Scout Group 423 has been a part of the Manteca community for 28 years.
The Scout Group consists of Cub Scout Pack 423 which serves youth from kindergarten through 5th grade, Boy Scout Troop 423 which serves boys in 6-12th grades, and Scouts BSA Troop 2223 which serves girls in 6-12th grades. There are currently about 100 youth in the Scout Group.
As they do every Memorial Day weekend, scouts and their families flooded the East Union Cemetery on Saturday morning to ceremonially place a flag at the grave of every known veteran in the cemetery. In some places, flags are delivered quickly to grave sites just to see that it’s done. The Scouts take this honor very seriously and enjoy paying tribute to each veteran they encounter with a salute and thanking the veteran by name for their service to our country. The hours spent are great lessons in local history, American history and citizenship, all important in creating active members of our community. In addition to Memorial Day, the Scouts have completed several projects at the East Union Cemetery to help restore or maintain the property.
This past Saturday, June 1, you likely saw a group of Troop 423’s Boy Scouts out and about Manteca. They are having a variation of the popular school jog-a-thons, called Hike Across Manteca, where they walked 20 miles all over the city and cleaning up trash as they go. There were many reasons the Scouts were hiking — to complete a requirement for the Hiking merit badge, to perform service in the community, to have fun, or to raise money for activities. Many of the Scouts collelcted pledges for their efforts to help cover costs for a trip to Mono Lake in June and for a week of summer camp in July. Scouts are encouraged to take responsibility for helping earn funds for activities rather than asking parents to foot the bill. They are willing to work hard throughout the year selling popcorn or Pancake Breakfast tickets, but this year costs have dramatically increased. Now they are ready to go the extra mile— or 20 as the case may be- to be able to have some amazing adventures this summer.
These young men could choose to sit at home on their cell phones or video games, but instead choose to be active in the community and the outdoors, and are learning how to be responsible citizens while participating in the scouting program and activities. If you would like to help support the Scouts in their efforts, please contact Scoutmaster Melissa Moebius at 209-470-5984 or mmoebius423@gmail.com. All donations are tax-deductible and are greatly appreciated.
