. In addition, Lauren earned the Quest Award for fitness and sports.
As part of their Summit Award requirements, the sisters also completed service projects. Lauren's butterfly garden will promote a healthy environment for monarch butterflies at the Ephrata Cloister, and Lyndsey's trophy case will display the accomplishments of the Conestoga Valley Swim Team at the Leola Pool.
Lyndsey is a freshman at Gettysburg College, and Lauren is a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh.
For more information about Pack, Troop, and Crew 82, readers may visit http://www.BSA82.org. Information about Venturing Crew 1861 is available at http://www.fieldmusic.org and http://www.GBPA.org.
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