FLINT - Nearly 200 Boy Scouts from all over Michigan and as far as New York and Canada came together to distribute more 2,500 cases of water to nearly 300 residential homes, nine churches and two schools in Flint. Donations of bottled water poured into Boy Scout service centers throughout Michigan in preparation for the mass water delivery held on Saturday, February 27 from 9:00 am to noon.
Boy Scouts and adult volunteers with the Michigan Crossroads Council (MCC) hand-delivered cases of water to as many schools, churches, and residents as they could. Many Boy Scouts stopped to shovel snow for residents who hadn't left their homes due to the snow storm two days before the mass delivery. The delivery was the focus of the Michigan Crossroads Council's "Scouting for Water" initiative which was organized in response to the water crisis in Flint. Distributing water to the people in need was our primary focal point.
"Part of our Scout Oath and Law includes the words 'to help others at all times' and the hardships being faced by Flint residents who are going without such a basic necessity was a major call to our Scouts to act on those words," said Matthew Thornton, Scout Executive/CEO for the MCC. "We hope that the water we collected and delivered will make the lives of our friends, neighbors and fellow Scouts in Flint a little easier.
"This was simply the right thing to do."
On Friday, February 26 the donated water from each service center was collected and loaded into our volunteer's trailers. On Saturday our volunteers transported the water to Flint and were loaded into cars and onto trucks in Flint for distribution.
In addition to the MCC, the Westchester-Putnam Boy Scout Council in New York brought nearly 400 cases of water to Flint which Boy Scout also delivered.
About Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America:
The Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America provides a variety of youth development and camping programs that promote character, leadership, and life skills to nearly 68,000 Michigan boys and girls. More information on the Michigan Crossroads Council can be found at michiganscouting.org.
