We just had a tragic situation with one of our families. They lost their home in a fire about two weeks ago. The dad is a very active ASM and the son is one of our senior leaders. They lost almost everything they own.

 

Everyone in the community rallied around them and took them food, gave them gift cards, took them shopping for clothes, etc. I have no idea how much was given from our troop members, but it was a lot. After a few days, and the shock wore off, I realized that they had lost all their scouting stuff. Uniforms, patches, certificates, etc., not to mention camping gear and such. I sent out an e-mail to the troop families who had already done so much for them, and told them I wanted to replace their uniforms. I went out to Scoutstuff.org and calculated the cost of everything for both of them, and even her mother's pins going back to Cub Scouts. It totaled nearly $300!

 

The cost wasn't that big a surprise to me. And I was confident I'd get enough donated. Well, our wonderful troop did even more. I was blown away with their generosity. To date I have been given over $500. And that's from a small troop of 20 families, with several that don't have the financial means to help. On top of that, our DE purchased the supplies through the district, which saved us a lot on the purchase. With the extra, they'll be able to start replacing their lost gear.

 

My Scoutmaster's minute last week touched on the different points of the scout law that I had seen put in action. It's such a great thing to see people come together to help each other out. This is a family that has given and given all their lives, and now we had a chance to give back to them. It's not just a "scout thing"; it's the "right thing". And I'm proud of our community - the churches, the band, school friends and, yes, scouts, who have joined together to exhibit such love and generosity.

Thanks.

 

Often times its the saddest stories that are the best. No doubt, it will take years for this family to recover from this tragedy, but I suspect they are beginning to realize that ultimately they will gain more than they lost. Furniture and clothes and toys can be replaced. But good friends like they have in your troop and community is what matters the most.

Thanks for sharing the story. Sorry for the family, but it does uplift your spirit to see how the community came together to help in their time of need.