Providing service to others is a cornerstone of Scouting. The holidays present many ways to help the community. Captain Amber Ohl, the Corps Officers of Bozeman’s Salvation Army and the Charter Organization Representative for Pack 3671, provided Mountain Valley with these helpful service ideas and a way to sign-up. Scout families, or units can:
- Angel tree set-up or food box packing
- Assist with sack lunch program
- Organize home goods pantry
Not only can your unit share the gift of your time through doing a holiday service activity such as helping at a food bank, but you can also help youths not yet in Scouts the chance to participate in giving service. How? You can do this by making a unit service event a Bring-a-Friend event. First, find a service event that your Scouts are excited to do. (Note: Service activities cannot raise money for another organization, such as bell ringing for the Salvation Army, although Scouts can do this with their own family (not in uniform). Next, make up a short flyer or post-card invitations for Scouts to take to their friends. You can also post the event on any social media or communication channels you use. Ask your Scouts what they think is the best way to invite their friends and adjust with their input. At the event, have someone whose job is to make people feel welcome. If you have a New Member Coordinator*, that is excellent. Bring information about the unit to the activity, or follow-up with information after the event if anyone asks for it. Make sure guests have your contact information in case they want to participate in something in the future or possibly come to another meeting. And don’t forget, extras like hot chocolate or some way to have some Scout fun and social time can be a great way to end a service outing.
Helping others feels great. Community service warms your heart, builds friendships, and even decreases stress. The mission of Scouting is to give every youth the opportunity to be a Scout. This season, take the small step of giving every youth you can reach the opportunity to feel like a Scout for a few hours through helping others.
* New Member Coordinator training is happening via Zoom on December 1, 7:30. More information and registration is here.
