In an effort to provide improved educational and recreational activities for Grundy County Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, a trust has been formed to provide a way for funds to be obtained for that purpose.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
In an effort to provide improved educational and recreational activities for Grundy County Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, a trust has been formed to provide a way for funds to be obtained for that purpose.
The Trust for Benefit of Grundy County Scouts, a 501 (c) (3) organization, has been formed, with representatives of both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts serving on a five-member board of trustees. Kevin Bailey, scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 97, serves as president of the trustees, which also has as current members Tim Allnutt, scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 99; Connie Hoffman, treasurer, who is the leader for Girl Scout Troop 96; Beth Mack, secretary; and Dean Sager, members at large.
?Our goal is to acquire some land and build facilities on it to further the educational and recreational opportunities for the scouting youth in our county,? Bailey said.
Bailey said the group is hoping to acquire land, whether through a donation or through the acquisition of grant funds that would allow the group to make the purchase itself. Having the land would allow for the development of an area for all county scouts to use. In particular, Bailey said there is a need for a year-round building that can be used in all types of weather so activities don?t have to be postponed or cancelled due to weather conditions.
As for how much land is needed, Bailey said that would depend on where it is located. If the land was adjacent to a public land, such as Crowder State Park, it could be smaller in size because the public land could also be used for activities such as hiking, etc. If the land is not located adjacent to a public land, then 20 to 30 acres would be ideal.
?Kids tend to wander,? he explained. ?And we want to be good neighbors. We wouldn?t want to have a piece of land that was so small that we had kids who would be going on to someone else?s land accidentally. Also, from a safety standpoint, you don?t want kids too close to someone else?s land when it?s deer season.?
Bailey said there has been talk about forming this type of organization for some time, but getting the ball rolling was tough. A grant from the former Rural Community Foundation provided funds for the legal and tax-exempt work that was necessary. With that part now completed, Bailey said the group is ready to begin applying for grants and accepting donations for the project. The group has about four years to ?justify? its tax-exempt status, he said, although he hopes that can be accomplished sooner. The first step, though, is to acquire land.
?We?ve talked about this for so long, about what we want to do and what we could build and offer, but it always comes back to the same thing: where are we going to put it? Hopefully, we can get that question answered.?
Bailey pointed out that Grundy County has always been a strong scouting community and even though participation in Boy Scouts has been on the decline from a national standpoint, it remains strong here. He also noted that while only about 3 percent of scouts nationally earn the rank of Eagle Scout, the percentage in the last two graduating classes at Trenton High School has been about 30 to 40 percent. Although scouting, for both boys and girls, is popular here, Bailey said he knows the organizations will have to change somewhat with the times in order to keep kids interested. One thing they are always interested in, he noted, is the outdoors, so a facility of this type would be very beneficial. It would also help young troops who are just starting and don?t have a lot of camping equipment.
Bailey said there are several ways for supporters to make donations to the trust, including through the donation of land (for which a tax credit would be given) as well as cash, stocks or estate planning, among others. In addition, Bailey said there are many other ways to help with the project, such as providing labor and other in-kind services or volunteering to help with the fund-raising and planning involved with the project.
For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation, persons may contact Bailey or any of the other board members listed above.