Parents & FAQ

Troop 87 is a Scouts BSA troop in the Gulf Breeze District of the South Texas Council. The Council maintains camps like Camp Karankawa and runs activities, training and administration. Popcorn sales, annual registration and the March Friends of Scouting campaign help fund the Council.

Every troop has a chartered organization that shares Scouting’s goals. Troop 87 is chartered by the Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi and hosted by Community of Faith Baptist Church, which provides our Scout Hut. A Chartered Organization Representative is the liaison between the troop and the club.

The Troop Committee — parents and adult volunteers — is the troop’s administrative and support team. It oversees troop funds, special events, outings, leadership training and the purchase and maintenance of equipment. It is led by the Committee Chair and includes a Secretary, Treasurer, Chaplain, Service Project Coordinator and committee members, with subcommittees for fundraisers, Courts of Honor, campouts and service projects.

The Scoutmaster leads the troop program and trains youth leaders; Assistant Scoutmasters help run the program and provide the required two-deep adult leadership at every activity. Troop parents help with fundraisers, encourage their scout’s advancement, attend at least one campout a year and come to Courts of Honor. All registered adults complete Youth Protection Training.

Scouts who are Star rank or higher and have completed NYLT can run for Senior Patrol Leader or Assistant SPL. The SPL is elected by the scouts; Patrol Leaders are elected by their patrols; the SPL appoints the Quartermaster, Scribe, Historian, Librarian and Chaplain’s Aide. See the Leadership page.

Every active scout renews their registration each year during recharter in December. National fees are set by Scouting America and change periodically — ask the Committee Treasurer for the current amount. Scout Life magazine is optional. Dues can be paid online through our Square site.

Activity costs vary: a typical weekend campout is about $10 per scout for food plus travel. Campsite fees are usually paid by the troop, but deposits may be needed for special trips. Fees paid for a trip are refunded only for illness or family emergencies, not when a scout cancels for convenience.

For scouts: certain campsite and admission fees, special expenses approved by the committee, and NYLT fees. For adults: registration for active leaders, adult campsite and activity fees, and all adult training. Adults pay their own share of food and transportation.

Our main fundraiser is the Chicken BBQ every June — every scout family helps with pre-selling tickets, prep the night before and the day-of dinner assembly. Profits support campouts, equipment and training.

The fall popcorn sale is second. A portion of each scout’s sales (about 30%) goes into their personal popcorn account for camp fees, uniforms and Scout Shop purchases.

Usually once a month — Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with extra days over school holidays and a longer spring break trip. Summer and winter camps are at Camp Karankawa on Lake Corpus Christi in June and the day after Christmas. Other campouts are chosen with scout and committee input and approved by the Scoutmaster. High Adventure trips are generally for scouts 14 and older.

Most of it! The troop has tents for drive-in and backpacking campouts, chuck boxes with cook kits and propane stoves, lightweight backpacking stoves, and internal and external frame backpacks from youth to adult sizes. Scouts bring their own sleeping gear and mess kit. See the Gear Lending Library.

Scouts: National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), a six-day course at Camp Karankawa for scouts 13+ who are First Class or higher. Adults: Youth Protection Training (required every year) and position training at my.scouting.org, plus Outdoor Leader Skills and Wood Badge. The troop pays for all scout and adult training.

The troop takes part in the Scouting for Food drive each October and November, plus other community projects through the year. Helping a fellow scout with an Eagle project also counts as service hours.

Scouts earn Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle. Requirements are in the Scouts BSA Handbook, ending with a Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review. Scouts must also be active at meetings and campouts — Life Scouts working toward Eagle should tell the Scoutmaster in advance about any expected absence.

Every rank requires a Scoutmaster Conference — sign up on the dry-erase board at Monday meetings. The Board of Review (not required for Scout rank) is the final step: three adult leaders, not including the Scoutmaster or the scout’s parents, meet with the scout. Full Class A uniform is required.

Many badges are offered at summer and winter camp (up to five per week), at troop meetings and at Council merit badge days. Scouts can also work on their own: tell the Scoutmaster, work with an approved counselor, fill out a blue card, and put it in the troop “Blue Book.” Badges are presented at Courts of Honor.

Two to three times a year, families gather to recognize scouts’ rank advancements and merit badges. The evening usually includes a potluck or dessert and lasts 1½ to 2 hours. Scouts escort a parent to the front when receiving a rank and pin the rank on the parent’s neckerchief. New scouts receive their red-and-white Troop 87 neckerchief at their first Court of Honor.

Scouting’s national honor society. Scouts who are First Class or higher, with 15 days and nights of camping (including one long-term camp) and a Scoutmaster recommendation, are eligible for election each January. At least half the troop must be present to vote, and a candidate needs votes from at least half of those present.

Class A: the official Scout shirt with troop number and council patches, Scout pants, belt and socks, plus neckerchief and merit badge sash for formal events. Uniform help is available at the Scout Shop. Class B: a Scouting T-shirt — every scout gets a Troop 87 T-shirt free.

Class A is worn at weekly meetings, when traveling to and from campouts and troop events, and at Courts of Honor. Neckerchief and sash are not worn at weekly meetings, but are worn at Courts of Honor, formal events, Scoutmaster Conferences and Boards of Review — and packed for summer and winter camp ceremonies.

Every member is expected to live by the Scout Oath and Law. Violence, hazing, bullying, theft, insults, drugs and alcohol have no place in Scouting. On outings a scout gets one warning; after a second violation, parents are called to pick up their scout, who then misses the next outing. Further problems can lead to a 3–6 month suspension from activities (meetings may still be attended) with a committee review. Drug, alcohol or tobacco violations mean an immediate parent pickup and a 3–6 month suspension; a second offense requires leaving the troop. If there is cause, the Scoutmaster may inspect personal gear with another adult and the scout present.