Posted on 11/27/2007 7:28:42 PM PST by RDTF
A couple of Boy Scout troops lost more than $1,500 worth of Christmas trees to thieves between Nov. 19 and Friday. Troop 1390 out of Dale City and Troop 1396 out of Lake Ridge set up shop every year in the lot in front of the SunTrust Bank in the Forestdale Plaza on Dale Boulevard.
The Scouts generally get a semi-truck load of balsam firs from Nova Scotia, said Doug Doerr, the scoutmaster for Troop 1390.
This year someone stole 34 of the 300 trees the Scouts ordered.
"We have never had a situation like this," said Doerr, who has been involved with the tree lot since 1999. "It's really disappointing."
The theft of the tress, which sell for $30, $45 and $60 depending on size, represents a 11.3 percent loss for the Scouts, Doerr said.
The Scouts use the profits from the tree sales to pay for summer camp where they work on requirements for merit badges, said Doerr, a retired U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot.
They split the money according to how many boys work and the number of hours they work at the lot, which is open from 6 to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends .
"The more hours you work, the more money goes into your account," Doerr said.
Summer camp costs between $200 and $250 per Scout.
The loss means that each Scout probably won't be able to earn enough to fully pay their camp dues, Doerr said.
Doerr said he would probably take what he earns and spread it out among the boys to try and make up the difference.
The lot typically loses one or two trees a year and the Scouts give four of their trees to local charities, Doerr said.
"We figure people need them worse than we do, and we'll just write that off," Doerr said.
But the loss of 34 trees irks Doerr, who said the Scouts had to jump through governmental hoops to get the proper permitting and permission to sell the trees.
"Somebody is taking these trees and they're sitting on a street corner some place and they are selling them," he said.
Doerr said people who buy the trees probably won't even realize they're buying stolen goods.
The Scouts have been selling the trees at the lot in front of the bank since 1982 or 1983 and most of their customers are repeat business, Doerr said.
Self Ping
Woodbridge Elks Lodge No 2355
C/O Boy Scout Troop 1390/Christmas Trees
14602 Minnieville Road
Woodbridge, VA 22193
Thanks for getting the info!
It was the least I could do. Luckily these troops had websites. Gotta love the internet!
Check this out when you have a moment!
This exact same thing happened on an episode of the Dukes of Hazzard. Thieves stole boy scouts trees. Except the Duke Boys were able to foil the hapless criminals...
Check in the mail tomorrow.
Checked and responded...good job on your part. Thanks.
Wouldn’t it be something if these Scouts received donations from good-hearted people in all 50 states?! You rock!
Do we need an addy for the other troop, or does the one do the trick?
It would be neat, wouldn’t it.
I hope to have an answer for you as soon as possible, but it might not happen until tomorrow (time zone issues!).
Thank you for chasing down contact information. I’d like to support them as well. I can’t imagine how heartbroken our boys would be if someone did this to their troop.
Your donations will help support the merit badge activities for these fine young men and also to help them attend summer camp! Let’s go, FReepers!
In the meantime, I recently told a friend of mine that any Boy or Girl Scout who comes to me for a donation (compensation for popcorn or cookie sales!) will never go away empty-handed. These programs deserve our support!
Summer camp was where many of my fondest memories of Scouting took place. It's been almost twenty years since my first year at camp, and I can still remember it like it was yesterday.
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Yes Ma'am, the funds/donations will be shared. You have my word on that.
Troop 1390 has been selling trees here since the early 80's. With the loss of attention in scouting, our troop has greatly reduced in size--far too small for handling a fundraiser of this magnitude. To assist us, I asked my friends from my chuch troop to assist. Troop 1396 is chartered through St Matthew's Lutheran Church. They did not have a fundraiser, and parents just paid for the activities. I asked their leadership if we could "hire them" to assist us. Our troop bears the burden of paying for the shipping of the trees (About $2-2.6K-depending on cost of gas). We share shifts together. When we pay off the cost of the trees, all else is profit, split among the boys, based on the number of hours they work. The more they work, the more they make. One boy from Troop 1396 was able to pay for two separate summer camp adventures!
My plan for donations would work the same as profit. Once the tree cost/shipping is paid, the remaining funds would go into the activity accounts for each boy from our troop, and Troop 1396 would get a lump sum matching their hours worked. This has been very successful to them. In fact, last year, they worked the majority of the shifts and received 2/3d of the money collected.
I hope I am clear enough to understand. If not, I can try tomorrow. (I've been up since 0500).
Most Sincerely,
Doug
Ping for the latest from Scoutmaster Doerr!
Ping for the latest from Scoutmaster Doerr!
Thanks for pursuing this so quickly.
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