Scouts BSA Troop 7316 will be recruiting girls from ages 13-18 to join the program during an event at Hillsboro United Methodist Church in Hillsboro from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30. The troop for girls covers all of Highland County.

Scouts BSA provides youth training in character, citizenship, and mental and personal fitness. Scouts are expected to learn the principles of American heritage and government and acquire skills to become successful adults. In February 2019, the program began admitting girls as wells as boys, and the name of the program was changed from Boy Scouts to Scouts BSA.

“The girl troop is fairly new,” said Roxanne Mick, the committee chair for the troop. “We just came into existence in the spring of 2021, so we are only about two years old.

Mick said the troop started with six girls, and after half of them moved they are down to three. “We decided to do a big push on our recruitment,” she said. “We’ve got quite a bit of interest out there.”

Mick said the founding members of the troop and all of the troop’s leadership will be at the event.

She said there are a number of benefits to joining the troop. “We offer camping, hiking and community service,” she said. “In fact, we’ve taken on a food pantry, and we work hand in hand with them at the Rainsboro Methodist Church, so we do collection of food as well as service hours for the community. We also just recently did a fundraiser for a local girl who is 13 years old with leukemia. We were able to do a spaghetti dinner for her.”

Mick said being a scout involves a lot of outdoor activity including conservation projects like Rocky Fork State Park cleanup. “We are out there basically making ourselves known to the community as well as the surrounding area,” said Mick. “I think it’s a really wonderful program which is a good outreach for our young adults coming up in the world. I really think it gives them a strong sense of fellowship as well as reaching out to the community — how important it is to give back.”

Girls who are interested in joining the troop are welcome to attend the event or contact Mick at 575-748-5920.

Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.