Howdy Scouts! This week I found a tremendous amount of stories out there about Scouts who were lending a helping hand and giving back to their communities.
So this edition of “Scouting Week In Review” is going to feature a few stories of how Scouts across the country are doing things to help – some customary, some pretty ingenious. As always, I wanted to add so many more stories than I have room for.
Hopefully these heartwarming stories will give you and your Troop additional ideas to help those around you this holiday season and beyond!
Young California Man Reaches Eagle Scout Rank By Helping Hundreds
Sam Haws, a member of Boy Scout Troop 331 in California, completed his Eagle Scout project by collecting, assembling and donating over 1,000 dental hygiene kits to his local volunteer Dental Center who provide free and reduced-cost dental services to those in need.With a history of dental workers in his family, it didn’t take much for Sam to figure out what he was going to do for his project. Treating around 150 patients per month, Sam’s donation will last several months and should help over 1,000 people.
What a great idea and what a great job! Read the whole story here – Eagle Scout Project Helps Dental Center.
Boy Scouts In California Go Above And Beyond With Food Drive
Most of you probably participated in the annual food drive last week. Did you try something new that increased collections? We want to know how things went for you this year. Let us know in the comments below!
In California, things are no different, but Long Beach’s Troop 224 doesn’t stop there. Every year, they visit the local Salvation army and lend their helping hands to sort, stack and store several tons of food collected during the drive.
Way to go guys! Here’s the full story – Long Beach-Area Scouts Help Salvation Army with Good Deeds.
New Jersey Troop Host Local Spaghetti Dinner
Boy Scout Troop 150 of Sparta, New Jersey, recently sponsored a free spaghetti lunch for Sparta Seniors, for the 4th year in a row.
Sometimes we forget that when it comes to our senior population, a simple get-together like this one can go a really long way! Troop 150 sure knows it!
Great job, guys – Scouts Serve Spaghetti at Knoll Heights.
Oregon Troop Collecting Old Medications
OK, here’s a project that you don’t hear about every day. In Hermiston, Oregon, the local Boy Scout troop is coordinating a drug take-back day, when people can drop off unwanted, unused or outdated medications.
Medications should NEVER be flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash. Medications of all types can be harmful or even fatal when not prescribed to you by a doctor. This medication “take back” eliminates the chance of the meds getting into the wrong hands and could definitely save a life!
Great example of Scouts helping their community. Read the whole story here – Drug take-back day – East Oregonian: News. Another great job!
Scouts Help Renovate Local Library
Also part of an Eagle Scout project, Jonathan Ruebke of Harvey County, Kansas, along with his troop are renovating a local library. They have already gathered donations from local suppliers to build new shelves for all the new book that will be coming in during the book drive that they are also planning!“Usually teenagers get a bad rap but I want to show people what teenagers can do,” says Ruebke.
You tell ’em, Jonathan. Read the whole story here and find out more about the project – Boy Scouts renovate Harvey County Library.
Well, that’s it for this week, guys. As usual, we encourage everyone to leave a comment below with your thoughts and comments. Or, if there is a story we missed, you can let us know too.
Tell all your Scouting buddies about us and we’ll see you next week!
ClassB has long been an advocate for volunteerism, and we do a lot of work with kids and teens as well. That is why we wanted to share with you what a big difference volunteering can make in a child’s life.
Plus, volunteering can teach them skills that they will use later in life, it can teach them compassion and responsibility, and it can help them to realize all the things that they have to be thankful for; things that most children simply take for granted.
This week, the national 4-H Council announced another significant grant opportunity and youth development program. Funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, this grant is available to 4-H members in all 50 states.
This is an exceptional grant opportunity for those who are willing to get out there and do some serious work! Grantees will recreate one of three documented programs at two different sites (sites can recreate different programs), reaching at least 60 youth per site for a total of 120 youth. Sites must target at-risk or high-risk youth populations ages 8 through 17 years.
You can learn all about the grant and the three programs you can choose from here – 
This month marked a nationally collective effort to gather food for the homeless and hungry. Food banks and pantries all over the country look forward to the annual Boy Scouts Food Drives because, for most of them, they provide the biggest donation of food for the entire year.
Back in April, James (12) and Austin (7) Fackrell were enjoying a vacation at Six Flags in Vallejo, California with their parents.
Today, the National 4-H Council announced that they are teaming up 4-H Groups around the world in an effort to curb hunger across the globe. With help from some big named partners, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Cargill, DuPont, Motorola, and the Nike Foundation, the Council is launching a global initiative to, “create sustainable livelihoods and economic security for the next generation of farmers.” 
Our volunteer spotlight of the week shines on a Winona County 4-H Leader named Donna Speltz. Donna has been volunteering her time and energy to her local 4-H Groups for 50 years – that’s right, FIFTY YEARS!
Thursday is Veterans Day, a day that Americans honor those who have worn the uniform and courageously served in the United States Armed Forces.
Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mike trained his own dog to help him with his “invisible” disability. Once Mike realized how much it had helped him, he decided that he would create Halley’s K-9s for Veterans to provide trained dogs to veterans of all wars to help them overcome their disabilities and become more productive and functional.
In the coming weeks, we will be featuring grants and scholarships from specific states. This week, we’re going to focus on those offered in the state of Texas.
Hope Pierce Tartt Scholarship 
Finding More Texas State and National Grants
As we near the holiday season, it is easy to forget that some folks out there cannot afford a turkey dinner, some not even a special meal. The fact is that there are a lot of families right now that are having trouble simply putting food on their table.
Every year, thousands of food banks, churches and other organizations prepare and serve Thanksgiving dinner for those who cannot make it on their own. And there is a LOT of work involved.
Did you ever play with Legos when you were a kid? I know I did – and I loved them. Somehow I think the students below will be a step or two above my “Lego creativity.”
The Abington, Virginia 4-H Center was significantly damaged by recent violent storms. It wasn’t long before their story appeared in the local news – and the community rallied!
Hey there 4-H’ers! As you know, we are constantly on the lookout for new grants and scholarships available to 4-H members all over the country. But some of them are hard to find, so if you know of one that we’ve missed, please let everyone know by leaving a comment in the comment area below this post.
Are there a lot of ATV riders in your area? Do you think your community would benefit from ATV safety courses? Then this is a grant opportunity that you can’t pass up!
ATVs are fun and exciting, but very dangerous at the same time. Hundreds of Americans die every year from 