- Thousands of dollars worth of camping equipment was stolen from Boy Scout Troop 949 two weeks ago.
- Padre Island residents wanted to help and started a fundraising page.
- More than double the fundraising goal was donated in less than two weeks.
- One Padre Island resident surprised the Boy Scouts with a check at their regular troop meeting.
“Who is gonna steal from Boy Scouts? We just have good intentions Who goes down to such a low level to do that?" Troop 949 Boy Scout Jett Strawn said.
That describes how Padre Island Boy Scout Troop 949 felt when they heard that thousands of dollars worth of their equipment was stolen out of their locked storage trailer. Some of the stolen items include propane tanks propane stoves, lights, a first aid kit, tarps, cooking stations, and other items.
"They range anywhere from two to five hundred dollars and we had about six critical pieces that we found to be missing. The most important for us is the entire First Aid Kit which we had just replenished," John Hale, Troop 949 Scout Master said.
Since the theft, the scouts have faced challenges hosting their routine monthly campouts.
“We haven’t been able to really, I mean we’ve gone on a few but that was not like how we usually would. Because we usually go out there, we set up all of our camp, lights the propane, I mean but those were taken. The stoves were taken. A lot of the stuff was taken, which is like so we haven’t been able to see in the dark. It makes it a lot more difficult,” Caden Meyer, one of the troop's senior patrol leaders, said.
While Troop 949 was disappointed and confused about the burglary, the Padre Island community members were not afraid to get involved. The Boy Scouts organization, especially Troop 949, hits home for Island Resident Alex Karis, as his sons were Eagle Scouts in Troop 949. Karis started a GoFundMe fundraiser page, just two days after word got out about the trailer being broken into.
In less than two weeks, members of the community donated more than double the initial $2,000 goal.
“This organization can continue to provide service to the community. Without that, without the donations, without the community coming together, without local resources, companies, and individuals in general coming together, it would stall us. It would slow us down. Fundraising would have to be picked back up. And that’s the greatest news here. This community will be the ones that will benefit," Scout Master Hale said.
This was a full-circle moment for Padre Island. Karis surprised Troop 949 with a check for $4,150, made up of donations from several members of the community, at their regular troop meeting on Tuesday night.
“We’re super happy to be able to help you guys, and here's a check for $4,150. Thank you guys so much," Karis said.
With these donations, Troop 949 will be able to purchase brand-new equipment to replace what was stolen.
“It made us feel that we had amazing support from our community here on Padre Island," Strawn said.
Troop 949 is dedicated to serving the Boy Scouts' mission of doing their duty to give back to the community. In this case, roles were reversed and the community had the scouts' backs.
"This group wants to stand up and continue to give back and that’s the benefit of this is that there’s no slow down in our progression with the support of the community," Scout Master Hale said.
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