Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge

Local scouts aid in Joplin cleanup

Several Topeka Boy Scouts who began work on the Emergency Preparedness merit badge at Camp Jayhawk earlier this summer completed the requirements in a true disaster zone this past weekend.

They were among 18 Scouts and their leaders from Troop 11 at Christ the King Church who joined more than 1,000 other Scouts from throughout middle America who converged Saturday on Joplin, Mo., to aid in recovery efforts in the tornado-ravished city.

Despite working in temperatures that reached 110 degrees in southern Missouri, the area Scouts performed a day of service by helping Joplin school officials prepare their campuses for the opening of classes, scheduled to begin next week.

The Troop 11 Scouts worked at Joplin’s Emerson Elementary, which was damaged despite being on the fringe of the May 22 killer tornado, reported Mike D’Attilio, a troop leader.

“Our Scouts worked to make the playground and schoolyard safe for students to use when school begins,” D’Attilio said. “We made it safer by removing small pieces of glass, roofing material, insulation and other debris, and we made it more attractive by picking weeds, raking and so forth.”

For Scouts working on the Emergency Preparedness merit badge, the work day completed a requirement to participate in an emergency service project.

“Coming down here and helping in Joplin has been an awesome experience,” said Brenden Feldt, a Life Scout from Troop 11. “Being here in person to see the devastation really makes you soak in the importance of being prepared for tornados and other disasters.”

Scouts from as far away as Illinois and Wisconsin participated in the cleanup effort. The participating Scouts camped from Friday through Sunday at the Frank Childress Scout Reservation near Joplin, where meals were served and activities coordinated.

Scout officials said the massive effort took two months to coordinate.

“Our council has had numerous inquiries from across the nation from Scouts wanting to assist Joplin in some way,” said Scott Gibbins, an assistant Scout executive with the Joplin-area Ozark Trails Council, “We visited with school officials soon after the tornado and determined that the greatest need would be in organizing the classrooms in early August.”

“We were excited to organize this disaster recovery project and about the number of Boy Scouts that came to assist with the recovery efforts,” he said.

Local Scouts aid in Joplin cleanup | CJOnline.com

Several Topeka Boy Scouts who began work on the Emergency Preparedness merit badge at Camp Jayhawk earlier this summer completed the requirements in a true disaster zone this past weekend.

They were among 18 Scouts and their leaders from Troop 11 at Christ the King Church who joined more than 1,000 other Scouts from throughout middle America who converged Saturday on Joplin, Mo., to aid in recovery efforts in the tornado-ravished city.

Despite working in temperatures that reached 110 degrees in southern Missouri, the area Scouts performed a day of service by helping Joplin school officials prepare their campuses for the opening of classes, scheduled to begin next week.

The Troop 11 Scouts worked at Joplin’s Emerson Elementary, which was damaged despite being on the fringe of the May 22 killer tornado, reported Mike D’Attilio, a troop leader.

“Our Scouts worked to make the playground and schoolyard safe for students to use when school begins,” D’Attilio said. “We made it safer by removing small pieces of glass, roofing material, insulation and other debris, and we made it more attractive by picking weeds, raking and so forth.”

For Scouts working on the Emergency Preparedness merit badge, the work day completed a requirement to participate in an emergency service project.

“Coming down here and helping in Joplin has been an awesome experience,” said Brenden Feldt, a Life Scout from Troop 11. “Being here in person to see the devastation really makes you soak in the importance of being prepared for tornados and other disasters.”

Scouts from as far away as Illinois and Wisconsin participated in the cleanup effort. The participating Scouts camped from Friday through Sunday at the Frank Childress Scout Reservation near Joplin, where meals were served and activities coordinated.

Scout officials said the massive effort took two months to coordinate.

“Our council has had numerous inquiries from across the nation from Scouts wanting to assist Joplin in some way,” said Scott Gibbins, an assistant Scout executive with the Joplin-area Ozark Trails Council, “We visited with school officials soon after the tornado and determined that the greatest need would be in organizing the classrooms in early August.”

“We were excited to organize this disaster recovery project and about the number of Boy Scouts that came to assist with the recovery efforts,” he said.

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