Local Scouts March Into 2011

The Boy Scouts of America organization is constantly evolving, while also striving to maintain true to its roots and core principles. West Deptford's Troop 9 personifies the changes, as the troop ranks swell and the boys focus on scouting principles. Still, they are faced with modern challenges.

When Scoutmaster Rich Clauser took over West Deptford's Boy Scout Troop 9 three-and-a-half years ago, there were nine active scouts. Today there are 36. The growing troop is finding today's economic environment a challenge lately.

Luckily, this future-minded troop has already taken steps to accommodate their numbers and the challenges of today.

“We have 31 adults that show on our paperwork,” said Clauser. Notice that he didn’t say registered adult leaders. “We’re always looking for leaders, though. Eagle Scouts would be a huge benefit to us right now.”

That being said, Clauser still encourages parents and other adults to volunteer even if they don’t have a scouting background. He and his right-hand man, Assistant Scoutmaster George MacAdams, were not scouts as children, but joined leadership when their sons entered Cub Scouts together.

“They’re not easy positions to fill,” said Clauser. “People have a lot of commitment going on right now, working dual jobs—it’s hard to get the time.”

Clauser considers himself lucky, having a work schedule that allows him the time. He has been on every camping trip since he and his son Zach started with the troop, despite not being a scout as a child.

“I’m just a big kid at heart,” Clauser said. “I have just as much fun as the boys do when we go out on the weekend.”

Unfortunately, not all of the adult leaders have the time to do this.

In addition, the cost of camping trips and supplies can be daunting at times. For many, this might seem like reason enough to cut back on camping trips and other activities. Troop 9 is still barreling forward. But how do they do it? 

The answer: fundraisers. The troop engages in hoagie sales, soccer tournament weekends, food sales at West Deptford Day and other fundraisers throughout the year in which the scouts themselves are made responsible for the majority of the organization of the event and the work done.

Each scout earns money for their “scout account” which can be used to pay for everything from uniforms to camping trips. At their most recent hoagie sale, the scouts tallied how many hours each scout worked and were then paid an hourly wage that was based on the total profit.

Connie Brown has been working with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in the West Deptford area for more than 20 years, and views the scout accounts quite fondly. She never had to pay for any of her children’s supplies or trips.

“My sons, they pay for just about every trip they go on, because they make the fundraisers,” Assistant Scoutmaster MacAdams said of his sons Michael and Ryan.

“As a scout, you know that one of the beliefs is that the boy earns his own way, and it’s always been that way,” says Clauser. “We are very fundraiser-oriented.”

The troop’s next fundraising endeavor will be to assist the “sponsors of Troop 9” in a spaghetti dinner on April 10. This is mostly because the boys of Troop 9 selected a particularly pricey yet exciting summer camp this year: Ockanickon.

The Pipersville, PA, camp offers a series of coveted attractions on top of the typical merit badge counseling, but costs around $400 for the week. 

“It’s hard,” said Clauser. “A lot of parents aren’t working now, or just one parent is working. This will help offset the costs.”

The spaghetti dinner fundraiser will be run by parents and supporters of Troop 9, and not officially the troop itself because a Chinese auction is planned. The proceeds will go to supporting the boys of the Troop 9.

The ever-ambitious troop and its supporters are currently advertising for this event on Comcast channel 5 and in The Gloucester County Times.

This advertising venture seems only apropos, considering that the face of the Boy Scouts of America has been changing nationally, and troops are being called to keep up with the times. West Deptford’s Troop 9 has answered that call.

“There’s a lot more offered online,” Clauser said. According to Clauser they currently use the site scoutlander.com, which offers free webhosting to troops and provides an efficient, environmentally friendly way to communicate to scouts and their parents.

They also use another new online component to scouting, Troopmaster, which helps leaders keep accurate records of what advancement requirements the scouts have completed and what achievements they have earned.

When the boys go off to summer camp, their merit badge counselors have computers where they keep track of the boys’ progress. Computers labs are even offered there for the scouts to do research.

To keep up with modern trends, the BSA now also has “stricter two-deep leadership,” said Connie Brown, referring to the statute that two adults must be present at all times around scouts. This and a national focus on creating a welcoming, hazing-free environment may be what are attracting more boys back to scouting.

“I want a safe haven for all boys here. I want them to all feel welcome,” said Clauser, who considers his troop to be like a family. 

 As far as hazing is concerned, “hazing still happens,” said Clauser, referring to scouting in general, “you hear the stories.”

 Troop 9 deals with this their own way.

“When you walk in this building all attitudes go out of the room,” said Clauser.

If a scout gets out of line, they call their parents to take them home. So far, he has yet to have to do this, but the consequence is known. He considers the troop “an equal opportunity for every boy out here.” 

So what’s next for this dynamic troop of tomorrow?

They currently have two scouts working on their Eagle projects, a community service-based project which allows them to earn the highest rank in scouting—Eagle Scout.  

One of the projects involves re-working the fields and dugouts at a baseball field in National Park as well as performing some landscaping and clearing the access road.

The other scout is working on getting three flag poles in front of the American Legion in Woodbury, along with re-doing the lighting, landscaping, paving and adding a public address system for ceremonies and events.

And despite these scouts ingenuity and grit, they could always use a hand.