By Colin Hsia, Scouting Star Rank, current 8th grader at SPMS
It’s that time of the year already! South Pasadena’s Troop 7 and 7G Scouts are coming around town to sell holiday greenery! A rich tradition since 1951, this is our troop’s most meaningful fundraiser of the year. Buying a wreath from one of our scouts goes a long way in supporting our troop.
“The funds raised are important for our troop,” says Troop 7 Scoutmaster Joey Bland. “Scouting – like everything else these days – gets more and more expensive. We are able to make activities more accessible by using these funds to offset transportation costs for some events or to reduce certain fees. With a troop of our size, we also wear out equipment quickly. We’ve used Greenery funds to replace community tents, pop-up shelters, lanterns, and stoves. The costs of that stuff add up quickly, and being able to take those costs off of individual families means that we are able to stay active doing the things that our scouts really love- hiking, camping, cooking, exploring, and dreaming up the next cool activity we’ve never ever tried before.”
“The Greenery fundraiser connects our scouts to their neighbors,” Scoutmaster Bland continues, “and reminds the community at large that Scouting is thriving in South Pas. The courage it takes to knock on doors and face possible rejection shouldn’t be underestimated, and the resilience and confidence that scouts build while walking the streets of their hometown are hugely valuable traits for young people to develop, especially in our often-online world.”
Our troop sells a large variety of wreaths, garlands, and table centerpieces to fit different styles and budgets. All of our greenery comes straight from the Cascade mountains in Washington state. I personally love having the wreaths because they really bring out the holiday spirit.
This will be my third year selling greenery and I am super excited to get out and knock on doors. I personally love meeting my fellow South Pasadenans, and this experience has helped me develop salesmanship skills. I learned how to speak to strangers with more confidence and how to explain things more clearly. South Pasadena is such a beautiful and lively city and we want to bring out the holiday spirit this year. We know that it is hard to think about the holidays so far ahead of time, but the holidays will be here before you know it. Lets deck out South Pasadena! We hope to see our wreaths and garlands on everyone’s door!
Door to door sales start September 20. Final orders are due November 10. Deliveries will be made personally by a scout during the week of December 1. A scout will contact you beforehand to arrange deliveries.
Orders may also be placed online at https://sherwoodfundraiser.com/bsatroop7southpasadena/products
