(as seen in the Sentinel & Enterprise, Fitchburg, MA; author: Jack Minch, jminch@sentinelandenterprise.com)
September 12, 2011, Leominster, MA -- The Cub Scout motto is: "Do Your Best." Mission accomplished.
Cub Scout Pack 24 formed at the Riverside Village low-income housing community two weeks ago. But, instead of asking parents to pay all the start-up costs and uniform expenses has started a series of fundraisers.
"Our plan is to make the pack self-sufficient," said Cubmaster Roland Hammons.
The pack's Tigers, Bears and Webelos were at the community clubhouse Saturday swarming cars with sponges and a hose for a car wash. The pack asked for donations and made $50 in the first hour and then kept up the pace throughout the afternoon and finished with $200. "We're very happy, everybody is very excited," said volunteer Heidi Stewart. "We did a lot better than we thought we would do."
The pack also held a cake sale shortly after being chartered Aug. 29. "We made $55 on 25-cent cupcakes," said Susan Bettencourt, the pack's advancement coordinator. Boys such as Jan Carlos, 8, Regun Kionga, 10, Emmanuel Pena, 10, Andrew St. Jean, 7, Izzy St. Jean, 9, Robbie Moran, 8, and Dominic and Joel DiNinno laughed and joked their way through the afternoon, sometimes covered in suds. "We get to clean a lot of cars and we get a lot of money," Jan Carlos said. They admitted the car wash wasn't all fun and games but wanted to help raise money anyway, Emmanuel Pena said. "I want to help the Cub Scouts and support them," he said.
Since the pack can't afford the traditional Scout uniforms it is making T-shirt uniforms, Bettencourt said. The Scouts will be able to earn badges working in the clubhouse's computer lab designing the shirts then making tie-dye the shirts, she said.
Stewart said she was a den mother when her 20- and 21-year-old sons were in Scouting and wanted to take part again with her son Robbie Moran.
Scouting teaches boys "to work together; responsibility for themselves and each other," Stewart said.
Dominic and Joel DiNinno's mother, Eileen Rodriquez, said the pack is still recruiting members even as it learns how to operate.
The initial recruiting effort attracted 23 boys.
"It's all new to us," Rodriquez said.
Assistant Cubmaster Richard Furr said the pack posted bulletins throughout the development recruiting and meets in the clubhouse Thursdays at 6 p.m.