Annandale-Mason Roundtable presents grant to Scout Troop 150

The Annandale-Mason Roundtable on Jan. 13 presented a $3,000 grant to Scout Troop 150 to expand opportunities for local youths to take part in outdoor activities.

The funds are from the proceeds generated by the 2024 Taste of Annandale, a community festival held in September at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space in Annandale.

The next Taste of Annandale will be Sept. 20, 2025, in the same location.

Troop 150 serves about 65 youths ages 10-17 from diverse socioeconomic, racial, and religious backgrounds. The troop is sponsored by the Annandale Rotary Club and meets at the Annandale United Methodist Church.

The troop expects to add about 15 youths to its roster this year. The grant will enable the troop to acquire additional camping gear and other equipment to ensure its programs remain affordable to all members.

“Troop 150 was first chartered in 1928 to provide Scouts with a chance to develop moral strength and character, participate in citizenship, and physical, mental, and emotional fitness in the context of an active outdoor program,” says Scoutmaster Todd Bolick.

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“The Troop is based on fundamental Scout skills and traditions, an active and challenging outdoors program, and leadership development and advancement,” Bolick says.

Individual troop members are given responsibility to develop independence and leadership skills “consistent with safety, well-being, and the overall best interests of the troop,” he says.

Troop 150 provides as many outdoor experiences as possible, through monthly campouts and other opportunities. The grant will provide tents, outdoor cooking equipment, other camping gear, and Scout handbooks for the new members.

The grant will allow the troop to make scouting accessible to all youths by keeping dues as low as possible and providing financial assistance to cover event fees when needed.

Troop 150 was a great help at last year’s Taste of Annandale. Scouts built a fence around the garden at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space to protect the plants during the festival. The Annandale-Mason Roundtable anticipates the scouts will expand their volunteering efforts at the 2025 Taste of Annandale.