Hello! My name is David Beaty II. I am a Life Scout in Troop 114 here in Huntsville,

Texas. I am working on my Eagle Scout Project, Operation Happy Books. Operation Happy

Books is a book drive that benefits the patients and families of the Texas Children's Hospital.

This book drive is very important to me and I would like to tell you about why I chose to serve

Texas Children's Hospital and their libraries.

When I was six years old, I got sick and was sent to Texas Children's Hospital to see

doctors and have tests done. In between tests, my mom and I stopped at the library located on the

second floor of the hospital. There, I got lost in a new comic book. The book made me feel

incredibly happy and I forgot about being scared. When it came time to go to my next test, the

library allowed me to take the book with me! My mom offered to pay for the book, but the

librarian just gave me a warm smile and said she was glad I was enjoying it.

It might be hard to understand how such a small book could impact a kid so much. What

I can tell you is that I don't remember much at all about that day. I don't remember the doctors or

the tests or the waiting rooms. I don't remember feeling bad, being scared, or being in pain. All I

remember is reading that book and looking at the hilarious characters. I remember laughing and

reading my mom the jokes. The joy I got from my new book replaced the negative experience

and made that day a happy memory for me.

On the way home, my mom and I talked about one day giving back to the hospital that

gave so much to me. Operation Happy Books is my way of saying thank you and I hope these

books help make happy memories for other kids who might get lost in a book too!

I am excited to invite you to participate in my book drive initiative which is aimed at

collecting children's books for the patients and their families at The Texas Children's Hospital.

My primary goal is to collect 500 books for The Texas Children's Hospital in The Woodlands,

but I am eager to surpass this goal with the help of our community and reach for 5,000! Thiswould allow me to serve other Texas Children's Hospital libraries, book carts, and "Book Nooks"

in the Houston area.

I am asking for Huntsville to help me by donating new or “like new” children’s books in

the month of October. There are three ways to donate:

Drop-off Donation- Take your new or "like new" book donations to one of the convenient book

drop-box locations listed below:

• Re-Read Used Books

• Josey Scout Lodge

• First Baptist Church

• Huntsville Public Library

• First Presbyterian Church

Amazon Wish List- Operation Happy Books has an Amazon Wish List. It is a quick and

convenient way to contribute to this worthy cause! Just visit operationhappybooks.org and click

the Amazon Wishlist link to purchase a book from the list. Your book (or books!) will be

automatically delivered to the drive saving you time!

Large Donations- Can your organization help? Do you have a large donation? We can facilitate a

pick up! Please email me to schedule a convenient time for you or your organization. Reach out

with any questions. operationhappybooks@gmail.com

Books have the power to transport us to new worlds, connect us, and bring smiles during

challenging times. I believe that with your support, we can make a significant impact for many

kids. Let's work together to make a difference and spread the love of books! Operation Happy

Books is dedicated to bringing the joy of reading to hospital children and their families. Thank

you, Huntsville, for your support!

Please visit operationhappybooks.org to learn more!

I would like to thank these wonderful organizations for their generous support!● Re-Read Used Books

• • Josey Scout Lodge

  • First Baptist Church

  • Huntsville Public Library

  • First Presbyterian Church

  • Melvin P . White VFW Post 5871

  • Paideia Classical School

  • The Home Depot

  • Office Depot

  • The Book Attic

  • Sparks Woodworking

  • Hello Huntsville

Girl Scouts from Huntsville and the greater Houston area enjoyed a weekend of camping and fun activities at Huntsville State Park during Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend, Sept. 13-15, 2024.  Every year at this time, Girl Scouts along with their troops, friends, and families, celebrate their love of the outdoors by visiting state parks across the country.  Girl Scouts are encouraged to spend time outside, enjoy nature and care for our environment through activities arranged by volunteers from various Girl Scout communities and outdoor organizations in cooperation with state park staff.

This year, over 300 participants including 147 Girl Scouts and their family members enjoyed weekend activities.  For many, it was their first time to camp and their first visit to Huntsville State Park.  The event director, Jamie Arlt, has run the program at Huntsville State Park for three years and each year the event grows as more Girl Scouts learn about the fun activities offered at the park.  Arlt is a local Girl Scout volunteer and employee at Sam Houston State University.  When asked what she most enjoys about running the program, she said “getting girls and their families out to the state park”.  She mentioned meeting a family that had recently moved to Texas from England.  “They had never been camping, and they never had tried a s’more, and they were absolutely loving the weekend…to me that’s what the event is all about, getting girls and their families out to the state park and experiencing new things.”  Arlt also complimented the state park rangers who go the extra mile to make the event a success.  Ranger John Herron has helped with the event each year, and he leads many of the weekend activities.

