Unit 543 Sets Open House

Parents and youths interested in learning more about Scouting are invited to attend Unit 543's open house on Monday, Sept. 20, at Robeson Lutheran Church, 3520 Plow Road, Mohnton. Visitors can stop by at any time between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. to learn about the various groups that Unit 543 offers for both boys and girls and the numerous activities that they enjoy, such as camping, biking, orienteering and canoeing.

During the event, boys and girls will be able to progress through various learning stations, while adult leaders will be available to answer questions from parents. "There will be a camping station, where there will be a tent set up, and they can see some camping gear and cooking (demonstrations)," said Ginny Thorpe, who is the assistant scoutmaster for Troop 543G, one of the groups in Unit 543. "Another station will be on knot tying, and there will be a first aid station and a s'mores station."

Activities are scheduled to take place outdoors, and the Scouts and adult leaders will all wear masks.

Thorpe explained that Unit 543 has three groups: a Cub Scout Pack (Pack 543), with separate dens for boys and girls; an all-male Troop 543; and the newly added all-female Troop 543G.

Pack 543 is for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. "The Scouts are separated into dens by grade and gender, but everyone meets together for a monthly pack meeting and an activity," Thorpe noted. "The pack organizes outdoor activities, field trips to local places of interest, family campouts, an annual Pinewood Derby and service projects."

Troop 543 currently consists of approximately 30 Scouts who meet weekly from September through May and for planned activities over the summer, including camping. "This summer, they went on a 70-mile canoe trip down the Delaware River," reported Thorpe. "The trip took them four days, and they camped along the river for three nights."

The Scouts also spent a week at Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation (HMSR). During the school year, they plan and participate in campouts, service projects, planning meetings and Scout skills training activities. Each summer they attend a week of summer camp, and they go on a troop 50-miler, typically a five-day trip rotating between backpacking, canoeing and biking.

Troop 543G, Unit 543's newest group, is composed of 16 girls. Troop 543G went to summer camp at HMSR, completed its own four-day, 70-mile trip down the Delaware River, took part in orienteering competitions and participated in a variety of service projects.

"The boy and girl troops are independent from each other, but they function as brother/sister troops that share ideas and occasionally do joint activities," noted Thrope, adding that it is helpful for local families that Unit 543 has groups for both boys and girls. "It is something the whole family can do together. Because we have both genders, it can truly be family Scouting."

For more information about Unit 543 or the open house, contact Thorpe at seventhorpes@gmail.com.