Sometimes, there are tears – not of sorrow, but of joy.
As the young, teenaged boy, dressed in his Boy Scout uniform, hands the wrapped Christmas gift to the elderly man, there is a swell of emotion. It’s a special Christmas moment, one this man, whose family members have died, wouldn’t otherwise have had.
And it’s a special moment Lacey’s Boy Scout Troop 222 shares every December at the Nisqually Valley Care Center. First, about 70 Boy Scouts from Troop 222 sing Christmas carols. Then they chat individually with an elderly person living at the nursing home.
“Sometimes, that’s enough of a gift right there,” said Chris Panush, the scoutmaster for Troop 222.
The experience of being a Boy Scout can be focused on earning merit badges, on camping and on ultimately earning an Eagle Scout credential. But not so with Troop 222. Throughout the year, they are also connected to community, helping with a variety of projects.
For years, Troop 222 has handed out Christmas gifts at Nisqually Valley Care Center, the long-term care facility in Yelm. They’ve also picked up Christmas trees from homes throughout Lacey, hung U.S. flags on the street lamps in Lacey on holidays, and set American flags on the graves of servicemen at a local cemetery on Memorial Day. They also work with Lacey’s WIN (Work Involvement Now) conservation projects, doing clean-up jobs.
Last year, about 50 Boy Scouts from Troop 222, which was established in 1987 and is chartered by the Lacey Sunrise Lions Club, showed up at the Woodland Creek Community Center to spread beauty bark.
Troop 222 stays busy. In addition to meeting three times a month, they go camping once a month and volunteer on community projects. With every parent who brings their son to a Boy Scout meeting for the first time, Panush has a little talk.
“I say my goal is not to have your son become an Eagle Scout,” Panush said. “Of course, that freaks them out.”
The objective is to keep that young boy in the program for the long haul, involving him in a variety of things. That busy, get involved schedule is led by about 15 men who volunteer their expertise.
“I’m really blessed to have a really good adult leadership team that’s got a very diverse background,” Panush said. “They help guide the troop.”
Some are really active outdoorsmen, campers who share their insight. Some help with more advanced merit badges. Others just want to be there and go camping with the boys.
“I think it allows us to offer a very dynamic program,” Panush said.
Christy and Mike Quebedeaux are supporters of Troop 222. They’ve seen the troop’s impact on their son, Andrew, who is now a junior at North Thurston High School and has been with this Boys Scout troop for several years. Andrew is about to become an Eagle Scout.
“I think it’s fabulous,” Christy said about the impact of Troop 222. “I have seen him grow from a little Tiger Scout when he was 7-years-old, into a young man.”
That growth and maturity has been a result of the community projects, opportunities for troop members to learn to speak in front of people and the challenge of working on their merit badges.
“It’s making him more of a well-rounded young man,” Christy said about her son. “It’s great to see your son grow in that way.”
Even with Troop 222’s emphasis on community projects, they still manage to be productive in their pursuit of earning badges. This year alone, they’ll have five or six earn the prestigious Eagle Scout award. Nationwide, the average number of Boy Scouts who go on to earn their Eagle is about six percent. With Troop 222, it’s just about 20 percent. They’ve had about 51 earn that honor over the years.
It’s all about mixing fun camping outings with learning life lessons.
“Absolutely, we try to provide those outdoor skills,” Panush said. “And whatever it takes for them to become a good citizen, as well as those skills that they may or may not get at home. Scouting fills in the cracks between family and school, religious activities, sports, band, the fine arts. It fills in between the cracks of all those other programs.”
As the Boy Scout motto says, “On my honor, I’ll do my best to do my duty to God and my country.”
It’s a mission Troop 222 takes seriously.
