Costs of Scouting

Wow! No wonder I keep getting the line that Scouting is too expensive for
"our son," to participate.

I seem to remember something in the Scout Law about thrift. That in-
cludes paying one's own way.

Randy and others are correct in that you can spend a LOT of money getting
a boy started in Scouting. Let me compare the costs in our troop to
Randy's.

Registration 7.00 Annual Troop Fee 25.00
Annual Dues 26.00 Includes: Registration
Boy's Life 8.00 Boy's Life
Scout Handbook 7.00 Insurance
Full Uniform 100.00 Weekly Dues (.50)x40 20.00
Summer Camp 150.00 (No troop meeting no dues)
Handbook 7.00
Basic Camping Gear 500.00 Summer Camp 100.00
Event Fees (Food, Gas) 150.00 Uniform Shirt 30.00
______ Event Fees $10 (avg.)
1st year total: $948.00 times 12 120.00
Personal camping gear,
Plastic fork, spoon
cup and bowl 0.00
Loaner backpack, bag
Tent, stove, cooking
gear from troop 0.00
______
$302.00

Our troop recognizes the high cost of uniforms and requires only the
BSA shirt and request green pants. We also have a uniform bank that
will loan the boy a shirt. When he gets a new one he returns the
original. Knock off $30. Same for the Handbook--knock off $7
If a boy is short on cash he can pay his dues and registration at $1
weekly. Total cost of joining the troop can be as low as $1 for the
first week.

Our council grants camperships as does our troop committee. Knock
off another $100.

Down to $163 for a hypothetical Scout's first year.

Our troop runs 3 main fundraising activites. A contract to pick up
trash, popcorn sales, and Scout Show tickets. The boy's earnings
from these fundraisers are credited to an escrow account. That ac-
count can be used to pay for any Scouting related expenses.

Trash pick up can generate $160 per Scout. A Scout can easily earn
$50 each selling popcorn and tickts for a total income of around $260
per year. A possible net profit of $93. Enough to by a decent
enough sleeping bag or backpack. By the time he is old enough to
go to Phillmont he can have earned the money to buy all his gear.

Scouting should be an activity that any young man can participate in.
Regardless of his family's finances. Maybe we should try to keep that
more fully in our minds.

Yours in the spirit of Scouting,

Dan O'Canna Lexington, Kentucky
mailto:ocanna@alpha.caer.uky.edu

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