Scout helps mom survive after heart attack, plus other good news from this week

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The only way to even have a remote chance of saving someone who’s having a heart attack is to know the signs of a heart attack.

Thank goodness Joy Mace’s son is a member of Scouts BSA.

Ryan Mace, a 14-year-old Scout from Nebraska, recognized the signs of a heart attack when his mom suddenly collapsed to the floor.

Though he never had to perform CPR, the information he was able to pass on to the 911 operator was critical in getting his mom the help she needed.

“Had Ryan froze or panicked or anything else, that would have cost precious minutes,” his mom said.

Read more in this article from 1011 NOW in Lincoln, Neb.

Grand Teton Council Cub Scout Expo brings community together

Nearly 200 families attended a community gathering at a park in Idaho Falls. The event is hosted by local Scouts BSA troops, who man different stations for Cub Scouts and other members of the community to visit.

“Expos are a long tradition of Scouting because it gets everybody together,” said Elias Lopez, district director for the council. “It gets the families together. It gets the community together with businesses and nonprofits who help this happen.”

Read more about the event in this story from the Post Register newspaper.

Scout troop holds up its end of the bargain by beautifying local train stop

Maybe you’ve heard of adopt-a-road or adopt-a-highway programs in which Scouts units or other community organizations pledge to regularly maintain a public area.

New Jersey Transit Corporation recently started an adopt-a-station program, and Troop 13 from Bordentown, N.J., has contributed by planting flowers, removing litter and performing other light landscaping tasks.

“It’s cool to help out and see the results of our work,” said Troop 13 Scout Luke Williams. “A lot of people come through this station, and hopefully they’ll have a good first impression of Bordentown.”  

Read more in this story on the Tap into Bordertown website.

Eagle Scout candidate installs stairs to make trail more accessible

Abhradeep Chandra had just one issue with the Noggin Trail at Buffalo Mountain State Park in Tennessee.

“When I first came to look at (the trail), I fell down twice,” said Deep. “We saw a lot of older people using this trail, and they had a lot of trouble too. They spent maybe two minutes just trying to get down to the trail part, and I thought that was pretty bad. … It shouldn’t be difficult to access a trail.”

So Chandra got to work, leading a team that installed a set of stairs at the trail’s entrance.

Read more about this project in this story from the Times News.


About Aaron Derr 503 Articles
Aaron Derr is the senior editor of Scout Life and Scouting magazines, and also a former Cubmaster and Scouts BSA volunteer.