Troop 24 will participate in Riverside’s annual 1,000 Trees Planting Project – Saturday, November 23 from 10:00 a.m. – about 3:00 p.m. Volunteers should meet at the Riverside Scout Cabin for an information session on how to plant tree seeds. Following the training, volunteers are divided into teams to plant previously collected tree seeds in the village’s natural areas along the Des Plaines River. When the teams are done, they can report to the Scout Cabin to return their tools and enjoy soup, chili and hot cocoa by the warm indoor fireplace. This reforestation effort will be fun, rewarding and easy, and this project will earn scouts conservation service hours needed for rank advancement. Participants should wear warm clothes, gloves, boots and a hat, or whatever outerwear is appropriate for the day’s weather. Scouts do not need to commit to the entire time period to participate.

Scouts sign up here

Leaders/Adults sign up here

Ryan L. has been working on his Eagle Scout project of collecting sporting goods for children in need. The collection phase has reached its conclusion and Ryan is now looking for volunteers to sort the collected goods. The sort day will be on October 26 at 3:00 pm at Ryan’s house (you will receive an email with his address after you sign up). You will receive service hours for your help.
Sign up here

The Hofmann Dam River Rats Annual Fall River Clean-Up
Saturday, October 19, 2019
9 am to noon

Join the dedicated Hofmann Dam River Rats in their semi-annual litter cleanup along the banks of the Des Plaines River. Enjoy the outdoors and learn about the river while helping your local natural areas.

*Disposable gloves, bags, refreshments and training will be provided
*Dress for the weather and to work along the river. Wear sturdy shoes/boots, long sleeves and long pants that can get dirty, and work gloves. Dressing in layers and wearing a hat is recommended.
*Overflow parking is available at Stella’s (3903 Joliet Ave, Lyons)

Meet at the forest preserve area east of the Lyons side of the Barrypoint Bridge and the Hofmann Tower.

Work will include removing trash from the DesPlaines River and the river bank.
The Hofmann River Rats is a registered not-for-profit organization, service hours will be given.

Let us know if you can be there!
Scout Sign-Up
Adult Sign-Up

A message from our Voyageur Trace leaders:
The Voyager Trace District is looking for Scouts and adults to volunteer and assist in running the various activities taking place at the Cub Scout Adventure Day to be held on Saturday, September 28th, at Tampier Lake in Orland Park. This is a great event aimed at attracting new Cub Scouts and their parents to scouting.

This is an opportunity for Scouts to pitch in and help organize a really fun event for Cub Scouts. The District needs 2-3 Scouts to help out at various activities for three shifts: 8:30 to 10:30, 10:30 to 12:30 and 12:30 to 2:30. The activities will include helping to organize games (backyard bass fishing game, raingutter regatta to name a few). Note, if more Scouts would like to help out, that would be great and also greatly appreciated!

In addition to Scouts, the District is also looking for 2 or 3 adults to supervise and provide assistance for these same shifts. We will also need adults to help with the Cub Scout rocket launch that will be going on. If you’ve never launched Estes rockets, it’s a blast (literally)!

You do not have to volunteer for the entire event if you cannot. Even volunteering for one shift would be a great help!
Participating in this event will count as a troop/patrol outdoor activity for rank advancement requirements for Second Class and First Class (if you are Scout or Tenderfoot rank, you can work on Second Class and First Class requirements any time).

The event will take place 8:30 am to 2:30 pm at Tampier Lake – Shelter 1, Entrance on Will-Cook Road, south of 131st Street in Orland Park.

Let us know if you can help out the District with this event. Service hours will be given to scouts. Scouts must provide their own transportation or set up their own carpool. Please note that this is the same weekend as our Owasippe campout.

Sign up here

Keep reading below for another important post from Troop 24.

Boy Scouts need to complete service hours as a requirement for rank advancement. For the Life rank, at least three hours of this service must be conservation-related. Troop 24 is planning on participating in two local projects – please save the dates.

River Rats Fall Clean Up – Saturday, October 19th 9 am to noon.
1000 Trees Planting Project – Saturday, November 23rd 9 am to noon

Other Service Hour Opportunites:
The Frederick Law Olmstead Society (FLOS) and Village of Riverside offer a monthly Landscape Workday, with the next project taking place on Saturday, September 21 from 9am-12pm. Come for an hour or three, whatever your schedule allows. This is an individual opportunity (not a troop outing), and since Troop 24 leaders will not be at this workday, you need to bring the Troop 24 Service Hour Form, have it signed by your supervisor at the workday, and turn in in to Scoutmaster Lauger at the next troop activity. The FLOS workdays have been pre-approved as conservation service projects for Troop 24 scouts, so you do not need the service hour form signed ahead of time. Middle school and high school aged scouts may attend with or without their parent, but you must bring this Volunteer Liability Release Statement signed by your parent. This month’s project will take place along Riverside Road. Look for the Riverside Public Works dump truck. Wear long pants and long sleeves, bring your work gloves and a water bottle. All other supplies will be provided. For more information, see the FLOS website.

