Scout Troop 42 Helps Kids in White Lake and Highland Learn, Grow, and Help Others
(Lilly Crossley, March 17, 2024)
Highland Township, White Lake, MI- Scout Troop 42 has been around since the early 90’s. This chartered organization is made up of boys from the ages of 11-17, and they meet once a week on Thursdays at White Lake Middle School.
The group participates in countless activities, many of them being instructive lessons that teach them about different things. Most of the time, these lessons correlate with the time of year, for the scouts recently learned about ice fishing and snowboarding. The troops also do a camp out every month, and for March the did a lock-in at a rock climbing center. The boys also have a week-long summer camp every year.
One fascinating part of the troop is that the scouts tend to lead their meetings rather than the adults. This teaches them great leadership and collaborative skills, for it gives them an opportunity to express their own thoughts and ideas with one another. They also learn how to plan and organize in these meetings, for the scouts themselves get to pick what they want to do each year for the activities, such as the different camp outs.
Scout Troop 42 does a lot for their community as well. They help shovel snow for those who may not be able to themselves, and they participate in food drives. The group has also helped build pavilions at local parks, and they volunteered in removing invasive species from the parks as well. Another activity that the scouts do is called Den Chiefs, where they visit the cub scouts, which is the K-5th grade group, and help those younger kids with their activities by teaching and participating with them. This is another great way to teach the scouts leadership, as well as how to be a role model, for the cubs love interacting with and looking up to the older kids.
There are more than 130 badges that the scouts can earn, leaving them “exposed to a wider range of interesting things,” says Amanda Edrington, a parent and leader of the troop.
Amanda, who works with new member recruiting and helping out new scouts once they sign up, has been involved, along with her husband, since her own son was in cub scouts. Now in 6th grade, Amanda’s son has been a part of Scout Troop 42 for about a year, and she loves seeing the “kind, caring, and considerate people” that are created within this group. All of Amanda’s children are a part of the scouts groups, including her daughter who is still in the cubs group at Lakewood Elementary School. “I love that these groups are giving my kids so many opportunities,” Amanda enthuses, “ones that they might not really get to do otherwise.”
For those that may want to get involved or are interested in learning more about Scout Troop 42, the group will be hosting an information open house on April 4th. It will be located at White Lake Middle School from 6:30-8pm. This is a great opportunity to see the amazing things the Troop has done for its community, as well as the kind, considerate kids that are made up of this admirable group.
Also check them out on Facebook.
