By Chris Cornwall
Since girls were first allowed to enter the Scouts BSA program on Feb. 1, troops have started to form all over Hendricks County. This program serves 11 to 17-year olds and uses the same curriculum historically used by what was formerly known as “The Boy Scouts program.”
“The only difference would be how the kids are served,” Katelyn Rush, district executive for the Hou Koda, which covers most of Hendricks County, said. “In Scouts BSA, the boys’ and girls’ troops are separate entities with different scout masters but the troops can be chartered by the same organization.”
To be able to start a program, a troop needs five members to be officially registered. Right now, a troop forming in Brownsburg has four scouts and a fifth is expected soon. That troop is affiliated with the Brownsburg American Legion Post 331 and its first meeting will be March 5.
Troops are also forming in Avon, Danville and Plainfield. The one in Danville will be affiliated with the Danville American Legion Post 118. Two troops in Plainfield have sprung up, one charted by St. Susanna School and Church, and the other by Hope Presbyterian. In Avon, a parents’ group called Parents for Scouting was formed to charter another upstart.
“We already have 20 to 25 scouts interested in the BSA program, and the Hendricks County community has been very supportive of it,” Rush said. “Established troops have opened their arms and said yes, we want our sisters, our nieces, our granddaughters to have the same opportunities that we’ve had.”
For more information on the Scouts BSA program, visit joinscoutsin.org. For additional questions email Katelyn Rush at katerush@crossroadsbsa.org.
