OCEAN CITY — Living up to one of its core values of community service, a local Cub Scout pack this week made a nice contribution to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Ocean City.
In December, a small but active Cub Scout Pack 275, a group of about a half a dozen boys from Buckingham Elementary, got a tour of Coast Guard Station Ocean City along the bay at Worcester Street. Parent and pack leader Chad Newberger said the Coast Guard was gracious and allowed the boys full access of the station including a complete tour of the rescue boats docked at the facility.
“We were looking for something different to do for the boys and the Coast Guard was very gracious in allowing them to tour the entire facility,” Newberger said on Tuesday. “The boys had a great time and even learned a few things along the way.”
One of the things the Cub Scouts learned is that the men and women of the Coast Guard station in Ocean City certainly needed an upgrade to some of their recreational facilities. As they toured the facilities, they noticed the men and women of the Coast Guard Station in Ocean City, despite having the best of everything, were in need of a specific piece of recreational equipment.
“We went through a little workout area and noticed they were using a milk crate hooked to the wall as a basketball hoop,” said Newberger. “The boys saw that and came up with a plan to get them a new basketball backboard and hoop.”
The Cub Scout Pack 275 boys hatched a plan to find a replacement for the Coast Guard’s primitive milk crate basketball hoop. They went around to businesses and private entities in the Berlin area and collected the funds needed to purchase a new basketball hoop for the base. The new equipment features a base and support pole, a glass backboard and, of course, a rim and net. The base has wheels so the basketball net can be easily moved inside or outside. The boys of Cub Scout Pack 275 presented the new equipment to the Coast Guard Station Ocean City on Tuesday.
The men and women of Coast Guard Station Ocean City were grateful for the donation and Master Chief Timaree Sparks presented the boys with Coast Guard medals to add to their collection of various merit badges and other adornments on their uniforms. There was also an impromptu birthday party for one of the scouts at the base on Tuesday complete with Slushies for the boys.
“A big part of scouting is community service and this was an opportunity for the boys to do that,” said Newberger. “They saw a need and figured out a way to help. We are very proud of them.”