For the members of Boy Scout Troop 51 in Elizabethtown, Scouting offers unlimited opportunities. The troop, which includes about 20 boys in grades six through 12, takes field trips, completes community service projects and learns new skills like first aid and knot tying.
"It's just fun," said Hunter Whitney, an eighth-grader at Elizabethtown Area Middle School. "You get to do things you normally wouldn't get to do. I also like hanging out with people and making friends."
Scoutmaster Bill Yoder has been leading the boys for three years and described the troop as a dedicated group, focused on challenging themselves. "These guys are energetic and enthusiastic," he stated of the troop that is part of the Boy Scouts of America Pennsylvania Dutch Council. "They want to make a difference."
Bill's son, Sam, is a freshman at Elizabethtown Area High School. He started Scouts in second grade. "It's been a great experience," Sam remarked. "It's given me a lot of chances to try things I know will be useful later in life." His favorite trips have included going rock climbing and whitewater rafting, as well as taking an Urban Challenge trip in April when the boys camped outside Pittsburgh and then explored the city. Other Urban Challenges the boys have taken include one to Washington, D.C., where they toured the White House, and one to Philadelphia, where they toured the National Constitution Center and Independence Hall.
For Evan Ott, an 11th-grader at Elizabethtown Area High School, the troop has provided not only opportunities to learn life skills, but also a chance to prove what he can do. He's almost finished with his Eagle project. "I built 20 bunk beds for people in the community," he stated, adding that he loves woodworking and science, and he hopes to be a robotics engineer someday.
In Scouts, Evan has learned archery, which he now practices regularly, and he said the chance to try new things is one of the many appeals of Boy Scouts. "I've been fishing and learned to fly fish through Scouts," he said. "I learned rifling, which was the first time I had handled a gun."
Throughout the year, the troop participates in fundraising activities, including a community car wash in March that helped raise money to pay for upcoming Scout activities. "The money we raised will help pay for summer camp at Camp Rodney (Scout Reservation), which is in Maryland," Bill noted. "It will also help with other troop expenses."
Evan said even though he only has one year left in Scouting, he is certain the experience will make a lifelong impact. "I like all of the people I've met through Scouts and all of the things we've done as a troop," he stated. "I like the idea that someday we'll be able to look back on everything we've done and say, 'Wow, that was fun.'"
For more information on Boy Scout Troop 51, visit http://www.etowntroop51.org. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America Pennsylvania Dutch Council, visit http://www.padutchbsa.org.
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