Boy Scout Troop 149 held a ceremony at Grace Community Church in February to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The troop was founded in June 1991 under the direction of Scout Master Dave Read.The troop has been a nationally recognized quality unit for the past 10 years.During the ceremony, Grace Community Pastor Pat Jeffrey gave a blessing, and Greg Gosselin addressed the attendees: “We’re pretty proud of the 20 years we’ve had out here. We appreciate all the support we’ve received from the community.”Scout Master Randy Blevins said, “I think it’s awesome that we’ve had 20 years of service so far, and I look forward to the next 20.” Jack Spears, former unit commissioner from 2000 to 2008, said he was proud to see the growth of the troop, not only as a whole, but individually as well. “I find it very rewarding to see the boys grow up,” he said.Troop 149 has served 300 scouts in its 20-year existence and currently serves 36 scouts and 26 adults. Twenty-seven scouts have been promoted to the rank of Eagle Scout since 1991, with three more expected to achieve the rank within a month.Nationally, 4 percent of Boy Scouts will be promoted to Eagle Scout on average. Troop 149’s average is 10 percent. Last year, the troop participated in 28 service projects, equaling 384 hours of work. They also collected 1,675 pounds of food they donated to Helping Hands Food Pantry.”People in this area know us, and they know what we do, and they expect big things from us,” said former Scout Master Ron West.
