Scout Troop 85
Troop 85 is chartered out of the Williamsville United Methodist Church. One of WUMC’s Outreach and Mission efforts is to provide a space in our building for Troop 85 to meet on Monday evenings.
Troop 85 is regarded throughout the area as the light of Scouting. Troop 85 is one of the oldest troops in the Greater Niagara Frontier Council and has been in service to the community for over 65 years. Our troop is regarded throughout the area as the premiere example of what Lord Baden-Powell envisioned Scouting to be over 100 years ago.
As a troop, we travel around the country and abroad. Recent trips include Watkins Glenn, Cleveland, Rochester, and Letchworth State Park. All trips are planned out by the youth leadership with occasional advice and recommendations from the qualified adult leadership.
In July 2011, the Troop 85 Venture Patrol hiked and backpacked about 35 miles in the Adirondack mountains, including elevation changes of about 18,500 feet in total. The scouts had some down-time along the way and enjoyed cool mountain streams and even swam in Heart Lake. In all, they climbed four of 46 High Peaks and reached the summit of Mount Marcy, the highest point in New York State. Way to go Scouts.
Troop 85’s scouts attend Williamsville East, North, and South high schools. The Scouts also attend Casey, Hiem, Lancaster, Mill, and Transit middle schools. Troop 85 is a boy-led troop with adult supervision. Decisions are made by the boys with consultation from the highly trained and experienced adult leadership. As one of the only troops in all of New York with this philosophy, our troop provides the ideal spot for young males to learn life lessons through trial and error. The program has been proven successful year after year, as it wins awards and other recognitions through the Greater Niagara Frontier Council.
The leadership in Troop 85 is highly qualified, trained, experienced, and dedicated. The adult leadership has surpassed the required courses from the Boy Scouts of America. Leaders have attended extension courses in leadership development called Wood Badge. They have also received training in first aid, wilderness first aid, CPR, and other courses required to provide a safe Scouting environment.
Members of the youth leadership have attended National Youth Leadership Training and our troop’s own rigorous leadership training titled ALT. This training requires thirty hours of leadership development and team building that includes a two-day retreat. Some of our leaders have even served on the National Youth Leadership Training staff as instructors. These leadership skills are evidenced outside of Scouting as well, because many of the scouts are captains of sports teams, fire explorers, or class officers.
Troop 85 is proud to produce numerous Eagle Scouts. In a typical year, at least three to four young men earn the highest merit in scouting. This is a very high number considering that nationally only three percent of boys ever reach Eagle. Our Eagles go on to study at very prestigious educational institutions and work for highly competitive companies. A few Eagles in the troop currently have gone beyond earning their Eagle Palms.
Please visit Troop 85's Web site to find out more about our troop. Troop 85 Online was conceived in 2004 as a tool to improve communication between leadership, Scouts, parents, and the community. Since then, numerous Scouts have discovered the true meaning of Scouting through joining our program and participating. This site is written, edited, and produced solely by Scouts.