Ford City Scouts Committed to Community Badge

Boy Scout Troop #670 from Ford City had nearly a dozen Scouts attend last night’s school board open caucus session as they worked on one of their merit badges.
by Jonathan Weaver
Boy Scout Troop #670 filled the back-three rows of last night’s Armstrong School District open caucus session last night.
Scoutmaster Randall Reesman explained why the dozen Scouts attended.
“The journey for the boys ends with the Eagle (award) (but), one of the merit badges that is somewhat-hard to get is the (Citizenship in the Community) badge. There are a lot of steps to that badge. This was one of the requirements necessary – attending a board meeting or a public meeting of some sort,” Reesman said.
Scouts ranging from age 11-17 will write about a topic discussed last night.
Scout Leader Amy Kamis has been instructing Scouts for 12 years, but this is her third time teaching Citizenship in the Community.
“They started working on this particular badge three weeks ago, and they can finish at different times. Most of them will probably be done by the end of May,” Kamis said.
The merit badge must be completed before the Scout’s 18th birthday, but Kamis said troop leaders want scouts to earn Eagle Scout-required badges before the “3 P’s: petrol, perfume and paychecks.”
“Once those things come into their lives, it’s harder for them to earn their Eagle,” Kamis said. “We try very hard. Once they start driving, have girlfriends and get jobs, it’s just too hard.”
Kamis’ son, Jonathan, has 11 months left to achieve his Eagle rank.
Both leaders had sons in the approximately-10 Scouts that attended last night.
Merit badges would be then awarded during the Court of Honor Sunday, June 5 at the Kittanning Township Fire Hall.
School Board Vice-President Christopher Choncek (who led the meeting in President Joseph Close’s absence) welcomed the scouts to the open caucus session.
Other requirements for the merit badge include eight hours of community service (which most will achieve at a Manorville United Methodist spaghetti dinner Saturday) and meeting with an elected official (which Scouts can complete through a meeting with District Magisterial Judge Gary DeComo, of Ford City Tuesday).
Scouts will further work on the Citizenship in the Nation and Citizenship in the World merit badges this summer at Camp Bucoco in Slippery Rock.