Scouts spruce up church grounds

Boy Scout Troop 656 and Christ Lutheran Church have a partnership dating back more than 50 years. Recently, the Scouts decided to thank their sponsoring organization by cleaning up the church grounds on Island Road in Wantagh.

On Nov. 21 about 20 boys from the troop, as well as nearly 10 more from Cub Scout Pack 191, grabbed rakes and cleaned up the leaves that had been accumulating around the church, pastor’s residence and parking lot throughout the fall. Troop leaders estimated that in two hours the group filled about 75 bags.

“It’s a community service project and it’s the Scouts giving back,” Troop 656 Scoutmaster Robert Treiland said. “We’re giving back to the host and the community at large.”

Boy Scout Robert Seaman, 17, agreed that it is important to give back to the church that has long provided his troop with a home. “They help us out a lot, so we want to return the favor,” he said. “It feels pretty nice, doing the right thing.”

With the sun shining, Seaman, a student at Wantagh High School, added that there was no excuse not to help clean up the church grounds on a nice Saturday morning.

Many of the Cub Scouts from Pack 191 will move on to Troop 656 as they get older, noted Committee Chair Fran Bruno, and they will become more involved in community service as their Scouting careers advance. She said that with the Boy Scouts serving as role models, the cleanup was a great activity for the two groups to do together.

“It’s good for the young boys to watch the older boys and be guided by them,” Treiland said.

Added Seaman, “The Cub Scouts got the hang of it pretty quick.”