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Boy Scout Troop 711 visited the Kern Valley Exchange Club the afternoon of
Thursday January 23, at Paradise Cove Lodge.
Star level Boy Scout Deegan Powers and Scoutmaster Brian Powers came to talk about what is new with the troop, and how it has grown, in recent months.
Deegan thanked the club for lunch. He said, "I've been with the troop three years. And it's made a lot of progress. When I first started it was a group of four boys." The troop was so small back then that when the boys went to summer camp other troops had to come help them complete activities.
The troop recently had its oldest scout age out, and make it to Eagle Scout, Deegan explained. "Now we're at ten people. We're working on our ranks. And we've had multiple Eagle Scouts, since that, two exactly, and that's a big accomplishment," he said. There are two more boys headed toward attaining their Eagle Scout ranks in the next few years.
Summer camp is something the boys look forward to according to Deegan. The troop has been to Catalina and Chawanakee. This year they're going to the local camp Whitsett, where the boys have done service projects. Deegan said it is an enormous camp. "When we went the last time we were replacing signs for them," he said
The troop is currently working on refurbishing an enclosed trailer to use for
their camping gear. The troop is in need of some new supplies. "The troop is a great resource for boys looking to, in the future, becoming great citizens of America," Deegan said.
The troop meets Monday nights, 6pm at the Kern River Valley Senior Center. Boy Scouts can be ages 11 to 18. Cub Scouts meet at 630 at the same building.
Scoutmaster Brian Powers, is Deegan’s father. Brian is of the seventh generation from the Bob Powers family. He said, "I’m just super honored and proud to see not only the development and the growth that's happened with my son but the other boys in the troop. It's an honor to be part of it," he said.
One of the things the scoutmaster tells the boys is that a lot of the things they're learning earning their merit badges to, "Be Prepared," which is the Boy Scout motto, he had to learn the hard way.
Powers said he worked in the Forest Service for six years and currently works for the fire department. He said he learned to be prepared in those work situations. He instructs the boys giving them a preparedness list. The troop was struggling to gain traction before and is now attaining merit badges and a big step for their troop was attaining its trailer they're refurbishing.
The troop has purchased a number of new tents that are not leaky and is working on attaining other tools they need.
The projects the boys are working on for Eagle Scout rank are service projects. Usually these are projects, which include fundraising and can include other Boy Scouts of his troop or other family members or adults or all of these. Sometimes the troop’s plans include projects to help the schools, churches, or the community.
The troop has its own committee, which determines the boys’ activity calendar, including their trips and projects.
Not long from now a couple scouts would bridge over from Webelos, Cub Scouts, to Boy Scouts
The troop recently had some fundraisers, one of which was their very first Christmas Tree Lot Sale, and a separate Christmas Wreath Sale. They had about 230 trees and they struggled to get the last 30 sold. Someone from the community came and donated for several of the last trees they sold to give to some families that could not afford a Christmas tree. An idea the troop had was considering donating five or ten trees,
per fundraiser, to families that cannot afford a Christmas tree.
President of the club, Fred Roach gave the troop a donation, from the Kern Valley Exchange Club.