Volunteers from our local Girl Scout community, Sam Houston State University, the Master Naturalists, Fishing’s Future, Huntsville Home Depot, Texas Brigades, and many more facilitated the event.  Girl Scouts and their families could choose among a myriad of activities throughout the weekend including fishing, fire building, knot tying, knife skills, cloud identification, campfire songs, gardening, crafts, hiking, geocaching, forest therapy, orienteering, bird feeder building, insect and plant identification and outdoor careers for women.  For a service project, several Girl Scouts helped clean up one of the park trails.  Participants enjoyed a stargazing party Saturday evening on the patio of Raven Lodge complete with a campfire and s’mores. 

Local Girl Scout Troop 103105 (pictured), a troop of mostly Junior level scouts from Huntsville, camped together for the weekend.  They enjoyed many activities, but fishing was one of their favorites.  They also had fun making their own bird feeders and observing nature up close. They had fun collecting cicada exoskeletons and just spending time outside with their fellow Girl Scouts.

For more information about joining or volunteering with Girl Scouts contact Kat Alexander at kalexander@sjgs.org.

One chilly morning in early March, six scouts and three adults huddled around a map. Whether they knew it then or not, they were about to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

The scouts, who were all members of Scouts BSA Troop 1934G, would go on to spend the next three days on a 15-mile backpacking trip. They carried everything they needed in their backpacks, which had starting weights between 20 and 30 pounds each.  Regardless of the difficult and often uncomfortable task of carrying the packs, the girls still found ways to have fun. They told stories, played card games, and even had a chance to explore.

On the second night of the trip, the scouts camped next to a creek. The curious children traveled upstream, leaping over the water and clinging to tree roots protruding from the steep sandy banks. They thoroughly enjoyed their time running about the woods, although some of them walked away with soaked boots.

Despite their socks’ soggy situations, the scouts woke the next morning with excitement in their hearts. They eagerly began their third and final hike. By lunchtime, the scouts had nearly finished their planned hike. However, the upcoming trail was closed due to a controlled burn. Unwilling to finish the hike as charred piles of bones, the adult leaders put their heads together.

Fortunately, they could be picked up from this spot. The backpacking merit badge, however, required that the scouts hike 15 miles, a number they missed by just a quarter of a mile. The solution turned out to be surprisingly simple: turn around and hike in the safety of the non-flaming forest until they met the requirement.

Finally, the scouts were then able to return home. They were exhausted, yes, but they walked away with memories that are sure to last a lifetime.

A resounding applause, please, for Troop 98 Scout James Cauthen as he has recently earned the highest honor presented in the Scouting program: the rank of Eagle Scout. Through several years of cheerful service to his Pack, Troop, and community, James has demonstrated the importance of grit and self-determination in the journey towards excellence as not just an outstanding Scout, but a leader among his peers and an example to us all.

James began his scouting career as a “Me-Too” with his older cousin. James wasn’t old enough to be in the program yet himself, but he still attended every meeting and event and participated in all the activities. He finally became an official Cub Scout in Pack 98 in the first grade (before the Lions program ever existed) as a Tiger Scout, and over the last 10 years he has worked his way to Eagle while earning his Arrow of Light award, being a two time finalist for the Josey Outstanding Scout honor, and being elected to the Order of the Arrow (an honor group among Scouts). As a Scout in Troop 98, James has camped over 100 nights in all types of weather conditions, logged 118 miles of hiking, and completed 132 hours of community service. He has served our unit in the positions of Den Chief, Chaplain’s Aide, Troop Guide, Order of the Arrow Representative, Quartermaster, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader. In his time in the Troop, he has enjoyed summer camp trips to Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and has plans to attend the unit’s upcoming excursion to North Carolina this summer to attend Camp Daniel Boone. If there was anything one could add to his decorated scouting career, he has also attended our unit’s High Adventure backpacking trip to Philmont Scout Ranch and a joint adventure with Troop 114 at Florida Sea Base sailing around the Florida Keys. Of all his experiences in Scouting, James states that camping has by far been his favorite saying, “Camping allowed me to grow closer to other Scouts and helped me travel to places like New Mexico and Florida.”

