Stolen trailers strengthen scouting community’s bonds
The Boy Scouts’ motto is “be prepared,” but Troop 172 out of Munroe Falls near Akron could not anticipate the outpouring of support they received in the last week after their camping trailer was stolen from a local church.
“It’s brought people together to help these units, troops leaders and kids to make sure they have the equipment to keep camping. The generosity of the community has really shined in the last week,” said John Brkic, director of field services for the Great Trail Council.
On March 15, the troop — consisting of 23 Scouts ages 10 to 16 — discovered that its trailer and all of its contents, valued at about $10,000, had been stolen just two weeks before a planned camping trip.
The trailer had been stored at Twin Falls United Methodist Church for about a decade without incident. Two locks securing the trailer were cut off, and it appears that the trailer was dragged out of the parking lot with the tire boot still on, based off skid marks from the church to Hiwood Avenue.
Assistant Scoutmaster
Lee Thomas took to Facebook to express his disappointment, and his post was quickly shared 1,800 times. He then created a GoFundMe page hoping to raise $10,000.
By Monday, the page had surpassed its goal, garnering $13,880. Additionally, troop leaders received several personal calls with offers of camping gear and monetary donations.
“As a troop, we cannot thank you enough for your incredible generosity and kindness,” Thomas wrote on the GoFundMe page. “You have truly shown these young men how to live out the Scout law,
Scout oath, and Scout motto. Your kindness has exceeded our expectations in so many ways.”
The troop now plans to donate any excess to Troop 253 out of Kent and Troop 7048 out of Ellet, both of whom also had camping trailers stolen from church parking lots within the last three months.
“They both lost trailers too, but we were lucky enough that the story got picked up and we got our funding needs met,” Scoutmaster Jeff Kline explained.
Brkic said that the local Boy Scouts council only learned of the other two thefts after the Munroe Falls incident.
They have since sent out a memo to troop leaders, recommending that camping trailers be stored at leaders’ homes “where it can be monitored daily. It’s less likely get stolen from a driveway as opposed to a parking lot in the middle of the night,” Brkic said.
Kline said Troop 172 would assess any donated gear to determine whether it is usable. Anything outdated will be donated to Goodwill.
“But if it’s something that another troop can use, we’re definitely going to pass it forward,” Kline said.
While the troop has recouped all funds necessary to replace the stolen equipment, they are planning to take their time to research new gear.
As a result, they are still determining how they’ll handle the camping trip that was planned for this upcoming weekend.
“We may just make it a day trip because we can’t replace tents that quickly,” Kline said. “Other troops offered us their tents, but with the restrictions COVID puts on staying in tents, we want to make sure we’re safe and sanitized.”