By Melissa Sargent
Pack 127

Pack 127 has been experiencing an amazing fall. Since September we have doubled the number of scouts in our pack, enjoyed camping and campfires, enjoyed a presentation by bird expert Paul Noeldner, met with our community police officers and firefighters and even toured Northside effigy mound with the Ancient Earthworks Society of Wisconsin.

There are plenty of exciting opportunities ahead for Pack 127. We are planning our annual Pinewood Derby, getting ready to celebrate the birthday of scouting and will venture out on a number of fun outdoor activities. Additionally, this fall, based on the strength of our program and volunteer participation, we were selected to pilot the new Lion Den program that offers an introduction to Cub Scouting for kindergarteners.

Our Pack has long been a leader in pushing for greater inclusion in the scouting program, and we are excited to embrace the coming change to offer Cub Scouting to girls. We will start registering girls next summer for the fall 2018 program. The Cub Scout program will be yet another opportunity available to girls in kindergarten through 5th grade to help prepare them for a lifetime of success. It is important to note this does not replace Girl Scouts, which is a separate organization that offers a tremendous program to girls and young women. Cub Scouting will be a complimentary option for girls and their families.

While there are a number of options available to incorporate girls into Cub Scouting, we are excited to integrate girls into our Pack with girl specific dens. We will be looking for trailblazing girls and their families to join us on this long overdue and historic moment, and we appreciate those who have already expressed interest. While older girls have been an important part of Boy Scouting for years through the co-ed Explorers and Venture Crews, the iconic Boy Scout program was single gender. Boy Scouting will also be expanded to allow girls following the integration of Cub Scouting in 2019. These changes are exciting, and we are anxious to embrace them and make sure our girls have the same amazing scouting experiences and opportunities as our boys.

At the moment, Pack 127 is still looking for 5th grade boys to join the pack. We have a number of special adventures designed for this age, including an overnight cave exploration, a week-long summer camp, weekend campouts, nature hikes and more. Do you know a boy who may be interested? Please have them contact Assistant Cub Master Justin Sargent at 220-2342 (call or text).