Future FLOS Workdays:
September 21st 9am – 12pm Riverside Road – weeding
October 5th 9am – 12pm Riverside Road – planting
October 12th 9am – 12pm Riverside Road – seed collecting
October 26th 9am – 12pm Longcommon & Downing – Mulching

Additionally, our chartered organization, Riverside Presbyterian Church, has requested scout help at their next workday, Saturday September 21, from 9 to 11 am. Work will include weeding and landscaping work in the church yard. You do not need to sign up ahead of time, just show up in work clothes in the church driveway. Service hours will be given.

The Riverside Township Lions Club is looking for volunteers to help with the Scuff Gross Memorial Regatta canoe race event this Saturday, July 6th at 9 am. They are in need of a few older, strong scouts to help put the canoes in the Des Plaines River at 9 am in preparation for 10 am boat launch. The event begins at the McCormick Woods Forest Preserve on the northeast corner of 31st St. and 1st Ave. Scouts can earn service hours by volunteering at this event, please bring the Troop Service Hour Form with you. This is an individual opportunity and not a troop event, so you will need to provide your own transportation.

Please email event planner alexander.gallegoss@yahoo.com to let him if you can help.

Our troop’s chartered organization, the Riverside Presbyterian Church, prepares, transports and serves a hot meal for 45-75 residents of The Boulevard (Chicago, Illinois) on the last Sunday of every month. The Boulevard provides a healing environment and resources to help ill and injured homeless adults restore their health, rebuild their lives and regain self-sufficiency. RPC has requested that scouts transport and serve the meal for the month of June (food will be purchased/prepared by church members). We are in need of a small group – 4 scouts and 2 adults- to participate in the service project. We will meet at the RPC kitchen at 2:30 on Sunday, June 30th, and be home around 6pm. This project is easy and rewarding, plus you will get to share in the meal of White Fence Farm chicken.

Please sign up here to help:
Scout Sign Up
Adult Sign Up

A message from Robert M about his Eagle Project:

Last weekend we created two cages to protect the plants we are planting this Saturday May 18th. The work day will start at 10:00 am at the Wolfe Wildlife Refuge in Oak Lawn (W 109th St &, Laramie Ave, Oak Lawn). Rides will offered to anyone that needs them, we will pick up scouts around 9:00 am. During the workday we will plant the plants within the cages after weeding. The work day will conclude around 1:00 pm and scouts can get a ride back as well. Food and water will be provided. Scouts should wear long pants and shoes that can get dirty. If the scouts have any work gloves at home they should also bring those.

Sign up to help HERE

Robert M. will have two upcoming workdays for his Eagle Project, and is seeking help from Troop members. This is the information for his rescheduled workdays, since bad weather forced cancellation of his original workdays.

Project Summary:
Across the street from Riverside Brookfield High School there is the Zoo Woods forest preserve. On the northern side of these woods there are a series of deer exclusion cages which protect plants from being eaten by deer. These cages are in disrepair due to damage from fallen limbs as well as deer. Robert’s project will involve clearing out debris from around the cages (large branches, other plant matter as well as garbage) before installing new cages and planting plants within these new cages.

The work days for Robert’s Eagle Project will be May 10th and 11th. The shifts will be 2 hours each. On Friday, the shifts will be 4:00 – 6:00 PM and 6:00 – 8:00 PM, and on Saturday the first shift will be from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the second shift will be from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM and the third shift will be from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Robert is looking for about 5-6 scouts and two adult volunteers per shift.

Sign up to help HERE

Safety concerns:
The scouts will need to wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, closed toe shoes (preferably boots as the shoes will get muddy). In addition, Robert will send a follow up email a few days before the project in which he will send the scouts/adults the waiver that they will need to sign as well as any other updates. In order to do this please provide an email address which you check regularly when you sign up as a volunteer.

Ryan L. is working on his Eagle project, collecting gently used sporting goods to redistribute to needy kids in the Chicago-land area. The items will go to the Sports Shed, which makes it possible for kids to have positive alternatives to gangs, violence and drugs through organized sports. They provide quality sports equipment to schools and other athletic programs in under-resourced communities.

Ryan asks that troop members and their families look through their things and find items to donate to this worthy cause.

Ryan will have a collection bin available at the May 2nd Court of Honor, so scouts and their families can drop things off when they attend that ceremony. There will also be a bin at the North Riverside Rec Center and the Riverside Library. Thank you for supporting Ryan’s Eagle Project!