If you’re like the Scouts, the world could take better care of the bees. That’s why Scouts are taking the opportunity of the upcoming Good Turn Week from April 29 to May 6 to offer bee houses to the community as a way of building up the pollinators’ population in the face of bad overwintering and chemical pollution.
The 2nd St. Albert Scout Group is currently hard at work on its Bee Houses for St. Albert project. It’s designed to raise awareness about the struggles of the overall bee population and to promote better bee care within and around the city since there are still many farmers’ fields with crops in the vicinity.
“We can’t just save the honeybees; we gotta save the other kind of bees too,” said Imogen Pohl, youth spokesperson with Scouts Canada. “We’re Scouts, right? We’ve got to be super into nature. We’ve got to help our environment. Otherwise, if we don’t have an environment, there’s nowhere to go camping or hiking. It affects us.”
The Scouts consulted with the city’s planning department to ensure that it complied with the integrated pest management plan as well. They are hand-making 300 of the bee houses and the project will get its public launch on Sunday, April 30 at 2 p.m. at the St. Albert Botanic Park.
Not to be outdone, the 12th St. Albert Scout Group will also be offering a large community service project. They are working to put together a special Spring Fling for the Ronald McDonald Charities Northern Alberta Centre, better known as Ronald McDonald House.
“One of their things for Good Turn Week is that just because you’re sick doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t not be able to have fun,” Pohl said. “Their idea was ‘we are going to come in and we are going to brighten everyone’s day’.”
The group will be putting on a carnival for families who are currently residing at the centre. Each age division of the 12th St. Albert Scouts will take on an activity. For instance, the Beavers (ages five to seven) will be putting together picnic tables and playground equipment for the event.
“They’re going to use their Beaver teeth. They’re assembling wood. They’re Beavers. That’s what they do,” she said.
The Cub Scouts will be hosting a penny carnival, which will include beanbag toss games and a bouncy castle. The Scouts will prepare the lunch and snacks, including a barbecue and other carnival-themed treats such as popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones, while the older Venturers and Rovers will be doing a thorough spring-cleaning of the place and the playground equipment. Afterward, they will be donating their cleaning items to the centre.
Pohl read a note from one of the Scouts about the importance of Good Turn and the carnival in particular.
“It’s important to remember that everybody matters. That’s why you should do a good turn. I hope the families coming to the Spring Fling will be excited. I think they’ll enjoy the food and games, especially the bouncy castle because everybody loves bouncy castles. Kids who need help with their health still want to have fun.”