Outside of Scouts, James is a proud member of the Huntsville Hornets football program and Tennis team.
He’s participated in both programs since the 7th grade, which just adds to the impressiveness of his achieving the rank of Eagle since he must manage not only his academic requirements, but also split his time between his Scouting adventures and his extracurricular activities at school and gives 100% to all of it. As a matter of fact, you can count on James often to be the first one to arrive and the last to leave, always offering to help set- up/clean-up or be a workout buddy to teammates. James is also a member of Christ the King Methodist Church where he is an active member and leader in their Youth Program and volunteers with the A/V team running the soundboard for Worship services. It’s not crazy to suggest that he would have ranked faster if he’d been solely a Scout, but James is a great example of what makes Scouting such a special program. To succeed, it requires a desire and a drive. You must be willing to sacrifice what others will not, and go the extra mile when others just give in. You have to WANT to show up to Troop meetings, you have to WANT to attend all of the Troop’s activities, you have to WANT to perform all of the tasks your classes require in school, you have to WANT to work hard at after school practice to improve your game, and you have to WANT to get up the next morning to do it all over again. James is the perfect make and model of this principle and his friends and family applaud him for this.

After high school, James plans to attend Lone Star College Cy Fair’s Firefighting program and becoming a member of the next generation of Huntsville’s heroes by being a full-time Fireman. If keeping up with his grades and school extracurriculars, on top of all that he does in Scouting, wasn’t enough to impress you, did I mention that he volunteers for the local fire department learning all he can and doing whatever he can to help too? His servant heart shines here, and I for one know how proud I am to not only have grown up with James and be a witness to all that he works so hard for, and all that he has accomplished, but to consider him a dear friend as well.

Once again, congratulations to James Cauthen for earning the rank of Eagle Scout. As a follower of the Scout Oath and Law, a cheerful member of Troop 98, a hard-working citizen of his community and country, and a servant-hearted child of God, James has properly set the bar for younger scouts desiring an example of what to aim for in every facet of life.

Troop 114 visited San Antonio last weekend to experience the annular eclipse on October 14, 2023.  Despite some clouds, they were still able to see the full eclipse.  Afterward, they visited the Alamo and San Antonio Riverwalk.

September 13, 2023

by Diane Neudorf

July 15, 2023

by David Beaty II, Star Scout, Troop 114

Girl Scouts are committed to helping the environment and making the world a better place.  Local Girl Scouts participated in a national event called the Girl Scout Tree Promise, which is a commitment by Girl Scouts across the country to plant 5 million trees by 2026.  The Texas A & M Forest Service provided trees and their staff demonstrated how to plant them.  Girl Scouts from several local troops and their families planted 60 trees at Sam Houston State University’s Gibbs Ranch on October 8, 2022.  There were a few trees left over that families could take home to plant in their own yards.  Participants also had a chance to visit with the Forest Service staff and professors Sibyl Bucheli, Diane Neudorf, Chris Randle and Justin Williams from the biology department at Sam Houston State University to learn about tree identification and the importance of trees to other species in the Pineywoods ecosystem.  Girl Scouts of all ages participated in the event.  One Brownie said she enjoyed planting trees because it helped the planet and because trees are important for animals. Another Brownie enjoyed learning about the birds that live in our forests and how to age trees from counting their rings.  One of the Cadette participants said she liked seeing the great participation from younger Girl Scouts and their families at the event. We have lost many trees in our area from the drought this year and hopefully planting new trees will help mitigate some of that loss.  For more information about joining or volunteering with Girl Scouts contact Gina Murphy at gmurphy@sjgs.org. 

August 22, 2022 By Tenderfoot Scout David Beaty II

Over this sizzling hot summer, our Huntsville Cub Scouts have been busy taking advantage of the sunshine. Scouting doesn’t stop for the summer! It is a year long program packed to the brim with fun! I checked in with the packs in our area to find out what exciting adventures they enjoyed over the break.

Cub Scouts had a great time this summer! Many Cubs attended Cub Scout Day Camp. Day Camp is a week-long Scout camp put on by BSA districts to provide kids with opportunities to work on their adventures and ranks alongside Cub Scouts from all over the area. At camp, there are games, crafts, and supervised shooting sports like BB guns, slingshots, and bows and arrows. Kids grow friendships with one another during this week of jam-packed fun!

