The Troop 1954
Wednesday Newsletter

Wednesday, December 8, 2004

Announcements

1) Next meeting is our last of the year.  Meetings will resume on January 4.

2) All scouts and adults planning on going to Philmont need to be at next Tuesday's meeting.  Anyone who wants to go sometime in the future should be there as well.

3) Please bring a favorite dessert to next week's meeting.

4) Please remember that, if you have no money in your account, you need to pay $25 by January 11 to continue on our troop roster.

5) Merit Badge University.  Come on folks, get that registration done.  You do it by going to www.utmbu.org and clicking on registration.  You then need to click the not yet registered link to sign up for a user name and password.  Fill in the form and be sure to remember the user name and password you pick (and keep in mind that both are case sensitive).  Then go back to the registration page and sign in.  You can then add classes, drop classes, and do other stuff.  The site asks for the Class ID number for each class, so be sure to look at the schedule first and write down the class ID numbers you want.  Then you should be able to register for your choice of classes.  They were all open when I last checked but they won't be for long!  Let's get it done.

SAN MARINO: CA

All Kirk Seaman wants for Christmas is bikes gently used, any kind: single-speeds, multigears, training bikes, even scooters.

The 12-year-old Boy Scout doesn't want them for himself: they're to make the holidays bright for 87 boys, ages 8-16, living at McKinley Children's Center in San Dimas.

"I want to help the boys of the McKinley Children's Center have the best Christmas ever,' said Kirk, a student at Huntington Middle School. "Some of them are locked away from the world, some of them can't speak English. All of them have lived through some kind of trauma and I'd like to give them a great Christmas.'

That's the impetus behind Kirk's five-week campaign to refurbish bicycles for the home's residents. He and his fellow Scouts from Troop 355 hope to present 87 newly conditioned wheels, 20 to 26 inches, to the McKinley boys on Dec. 20.

"If people are buying new bikes, I'd like to ask them to donate their old ones to the boys, and I'd also like to gift each and every boy with a repair kit and tools to help them maintain their new bikes,' Kirk said.

The aspiring Eagle Scout is already working on 24 bikes, in varying degrees of disrepair, that he got from neighbors, local businesses and McKinley.

"This is a unique project Kirk came up with because it made use of what we already had, bikes the boys couldn't use because they were broken,' said Kandace Nunn, assistant director of development at the center. "Kirk is an adorable little guy and it's very impressive he's already working on his Eagle project at 12. He's really a go-getter.'

Donated bicycle parts and tools Kirk hopes to collect will also go to a day rehabilitation program at McKinley that teaches boys bicycle repair.

"We have 45 acres here with lots of green space, where the boys could ride their bikes; it would be great,' Nunn said.

The seeds of the project began when Kirk was a Cub Scout with Pack 354 in San Marino. The pack regularly donated toys to McKinley boys at Christmas.

"I'd like to continue the legacy of San Marino Cub Scout Pack 354, in their mission to help McKinley,' Kirk said.

He has already received discounts from Pasadena Cyclery to buy needed parts and is hoping to entice other businesses to donate.

"He's a fast mover,' his mother Susan said. "He's a bright kid and so sweet. He's got a good heart and he wants other children to enjoy the advantages he has.'

Kirk and his helpers plan to spend two weekends reconditioning the bikes. They hope to inspire other, younger Scouts to take on the mission next year.

For more information, call [626] 799-0368 or e-mail funkycop92@yahoo.com. Anissa V. Rivera can be reached at [626] 578-6300, Ext. 4454 or by e-mail at anissa.rivera@sgvn.com.

September 9-11 Pedernales Falls Camp Out