Troop 52 Hingham, MA was founded in 1954 with the Hingham Congregational Church as it’s sponsor. These days the Troop is sponsored by The Bare Cove Fire Museum. For almost 50 years the Troop has been training boys and adults to hike, camp, and enjoy the wilderness safely and responsibly. Troop leaders encourage each scout to develop at his own pace with achievement recognized by rank advancements, increased leadership responsibilities and the awarding of badges.
Troop 52 has over 55 Eagle Scouts, the highest rank a Boy Scout may aspire to. After the completion of service projects required of all Eagle candidates, many Eagle Scouts continue to contribute to the troop, and elsewhere in the community, a significant benefit to the community at large.
In addition to young Eagle Scouts from Troop 52, the leadership team consists of parents of boys currently or previously in the troop, and adults who were themselves Boy Scouts. Troop 52 owes its continued growth and success to the invaluable contributions of time and talents of the adult volunteers. Whether spending a few hours or many weeks; mundane tasks or passing on invaluable knowledge and skills; each and every minute of volunteered time is vital and appreciated. Just as the youthful energy, curiosity and courage of new scouts is the head of the Troop; so too the dedication, patience, and vision of the adult leaders are its lifeblood.
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Troop 52 meets weekly on Thursday nights at the Hingham Recreation Center. Boys in grades 6 through 12 typically come to the meetings where scouts work on many of the skills they will use on the many troop outings and elsewhere in their lives.
With adults always present for guidance, the older scouts of the Senior Patrol; plan and carry out the weekly meetings, select trip destinations, and make preparations for the monthly campouts. Frequent consultations with the Scoutmaster and his assistants insure the safety and appropriateness of all activities. All scouts are given the opportunity to experience leadership in planning and conducting ceremonies and campfire programs, service projects, and in teaching skills and procedures to younger scouts.
During the course of the school year scouts in Troop 52 and adult volunteers practice skills that will enable them to safely travel in the great outdoors. Each year the older scouts in the troop go on a “High Adventure” trip. These trips generally require that the boys’ scout skills be extremely well built and are usually more intensive trips requiring that participants have earned First Aid, Hiking, Swimming and other safety, water and wilderness related badges.
Monthly camping trips include some familiar locations as well as other trips throughout New England. Trips often coincide with the seasons; exposing the boys to a large range of activities such as canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, sailing, skiing, and many other outdoor activities
Troop 52 spends one week in the summer at a Boy Scout camp where activities include archery, baseball, crafts, canoeing, golf, rock climbing, swimming, and campfire ceremonies. Scouts also have the opportunity to earn merit badges and advance in their scouting career.
Troop 52 is funded primarily through its annual (since 1963) Christmas Mistletoe Sale. Troop 52 has been able to purchase and maintain 8 fully outfitted canoes, and a full range of rock climbing equipment. The Troop also owns a closed trailer, which stores the troop’s large collection of camping equipment, such as; 2 & 3 man tents, stoves, cooking, equipment, and other related camping supplies.
Historically the Mistletoe Sale has been the troop’s only fundraising program, with all other income derived from membership dues, gifts, and endowments. Instead of fund raising, scouts can spend their time working, learning, exploring and having fun on the trail to maturity, responsibility, achievement, and for some boys, the rank of Eagle Scout.
Community service is a very important requirement for rank advancement. Scouts in Troop 52 learn early to contribute to community through events like volunteering in Father Bills Kitchen in Quincy. Other events such as Eagle projects, and a variety of special request projects keep the scouts very busy. Generally there is at least one Eagle Project underway each year which also provides service opportunities for younger scouts.