The Boy Scouts of America and Saint Francis Boy Scout Troop 658
As a parent, you want your son to grow up to be a person of worth, self-reliant, dependable, and a caring individual. Scouting has these same goals in mind for him.
Boy Scouting is an exciting program for youth and adults who want to share in the development of young people. In 1923 Saint Francis Xavier Church became the charter organization establishing Boy Scout Troop 658. In signing the charter, church leaders made the commitment to adopt the program concepts and values of the Boy Scouts of America as an integral part of their outreach to the youth of the community. For over 87 years, Saint Francis Boy Scouts has provided that educational program for our boys and young adults. Saint Francis Boy Scout Troop 658 is a regional Boy Scout Unit serving youth in Winooski, Colchester, Milton and the surrounding communities. We are the oldest, continuously sponsored Boy Scout Troop in the State of Vermont.
Since 1923 we have been weaving lifetime values into fun and educational activities designed to assist parents in strengthening character, developing good citizenship, and enhancing physical fitness in our youth.
These values help your son make good decisions throughout his lifetime and give him confidence as he becomes an adult leader of tomorrow. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to serve others by helping to instill values in our young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices during their lifetime in achieving their full potential. With all the negative influences in today’s society, Scouting provides your son with a positive peer group and a program that is fun and adventurous and helps him to “be prepared” to shape his own future.
How Do I Join The Boy Scouts?
Boys, who are interested in the Boy Scouting program and are thinking about joining our Troop, are welcome to attend one of our Sunday meetings at 6:30pm in the Boy Scout Room at Saint Francis Xavier School in Winooski, Vermont. Since we offer a year round program, boys can signup at anytime of the year. Our Troop meets most weeks during the school year. Boys will have a chance to meet our Scouts, participate in some fun activities and see how our boy lead program works. We can answer any questions you may have regarding the program, uniforms, the Boy Scout Handbook and the application process. Additional information is explained in the Troop Handbook that can be found in the Troop Information section of our web site. If you have a question for the Scoutmaster, please feel free to use the contact us page on the Troop Web Site.
The Boy Scout Program
· A Troop and Patrol centered program for boys in sixth grade through senior high school designed to build and foster lifetime skills.
· Program builds self-esteem, self-reliance, and self-respect through a blend of outdoor experiences, educational and instructional skills, recognition, values building, and fun.
· Among the activities offered are: more than 120 hobby and career skills available through the merit badge and career skills program, year-round camping and outside activities, an honor camping society, recognition, leadership training, service projects, and special events, summer camp, and high adventure programs.
· Outdoor activities include: hiking, camping, swimming, lifesaving, boating, canoeing, rowing, sailing, skiing, archery, rifle, fishing, pioneering, geology, wilderness survival, sports, gardening.
· Hobby and career skills include: first aid, horsemanship, stamp collecting, aviation, bird study, computers, cooking, dog care, emergency preparedness, engineering, firemanship, forestry, handicap awareness, journalism, law, nature, accounting, photography, public speaking, reading, scholarship, space exploration, weather, theater, wood carving, citizenship, rock climbing, construction, electronics, to name a few.
· Boys and adult leaders meet weekly as a Troop, monthly for an overnight or weekend camp-out, or other outdoor activities.