Boy Scouts of America - Northern Lights Troop 41 is the Crookston Boy Scout Troop and has been the recipient of United Way funds for many years. These funds help Scouts who may not have the ability to pay for uniforms, dues or activities. Boy Scouts and United Way believe that every Scout should be able to have these life changing experiences without worrying about where the money is coming from. Every kid deserves to learn, grow and thrive and your donations do that every year.
United Way funding was used to help with fees and uniforms for scouts in Crookston, leader training, materials for scouting programs and for camps including both the summer and winter camp events near Park Rapids.
The COVID pandemic hit the Boy Scouts hard, losing both leaders and scouts because of the inability to have the group activities they have always relied on to make scouting what it has been. Their main priority for the past year has been to rebound from the losses of the past few years. In 2022, BSA – Northern Lights saw an 8% increase in membership which is helping to bring them closer to their pre-pandemic numbers.
BSA- Northern Lights increased their public presence in community service including the canned food drive that benefits the New Hope Food Shelf in Crookston, service project at Oakdale Cemetery, clean up project at Wildwood Park, sandbagging during flooding and assisting at the Taste of Crookston event during Ox Cart Days.
The United Way and the Boy Scouts partnership has benefitted countless scouts over the years and we are so proud of everything they've accomplished!