Troop 4 is proudly sponsored by St. Mary’s Catholic church of Milford, MA. Our troop of approximately 25 scouts meets at the St. Mary’s parish center on Winter Street in Milford. We also store much of our troop equipment and supplies at the parish center, and we hold our Courts of Honor here, too. Despite being chartered by a Catholic organization, the scouts of Troop 4 represent a variety of faiths. Scouts joining Troop 4 do not need to be members of St. Mary’s parish or Catholic.
Parental and Family Participation
Parents are encouraged to participate in troop activities. While scout independence and responsibility is emphasized, a strong scouting program relies on adult participation for merit badges, meetings, outings, campouts*, as drivers, as a part of our committee, or other volunteer roles. Many of our parents become adult leaders within the troop.
*Overnight participation requires an adult be Youth Protection Trained, CORI’d, and registered with the BSA
Troop Calendar of Events
The troop runs on a program year of September through the following August. The calendar of events is set annually and is posted and kept current at www.troop4milford.org.
Troop Meetings
Troop meetings are on Thursday nights at St. Mary’s parish center. Scouts arrive between 6:45 – 6:55 and the meetings run from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. The troop meetings run from September to the following June.
At the troop meetings scouts:
- Work on Advancement
- Participate in Scoutcraft activities and games
- Plan activities and events
- Have patrol meetings
Troop 4 has many “hands on” type of projects during the troop meetings. Projects intentionally vary from year to year, but in the past have included:
- Lashing camp gadgets and bridges
- Metal working
- Model rocket building
- Camp gadget construction
- Wood carving and wood working
- Cooking contests
Outdoor Activities
We strive for variety and adventure in our outdoor program. Our troop works hard to avoid “ruts” in repeating events. In a typical scout year our troop will do many of the following outdoor activities:
| Canoe trips | Whitewater rafting | Day hikes |
| Camping trips (all 4 seasons) | Backpacking trips | Mountain hikes |
| Pig roasts | Turkey roasts | |
| Winter sports camping trips (skiing, sliding, snow boarding) | Swim nights | |
| Orienteering hikes | Naturalist hikes | |
| BSA Summer Camp | High adventure trips |
High Adventure Program
Our troop plans for at least one high adventure type activity for each scout year – whitewater rafting, canoe trips in the wilderness, backpacking in the wilderness. In addition, every other year our troop plans a week-long high adventure. In the past we have gone to the Maine North Woods, the Adirondacks and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Our next week-long high adventure trip is planned for summer 2025.
What makes us different from other troops is that the high adventure program is:
- Open to all scouts for the shorter trips, no age limits and nominal cost (if any)
- Week-long trips are open to any scout who has been with the troop one year or more. Scouts raise money every year to defray the cost of these trips. The scout cost for these trips has historically been similar or not too much more than the average summer camp experience.
- Our troop loves adventure and we try to choose different adventure outings throughout our year that allow our younger scouts the ability to go on adventure outings well before they are eligible for the week-long high adventure trek.
Summer Camp
Troop 4 does a week-long summer camp experience annually at a BSA summer camp, including the years that we do a week-long high adventure trip. In 2022 we enjoyed a week at Camp Resolute, 2023 at Camp Squanto, and we are looking forward to camp at Squanto again in 2024.
Patrols and the Patrol Method
Every scout belongs to a patrol of scouts who are similar in age and interests. Our troop follows the Boy Scout patrol method where the scouts “run the troop” and do much of the planning. Each scout is given opportunities for leadership roles.
Our troop had scouts who age in range from 11 to 17, from fifth grade to senior in high school. We are very proud of many of our older scouts who teach and lead the new scouts.
Advancement
Our troop focuses on scout advancement activities. As a result, we have been very successful with advancement of individual scouts along the scouting ranks. Over 27% of the scouts that join Troop 4 have eventually reached Eagle Scout; a much higher percentage than the national average. We have had more than 55 Scouts reach the rank of Eagle in our short history, and 3 Eagle Scouts have received and accepted Congressional appointments to attend the United States Naval Academy and United States Military Academy at West Point.
Dues and Re-Charter Fees
Dues for the year are $195 per scout due in September with a $175 fee for additional siblings. This fee combines both Troop dues, national registration fees, council registration fees, recharter fees, and insurance. A few times per year, there are nominal fees charged for attending places that charge an admission fee, or for when we occasionally cook “troop” style – which is requested only if the scout attends the event.
All badges and awards earned by the scouts are paid by the troop. Scouts do have to buy a uniform shirt and belt (and we have a uniform exchange so uniforms or “spare” uniforms can often be obtained at no cost)
Fundraisers
Our primary fund raiser is our annual Pancake Breakfast, which allows us to keep our High Adventure trip fees at a very reasonable level. These fundraisers have also allowed the troop to build up an impressive inventory of camping, high adventure and technical gear over the years, which allows us to increase the level of high adventure that we offer.
Outdoor Equipment for the New Scout
For a troop that does as many varied outdoor activities as we do, the new scout needs surprisingly little in the way of outdoor equipment. A camping backpack, a sleeping bag (we often have both for use for new scouts) and a list of equipment that can be found around the house is all a new scout needs. We provide a list of equipment for new scouts on our troop website. The troop provides tents, patrol cook kits, tarps, saws, etc. for scouts to use.
Adult Leadership
Troop 4 has a strong adult committee of approximately 10 active adult members led by Committee Chair Karen Winkler. The troop committee has a wide range of skills, interests and experience, and includes former scoutmasters, former and present cubmasters, former committee chairs, and Eagle Scouts who continue to aid the troop with their scouting expertise.
The troop Scoutmaster is Dale Winkler who is himself an Eagle Scout. Dale has served in various leadership roles including Troop 4 Assistant Scoutmaster and many years as a Milford Pack 4 Den Leader and Cubmaster. The troop is also supported by several active assistant scoutmasters, merit badge counselors, and hands-on committee members. The Troop 4 adult leaders have decades of combined scouting and outdoor experience. In addition, many previous leaders continue to play a large role in the troop sharing their knowledge and experience.
Questions
For any questions, please call Dale Winkler at 508-282-0517 or email at dale-winkler@comcast.net