Yelm-based Scouting America Troop 9268 to celebrate 100th anniversary in August

Scouting America Troop 9268, one of the Nisqually Valley’s oldest and longest-standing organizations, will celebrate a huge milestone in August, and is calling on the community to come out and celebrate the troop’s 100th anniversary.

Join Scouting America Troop 9268 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Yelm City Park and Yelm Community Center for a full day of celebration. According to Scouting America Troop 9268 Scoutmaster Jeff Kasnick, cake will be cut and handed out to attendees, along with a proclamation from Mayor Joe DePinto in celebration of the troop.

Additionally, other local Scouting America troops have been invited to “share in the brotherhood of scouting” during the celebration next month.

“We are working on celebrating our 100th year as a troop. We started back in 1926 and we’ve been serving Yelm for the last 100 years,” Kasnick said. “We were originally known as Troop 68. Our first Eagle Scout earned their rank in 1932, and we’ve achieved a total of 78 Eagle Scouts over the last 100 years. Our goal is not to get people get to Eagle. Our goal is to help people learn the lessons and have fun while they’re doing it.”

Kasnick added that the group’s meeting takes place every Tuesday at the Yelm Lions Club’s Carlson Cabin from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Additionally, the troop introduced a new Cub Scouts troop, and those meetings will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Carlson Cabin.

“When it comes to scouting, it’s a place where it’s a game with a purpose,” Kasnick said. “It’s a place where we can come together, learn the values, the scout oath and scout law, and we have a good time learning skills that will benefit them for a lifetime. There’s not a lot of places where you can go out as a youth and plan and prepare for something like a campout.”

Kasnick added that scouting comes with a lot of preparation, organization, teamwork and outdoor skills — and those traits aren’t often introduced to people until they’re adults and working their day jobs. He believes it’s beneficial for young people to join the scouts.

“It’s really cool when you can see those light bulbs come on. That’s why I am a scout master,” Kasnick said. “It’s something I enjoy — helping them grow, achieve and seeing that light bulb click on.”

He added that it’s the troop’s goal to help the scouts reach the rank of first class. If they wish to continue and pursue Eagle Scout status, Kasnick described that process as a “self-driven quest.”

Ahead of the troop’s 100-year anniversary celebration, Kasnick is calling on the community to come and check out Scouting America Troop 9268 and learn about what scouting is all about.

“Not every troop is for everybody. My goal is that you really work on goal setting and work on achievement on having that vision and achieving that vision,” he said. “I support them along that journey. For some scouts, it’s going to work very well. For others, they have another approach that might work a little differently.”

Harry Zimmerman, assistant scout master of Scouting America Troop 9268, said that there’s a need to get children into scouting while they’re younger. Specifically, he’d like to see more children join Cub Scouts ahead of becoming Scouting America members. He believes the earlier experience will help them become better scouts and improve their overall experience in the program.

“When they come of age to become scouts, they’re already on board with the program,” Zimmerman said. “They’re already in the right mindset. Taking that next step in scouts is important, and that’s why we’re starting up our own pack. It’s been a hindrance to our growth as a group, and we’ll be able to address that with younger kids getting involved in their community and scouting.”

You can sign up for Scouting America Troop 9268 by attending a meeting and talking to Kasnick, or you can visit BeAScout.org and enter your area code to find out which troops are operating within your region.