It doesn’t stop there! Cub Scouts also worked toward the Summertime Activity Award. One of the requirements of this award is to participate with the pack during summer events. And boy, did the leaders make some plans! The packs participated in Scout Day at Minute Maid Park and got to walk the field before enjoying an Astros baseball game with their families and fellow scouts. Cubs explored the STEM Novas this summer, a program developed by BSA to encourage curiosity in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Some packs put on craft and woodworking workshops for cubs to express their creativity through art.

Pack 98 Cubs got to learn about an actual wolf pack while visiting a wolf sanctuary and volunteering at a local wildlife rehabilitation center.

Pack 96 was privileged to revisit history at the H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum of Texas in July. The pack along with Troop 97 members had a pleasant picnic before ending the day at the Prison Museum here in Huntsville.

Pack 114 had an epic adventure at Mammoth National Monument in Waco, Texas! There, the cubs set their eyes on the fossils of ancient creatures that once roamed these lands. After proving to be good stewards of our National Parks, these scouts were sworn in as Junior Rangers.

The packs also had a blast bowling, skating, hiking at night, and gathering at the pool to beat the heat! This summer was so hot no wonder the cubs cooked up so much fun!

I first started scouting about five years ago as a tiger in Cub Scouts. Cub scouting was awesome! We went camping a lot! Camping was full of fun, fort building, and den activities with my Pack. I always looked forward to the campfire where we sang songs, roasted marshmallows, and performed hilarious skits. Our cub den met together with our Den Leader every week to discuss plans, work on adventures, and be silly together! Cub scouts took trips to really cool places like the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas where we dug for diamonds and the SHSU planetarium where we explored space! We even got to camp overnight in the middle of the Houston Zoo!  (Just so you know, lions grunt at night!) At cub camp every summer, I shot BB guns, sling shots and bows and arrows while meeting cubs from all over! Swim time, hike time, any time is scout time! Cub scouts was an epic experience.

Just recently, I crossed over into a troop! I’m so excited because now I have new friends, longer distance camping and new adventures to look forward to. The BSA adult leaders are at our events for guidance and safety, however, we cook, clean, and lead ourselves. I am learning new skills from my troopmates and we all work together as we go through the Scouts BSA program. Instead of belt loops and adventures, we work to achieve Merit Badges. There are more than 100 merit badges that you can earn and its easy to find one that you are interested in. I am excited to work on the Moviemaking and Chess merit badges. This summer our troop is going to Camp Davy Crockett in Tennessee. There I will learn skills and leadership, achieve merit badges and meet even more friends!

Each scout works through requirements to achieve ranks. I just earned my first rank, Scout. Working towards tenderfoot is what I am focusing on now. It will take many camping trips, leadership roles and determination, but I know I can do it! Scout, Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class, Star, Life and then Eagle! I cannot wait to find out what that journey has in store. I have great friends, stupendous leaders, and the support of my family and community. Adventure awaits!

This summer the older Scouts of Troop 114 took a trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM.  Older Scouts are those who are 14 and older and have at least attained the First Class Rank.

A total of 8 Scouts and 5 Adults left on July 1, 2021 and returned to Huntsville on July 13, 2021. There were 2 Crews for a trek which allowed them to hike about 65 miles. Even though it rained 10 out of the 11 days on the trail, the scouts didn’t allow the rain to slow them down. They were able to complete almost all of the planned activities which even included packing a burro they helped to carry some of their gear and food.  Learning to take care of their new friends, Mr. Grumpy and Comet, the two burros was sometimes a challenge, but also a great learning experience for the scouts.

Both crews also participated in the following activities which included horseback riding where they saw a bear on the trail, 3D archery shooting, 12 gauge shotgun shooting, tomahawk throwing, a challenge course, visited the Indian writings site, worked at a blacksmith shop, rode and operated a railroad hand car and participated in chuck wagon cooking.  The highlight of the trek was hiking to the top of Baldy Mountain, 12,441 feet in elevation. It was a beautiful sunny morning when they left, but it rained and hailed on the descent off the mountain.

Philmont Scout Ranch offers several treks during the summer for Scouts and Venturers to participate in.  Besides Baldy Mountain, a crew may also take a trek to the Tooth of Time, a famous landmark along the old Santa Fe Trail. Both treks have activities for all to enjoy at their stopping points. It appears to be a lot of work but everyone has fun as they learn team building and confidence skills while enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors.

Josey Scout Lodge is excited to congratulate Huntsville’s newest Order of the Arrow members:  (L to R) Korban Daniel, Jayden Gay, Samuel Gray, Shawn Rainer, Koen Dunbar, and Billy Moak.

