Hopefully you've seen the advertisements for our annual Troop 3 Christmas Tree fundraiser, which runs on weekends from Black Friday until the weekend before Christmas. You may also have seen news about the national Boy Scouts of America organization's legal issues regarding abuse cases dating back to the 1960s. The BSA, like other organizations, is not immune from the abhorrent behavior of certain individuals. The legal process needs to be allowed to play out. Those that are found responsible need to be brought to justice and all of the victims supported. To my knowledge, no such claims have ever been made involving our Troop. Obviously, Troop 3 is part of the overall National BSA organization. However, I felt it appropriate to reassure the people of Manchester that the money that you've generously spent for years supporting our Troop, has stayed with our group. We also continue to be just as committed to inclusion and diversity as the greater community of Manchester is.
Troop 3 has two fundraisers per year, Christmas Tree Sales and working at the parking lot at Harbor Point for beach-goers (which we didn't have this year, due to Covid beach restrictions) . Many Troops sell popcorn or other items that they buy in conjunction with the National BSA, with a portion of those proceeds going back to the larger organization. Ours do not. 100 percent of the revenue we generate through our two fundraisers stays in Manchester, and the monies are used to support activities (everything from learning first aid to scuba diving to backpacking) that local scouts (we've been co-ed for a couple years!) participate in. The only money the national organization receives from Troop 3 are registration fees that are paid by the individual Scout's families.
It's worth reassuring everyone that we've taken steps to adjust our tree sale to comply with all the local Covid restrictions. Everything will take place outdoors, everyone will be asked to wear face coverings and socially distance. We've established cleaning procedures for the property and you'll see signage asking everyone to adhere to health regulations. If you forget your mask or want to sanitize your hands, we'll be stocked to help. To minimize cash handling, we gratefully accept checks and credit cards.
Manchester has been incredibly supportive of Scouting. We're in our 104th year at Troop 3. That's generations of young people in this town who have come through our program. In our program, current and future Scouts will continue to develop outdoor and life skills, while becoming responsible citizens and having fun with their peers. We hope that you continue to see the value that Scouting adds to our community through the development of young men and women with the positive values established in the Scout Oath and Law as well as through the service that the Troop participates in within our community such as our food drive, service at the Open Door Pantry, clean-up efforts around town and over 140 different Eagle Scout Service Projects over the decades. Well before myself and the current leaders joined Troop 3, our predecessors made sure that the organization was truly bottom up, rather than top down so that we could be sure to be good stewards of the resources and funding we had. This allows us to ensure that every dollar we raise, stays in our Community. Troop 3 relies on our Community for support this year as much as any other and we appreciate all the support that you've given to Troop 3 over the years.
Have a safe and happy holiday season.
