Last night I was asked to speak to Troop 75 about service in our community. That is something I guess I have become an expert on, at least through experience.
For me, service was something passed down informally. I was raised with the idea that you give back when you can and you treat people fairly. My father-in-law, who was deeply involved in the ADA movement, told me before I married his daughter that community service mattered to their family and that I should carry that forward. My mother-in-law always said, “It does not hurt to be nice.” That was my training. No handbook, just expectations.
For Scouts, service is not informal. It is part of their fabric.
“Service is not something you do to advance. Advancement exists so you are prepared to serve when your community needs you.”
Scout Oath and Scout Law, Scouting America
Speaking to them about service was a challenge, because in many ways they could teach me just as much. I ran through a list of service projects Troop 75 completed in just the past year.
Flag ceremony at Town Hall for the 9/11 memorial
Veterans Day event
Helping the Chelmsford Stamp Club move substantial displays for their annual show
Preparing and baking a dozen shepherd’s pies for the Eliot Church soup kitchen in Lowell
Trinity Lutheran Church Eagle Project and English ivy mitigation conservation project
Chelmsford Council on Aging heavy landscaping project
Veterans rake-outs
Thanksgiving Forest Cookie Walk, baking hundreds of cookies and serving hot chocolate to the public
Snow Jam Revolution recruiting event at the Garrison House property
That list spans an entire range of services and touches many different groups in town. What I told them is that they should be proud of that work and focus on projects they feel passionate about. They are not a free workforce. They are young men and young women choosing to make a difference now and carrying that mindset forward for the rest of their lives.
One example I shared with them was the annual Veterans rake-out. My neighbors have been helped twice. They do not have a lot of money, and sadly the veteran in the household passed away two years ago, which made things even harder. Watching carloads of Scouts pull up and then seeing 16 Scouts with rakes and tarps pour out of those cars and spend two hours cleaning up the yard was incredible. The family is grateful beyond words, and they tell me that all year long. I know this made a real difference for this one family, and Troop 75 does this for many families every year.
That is one of the reasons COSS works so closely with Scouts. From the very beginning, Scouts have been part of our story. Since 2005, Scouts have helped build trails, restore habitat, repair bridges, install signage, and take on projects that most adults would think twice about. We do not see Eagle projects as one-off efforts. We see them as part of a long chain of stewardship that stretches across decades.
When a Scout completes a project with COSS, it does not disappear after the Court of Honor. It gets used. It gets maintained. Furthermore, it becomes part of the landscape. Families walk across it. Seniors rely on it. Kids play near it. That matters.
That is why I try to speak at Eagle Courts of Honor for projects COSS is involved with. Scouts and their families deserve to know that what they did is woven into the town. Whether it is open space, helping seniors, or supporting veterans, the need grows every year as grants shrink and the population ages.
Moving equipment might seem small, but as I said to them, most volunteers in town are now part of what I jokingly call Troop AARP. Heavy lifting is often no longer possible. Scouts quietly fill that gap.
Making shepherd’s pies for the soup kitchen is another example. It was just one meal, but for the people who needed it, that meal mattered. Service does not have to be big to be meaningful. It just has to be real.
Honestly, I could not have done most of what COSS has accomplished without working alongside Scouts. At one point I was aware of more than 100 Eagle projects connected to our work. That number is huge, and it only scratches the surface. Each Eagle project represents dozens of smaller service efforts that are never tracked, just done, quietly, and usually with a smile.
Service to the community is a choice. It is not required. Troops like Troop 75 that keep choosing service year after year are the reason Chelmsford continues to be the place it is. And from COSS’s perspective, Scouting is not just a partner. It is one of the strongest reasons our work succeeds at all.
And finally, just to be clear, I support Scouts about 99.99%. But shepherd’s pie without peas cost them that remaining 0.01% in my book. That is clearly something they need to work on for 2026.
-Phil