Good Turn and Career Trips

William Chapin: Aztecs Patrol

My name is William Chapin, Patrol Leader of Aztecs Patrol, in our local Troop 223.

As a Patrol, we decided to help give back to our community by completing our Good Turn Trip at the Upward Bound House Community Garden and Farm. On October 18th, we spent the afternoon feeding hundreds of people, just by gardening.

As the afternoon came, we arrived at the garden, located conveniently in the heart of Santa Monica on Yale Street, ready to work. We were greeted and helped by a friendly garden helper named Brett, who we later learned has been dedicated to helping the garden for a long time.

After meeting Brett, we got geared up to start cleaning up the garden. As planting season had begun, our first task was to help set up the irrigation, which was crucial for keeping the vegetables healthy.

Some of my Scouts took initiative by cutting more irrigation pipes. They cut so much that Brett commented: “You cut me enough to last the whole season!”

While those Scouts were doing that, the rest of us started to attach the irrigation pipes to the main water. This job was a bit hard at first, but it turned out great.

Now with the irrigation complete, it was time to plant. Our Patrol found it so fascinating to learn about the types of vegetables that were being planted. They asked questions like “What plant is that?” It was such a wonderful thing seeing my Scouts so interested.

We planted so many plants, like lettuce, green onions, bunching onions, eggplants, and even beets! We learned how to properly plant, separate, and maintain the plants. It was such a great way to learn while helping such a great organization.

As you may expect, gardening is not clean, and most of our Scouts were tired and dirty after the end. But I think we all agreed that it was worth it to help our community, and we would definitely help again.

“I hope we can come here again,” said a few of my Scouts. Now, looking back on our service, it makes me smile knowing that myself and my fellow Scouts helped make food more accessible to people who need it.

Abigail Yoda: Fox Patrol

For the Fox Patrol of 223G’s Career Trip, we went to Woodland Hills Country Club. There, we learned what a general manager’s job entails, and we took a tour of the club, had a small putting lesson and ate pizza for lunch.

During the tour, we learned about all the things a general manager of a country club has to do. The general manager is responsible for each small part of a club. This includes the kitchen, golf shop, maintaining the golf course and much more.

After this, the general manager took our patrol out for a small putting lesson that lasted about 15 minutes. He let us keep the golf balls, too. Next, we ate lunch, which was personalized pizzas made by the club’s chef.

We learned that this job can help one give back to their community. Ultimately, this trip has opened our patrol’s eyes to an exciting career option in the future.

Max Szymanski: Falcon Patrol

On Sunday, October 15th, the Falcon Patrol from local Pacific Palisades Boy Scouts Troop 223 went to Will Rogers State Historic Park for their Good Turn Trip.

A Good Turn Trip is a community service event organized by the Patrol Leader for their scout group to give back to their community.

I chose to complete my community service event at Will Rogers State Historic Park as I enjoy leisure time at the park, mountain biking and hiking, as many families in the Los Angeles area do, so I wanted to give back to this local destination.

When the scouts first arrived at the park, they met with Ranger Taylor and Parks Maintenance Supervisor Harkless. The rangers gave us a speech of how the park was founded and some history behind Will Rogers.

Afterwards, the rangers told us they need help with cleaning the Historical Tennis Courts to prevent and mitigate damage to the courts. Scouts were delegated to sweep the courts removing leaves and dirt, and remove overgrown vegetation and weeds.

After an hour of working, they cleared the entire court and collected over ten 5-gallon bags full of trash, twigs, leaves, and weeds. They admired their work of the clean court.

All the scouts felt it was a productive morning, giving back to their community and learning how to spin a lasso.

Troop 223 is a prominent community organization where boys and girls learn leadership skills, outdoor skills and how to be outstanding members in their community.

Nali Weaver: Sea Otters Patrol

On November 19th at 11:00 am, my patrol, the Sea Otters, and I went to the Bel Air Bay Club and did a beach cleanup. We had lots of fun finding sandals, old toys and a bunch of weird pieces of trash!

In total, we walked along the beach for an hour and collected over five pounds of trash. This trip was successful because it was fun for everyone and it had a positive impact on the environment.

This was a great learning experience for my patrol because they saw how much trash was actually on the beach and in the ocean. It taught them that trash is very harmful to the beauty of the beaches and oceans in our world.

I was glad my patrol experienced this new perspective because it taught them the purpose of a Good Turn Trip: to help improve the lives of others.

Ryan Ruud: Seminoles Patrol

The Seminoles Patrol of Troop 223 recently donated self-care kids to the Salvation Army for their Good Turn Trip. For the trip, we made self-care kits with daily necessities, such as towels and toothpaste, and gave them to the Salvation Army.

If you were inspired by these stories and have a fifth- through eighth-grader, tour and join Troop 223 by emailing Greg Frost frostfamily@frostinvestigations.com (Boys) or Larry Kirven troop223girls@gmail.com (Girls).