 When the 9 o'clock hour arrived, it was all business as the Cub
Scouts from Troops 101, 105 and 111 along with the Girl Scouts from
Troops 6344, 6193 and 6419 set about the business at hand.
The event began with a call to order by Cub pack leader Jason
Schafer. He welcomed everyone and talked about all the donations
that had been made to the day's events.
Breakfast had been provided by the Mel-O-Cream doughnut shop in
town, and when the group finished up at noon they would have lunch
compliments of Subway, Little Caesars, Bonanza and McDonald's.
Schafer thanked Alderwoman Kathy Horn, who is an employee of and
community ambassador for Kroger, for securing soft drinks for lunch
and bottled water for the kids to carry with them as they worked.
Schafer also noted that Qik-n-EZ had provided bags of ice to keep
all the beverages cold.
In addition, he said that Eaton Corp. had donated 30 pairs of
puncture-resistant gloves for the kids, as well as all the trash
bags they would need for their collections.
And finally, he noted that the Beck's station on the city's west
side had provided gas for all the vans that would be used to
transport the kids around town.
Everyone attending for the day was asked to sign in and to record
their hours of service when they were finished. Schafer said the
hours would be counted in the Good Turn for America program, as well
as going toward merit badges for the individual Scouts.
The Good Turn for America program, which was created by the Boy
Scouts of America, is a collaboration of the Scouts, Habitat for
Humanity, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Girl Scouts of
America in a national call to service that through volunteerism
hopes to help provide adequate food and shelter and develop good
health habits in our nation. The annual ScoutSweep qualifies as a
Good Turn for America project under the litter cleanup and
beautification category.
Hours of service are logged and reported to the national
organization. To date the program has logged a total of 11,878,821
hours nationwide.
Schafer also told the group that he had heard from Brian Miller,
the director of the Crossroads District of the W.D. Boyce Council of
the Boy Scouts of America, that the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts would
all receive badges for their cleanup efforts, compliments of the
council.
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Before finishing his part of the morning program, Schafer
expressed thanks to Alderwoman Joni Tibbs for attending their
kickoff and told the kids that this year Mayor Keith Snyder would
not be able to attend because of a conflict. Snyder was attending
the graduation ceremonies at Lincoln Christian University.
After the group paid honor to the American flag, Cub pack leader
Chad Bennett stepped in and talked to everyone about having fun but
staying safe. He reminded the Scouts of their buddy system, which
never leaves them alone in an unfamiliar area, cautioned them to be
careful as they picked up trash and to listen to the instructions of
the adult leaders who would accompany their groups.
By 9:30 everyone was on their way. Some of the kids were
transported to various parts of town, while others set out on foot,
walking and picking up trash along their way to the downtown square
area.
At noon, everyone reunited at Latham Park to enjoy a meal
together. In spite of a morning of walking and work, everyone was
still full of energy, and the play area was checked out thoroughly
by all the kids.
Schafer said that this year there were no big monetary surprises
like last year, when the Scouts found a $50 bill lying on the
street, but they did gather several bags of trash and were thrilled
to find an entire car fender along their route.
[By NILA SMITH]
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