Youth extols value of Scouting
Jake Wilke is no tenderfoot when it comes to Scouting. He’s been involved with the Scouts program for almost six years now, first as a Cub Scout and now working on his second-class Boy Scout rank with Troop 1903 in Lakeside after earning his Tenderfoot rank last July.
The 12-year-old son of Jeff and Kristy Wilke of Lakeside wrote the Inter Lake last week on behalf of his troop to say thanks to the Flathead Valley and Lakeside Community Chapel, which the troop is chartered by, for supporting Scouting and the investment the community has made in the Scouts’ lives.
“The Boy Scouts of America was founded on Feb. 8, 1910, and this year marks the 106th anniversary of Scouting in America!” Jake wrote. “Living in Northwest Montana — with its lakes, wildlife, plants, trails and mountains makes it the perfect place to grow up and enjoy Scouting. Being a Boy Scout has been so much fun as we have biked, hiked, kayaked and camped all over the area.”
Last year Troop 1903 also ran food drives for the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry, helped with a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Family Room at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, carried toys out for Toys for Tots, picked up trash in Glacier National Park, and recycled and taken care of trash at the Dragon Boat Races in Lakeside.
“The most fun project was trash pick-up in Glacier Park,” Jake says. “Everyone was working together and we were running around looking for trash to pick up.”
Not all projects the troop tackles are easy, though. Jake says last fall’s veterans food drive was the most difficult.
“It was freezing cold and I was tempted to keep going inside Smith’s. We collected 1,160 pounds of food for the veterans for Thanksgiving.”
Troop 1903 is doing another food drive for the veterans food pantry from 2 to 4 p.m. March 16 in front of Smith’s in Kalispell.
Jake says he likes helping people and all the fun projects the Scouts get to do.
Who wouldn’t? Last year they got to camp on Melita Island on Flathead Lake for a week, bike up Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier Park, kayak 70 miles down the Missouri River and eat rattlesnake (Jake claims it literally tastes just like chicken) and backpack to Wolverine Lake.
So far this year they went to Klondike Winter Camp, went rock climbing at The Summit, went skiing and took a field trip to Proof Research.
Jake says he’s looking forward to going to the Scouts’ Camp Easton in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for a week in July.
It sounds like with all the experiences and challenges Jake and his troop have had that they are all living by the official Boy Scout slogan, “Do a Good Turn Daily” and especially by the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared.”
Community editor Carol Marino may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at community@dailyinterlake.com.