Cub Scouts share community service projects

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press 

Members of Cub Scout Pack 251 had the opportunity ask questions and present their community service project plans to a Copperas Cove city council member during their pack meeting Wednesday evening at the VFW Post #8577. 
Den Leader Anna Larson explained that the Arrows of Cub Scout Pack 251 have been learning about global citizenship what it means to be a global citizen and make an impact with a ripple effect from their choices. The group brainstormed and came up with two service projects, one local and one national, that focus on helping others. 
The pack wants to collect needed items to donate to the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter here in Copperas Cove, as well as create cards to send to Cards for Hospitalized Kids, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, which children with terminal diseases to show them they are loved and thought about. 
The Arrows den is made up of 10 and 11-year-olds. 
“The scouting program is set up to create future leaders. One of the big things is looking outside of just your immediate self, and at this age, that’s really hard for this age of child to be thinking bigger than just their immediate wants or needs, so we’ve been working to talk about the ripple effect of our actions, and how that flows from what we choose to do here and how even tiny actions can ripple out and cause an effect across the world,” Larson said. 
The scouts made a list of things that they thought would help with the service project. The list included things such as collecting food, collecting clothing and collecting donations for the shelter. 
During their meeting Wednesday evening, they received a surprise visit from Brian Hawkins, the executive director of the Cove House shelter. Hawkins had been invited by Hart. 
After the scouts asked questions about what it means to be a city council member and what made Hart set out to become elected, the scouts asked questions about the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter, including what items are most needed and who can stay at the shelter. 
Vonya Hart, who is the Copperas Cove City Councilmember for Place 6, said that any invite having to do with children touches her heart. 
“I really try to make that time to go out and talk with them,” Hart said. “I’m always amazed with the questions that we heard, like what they think about, what they would like to see. They have such wonderful ideas, and sometimes even us as adults, we need to hear because with whatever’s going on in the city, even their voice might be able to help us too with those decisions.”
Larson said she was excited that Hart had agreed to stop by. 
“I think, again, at this age, the scouts don’t truly understand how their community is very well,” Larson said. “They don’t really know what that means, and so by having her join us tonight, it gives them a bigger perspective of how laws are created, what things in their community are deemed important, and so I’m hoping she can give them a 10 to 11-year-old perspective on that and then how they can support what she’s doing and how she can support what they’re doing.”
Hart said that hearing about the plans the scouts had for their two service projects was impressive. 
The Arrows of Cub Scout Pack 251 will be collecting donations for the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter in January and February 2023.