The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America. The Order of the Arrow (OA) recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Members are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long-term resident camping, developing leaders, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich, support, and help to extend Scouting to America's youth.

The Order of the Arrow (OA) was founded by Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson in 1915 at the Treasure Island Camp of the Philadelphia Council, Boy Scouts of America (Now known as the Cradle of Liberty Council). It became an official program experiment in 1922 and was approved as part of the Scouting program in 1934. 

Colonneh Lodge is the Sam Houston Area Council's Order of the Arrow Lodge. The lodge is named in honor of General Sam Houston; who was called Colonneh, meaning raven, when he lived with the Cherokee Indians. The lodge totem is the raven.

Once each year, a unit (troop, crew, or ship) may hold a unit election to elect youth members to become members of the Order of the Arrow. Both youth and adult Scouts and Scouters can become members of the Order of the Arrow (OA), but only youth members are elected. Adult leaders in the unit under the age of 21 are considered youth members for OA purposes, including unit elections. New members are voted on by every youth member of the unit present at the election - not just the OA members.

With the weather getting cooler and the Holidays just around the corner, members of the Boy Scouts of America who reside in Huntsville have been very busy this month.

On Saturday, December 5th, several of our units participated in the Huntsville Lions Club Christmas Parade. Troop 114 along with Scouts from the other units in town provided the Honor Guard for the parade. Cub Scout Packs 98 and 114 each had a float entered into the parade. The theme this year was “Every Day Heroes”.

Troop 98 Scout Zachary Rebstock started his Eagle Leadership project of cosmetically refurbishing a 1982 Humvee at the H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans museum. 

Cub Scout Pack 114 at their monthly Pack meeting besides recognizing the Cubs for their achievements and Rank advancements, they also performed a service. Each cub brought homemade cookies which they set out and made snack bags that were taken to the Huntsville Memorial Hospital for the Emergency Room staff and the First Responders. 

These are just some of the Scouting fun in the area.  If you have a youth interested in joining, visit joseyscoutlodge.org/join to learn more.

The Scouts here at Josey Scout Lodge wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hopefully a Happy New Year.

You may not have noticed much action around the Josey Scout Lodge since March when all large gathering places were closed due to Covid-19. As there was little to no action taking place at the lodge due to covid-19, our Scouting Units have been active for the past 7 months behind the scenes.

The units started doing virtual meetings with their unit leaders and worked on several adventures, rank requirements and merit badges from the comfort of their homes. Due to state parks and Scout camps being closed virtual overnight camps took place.

As restrictions were being lifted the Scouts started doing some in person meetings usually at a local park or outside the lodge while maintaining social distancing and wearing masks. Day events allowed more social interaction and allowed the Scouting youth to do what they enjoy most having fun.

During these past 2 months, Scouts have been working on doing more and more around the lodge and for the community. There have been 2 service days at the lodge where units have each signed up for 2 different months throughout the year to come and do services projects and clean up in and around the lodge. Some units have done service for their Chartered Organizations.

I personally started working with a unit on the Hiking Merit Badge and we ventured out on their first hike of 5 miles. Now they are planning the next hike which will be 10 miles.

There are 7 units here in Huntsville. 3 Cub Scout Packs, 3 Scouts BSA Troops, and 1 Venturing Crew meets each week mainly from August through June. During June and July they would have attended day camp, summer camp or a high adventure program. This past summer the units worked on virtual campouts that National had set up during the summer months. The National Order of the Arrow Conference was changed from an in person event to a 3 day virtual event. One unit held a wilderness survival overnighter on one of the leader’s property which allowed Scouts to work on requirements for the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge.

One Scout wrote about his troop and what they did during October. “In the month of October, Huntsville’s Boy Scout Troop 114 has continued to provide instruction, adventure, and valuable memories to the young men in our community. During troop meetings, for example, the scouts began working on the Radio Merit Badge, which has opened up the possibility to explore the topic further if the scout so chooses. The troop also canoed nine miles down the Neches River near Lufkin. On this excursion, the scouts were able to experience nature and observe the wildlife of the Pineywoods region. Lastly, two Eagle Scouts in Troop 114 had their Courts of Honor, where they were finally able to receive their Eagle badges and be honored for this great accomplishment in front of their friends and family. Even through a pandemic, Troop 114 is still striving to be the next leaders of our community and nation.”