Scouts were busy building hiking and biking trails by day and giving back to the community by night at SummitCorps. They just couldn’t get enough community service, could they?

Before SummitCorps began, leaders chose 10 local charities that needed a helping hand from the Arrowmen.

What do you think of these 3 effective, but simple, projects?

Patch Auctions

Did you know a patch could turn into money for charity? No, it’s not magic; just another day at SummitCorps.

[pullquote]“One small, little piece of cloth that you think would be worth nothing can go for $800 to $900.” — Joe G., 2011 Western Region OA chief[/pullquote]

As they arrived in West Virginia, Scouts and Scouters donated patches they’ve collected over the years to the auction in the name of charity.

“Patches are a big thing in Scouting,” said Joe G., 2011 Western Region Order of the Arrow chief. “Everybody wants patches; everybody collects patches. One small, little piece of cloth that you think would be worth nothing can go for $800 to $900.”

During week 2 alone, for example, there were around 400 patches donated to the auction, which made around $4,000.

Baked Goods

Each week the Arrowmen organized a bake sale for local charities, too.

“It gives us a break from some of the usual food we have,” Joe said. “We get really nice treats, people buy those up and we raise money for the local community. It’s really awesome.”

Money from the week 2 bake sale was donated to a Raleigh County 911 dispatcher who provides dispatch for the park to help pay for medical expenses.

Food Donations

Each day, Scouts removed food from their meals that they didn’t want and donated it to a food bank. This way, little to no food went to waste while out on the trails.

The food was donated to a local food bank 3 times a week during SummitCorps.

The SummitCorps Scouts really made a difference in southern West Virginia this summer. How have you or your troop given back to your community?