By Sandy Meyer
Boy Scout Troop 632 in Lithia recently completed its annual spring fundraiser in which more than 9,700 bags of mulch were sold and delivered to homes in FishHawk, Brandon, Valrico and Plant City.
FishHawk Fellowship Church is the troop’s sponsor and the boys meet at the church weekly to work on life skills education, leadership development, citizenship, and values training. The scouts range in age from 10-and-a-half to 17-years-old. Scouting serves an important role to the young males in the community. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Kristy Hernandez is the adult volunteer that has spearheaded the annual mulch fundraiser effort, and each year it has been more successful than the last. This is the third year with sales doubling last year and quadrupling the initial year.
“The idea for this fundraiser sprang from a desire to interact and serve our local community and raise funds to pay for the scout’s summer camp, replace aging equipment and help the scouts pay their dues,” said Hernandez.
The month of February was the perfect opportunity to launch this fundraiser with many local homeowners looking to refresh their mulch beds for spring.
“We found a way to allow the boys to provide a service, learn the value of hard work and to interact with the local community. And hard work it was,” Hernandez added.
Six flatbed semi-trucks dropped off 131 seven-foot tall pallets at FishHawk Fellowship Church on Friday, February 26. During that weekend, the scouts and their family members delivered the more than 9,700 bags of mulch to over 550 homes. In the end, the scouts and their families volunteered 730 man-hours that weekend.
Thanks to the support of the local community, scouts from Troop 632 will have earned funds to help pay for their annual summer camp. This year the troop will be traveling to Camp Daniel Boone in North Carolina.
For more information on joining a local troop, visit www.scouting.org.
