[SOUTHPOINT SPOTLIGHT] Shining On: Laura Helton

This summer, Laura Helton took on the role of pack leader for Scout Pack 451, which meets in the Hope Valley area at Westminster Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Old Chapel Hill and Shannon roads. Recently, she took the time to answer some questions from Southpoint Access about the pack, its activities, and what she does in this volunteer position.

How long have you been involved in Scouts and how did you get started?

Laura Helton: I got involved in Scouts when my oldest joined Pack 451 as a Tiger Scout in 2015. My husband was primarily involved in Scouts at the time, but when our second son joined the pack in 2018, I got more involved as we became the den leaders for his den. 

Why did you take on the challenge of leading Pack 451?

Laura Helton: Scouts is a great place for kids to build community. Pack 451 has a great community, and most pack activities are designed around the whole family being able to participate. There are lots of kids’ activities out there, but Cub Scouts really encourages parents and siblings to come along and participate as well.   

I was excited to help ensure that this community thrives and to help with initiatives to help make scouting accessible to as many kids as possible.

Over the past couple of years, pack leadership has worked hard to establish scholarship funding so a family’s ability to pay is never a barrier to participation in the pack.

We are a family pack, meaning that membership is open to both boys and girls. Pack 451 has historically had really strong leaders who have worked hard to make sure that programming and pack operations are really strong — this made it much easier for me to say “yes” to a pack leadership role — there is a really good plan in place, and a lot of what we do is executing plans that others have already outlined.

We also have an extremely supportive charter organization. Pack 451 is hosted by Westminster Presbyterian Church. We have great facilities and other support from the church, which makes running successful pack activities a whole lot easier.

Why should families in South Durham consider scouting for their children?

Laura Helton: As I already mentioned, Scouts is a great place for kids to build community and make friends. In addition to this, Scouts really establishes and reinforces a love of the outdoors.

Whether families are already active outdoors or desire to get outside more, Cub Scouts has fun and accessible opportunities. These opportunities include hiking, camping trips, conservation service projects, biking, and water activities.

The activities are fun for families with lots of experience in the outdoors, but also accessible to families who may never have hiked, camped, or had these other experiences before. Scouts is also a great opportunity to be physically active without any pressure to compete or be the fastest/best/strongest — the Cub Scout motto is “Do Your Best,” and we talk a lot with the kids about what that looks like in their lives — both in scouting and beyond.

We also do a lot of other activities that can meet kids where their interests are or introduce them to something new. We learn about carpentry, knife safety, STEM skills, public speaking, personal safety, being a good community member, conservation, and many other things. Regardless of a kid’s interests, there is probably something in scouting that is interesting and fun for them, and they will be introduced to new interests as well. 

What are the strategies you and the den leaders employ to develop leadership skills in young scouts?

Laura Helton: Again, the Cub Scout motto is “Do Your Best,” and that is the primary focus for Cub Scouts, particularly for the younger kids. At age-appropriate intervals, we introduce opportunities to be a leader.

This may be planning or serving a meal, leading a flag ceremony, giving a presentation, or planning a den activity. When the scouts move into Scouts BSA, which starts in 5th/6th grade, opportunities for leadership development expand. Scouts BSA Troops are led by the scouts themselves (under adult supervision). This offers so many opportunities for introducing and developing leadership skills. 

What roles do parents play in the pack and how can they contribute to their child’s scouting experience? 

Laura Helton: Pack 451 is a “family” pack, and we really lean into that family aspect. All pack activities are family friendly. Parents participate in all activities with their scout through 2nd grade, and in pack 451, most scouts have a parent or other adult who participates alongside them throughout the program. We find that most parents enjoy the activities as much as (sometimes more than!) their kids.

I already mentioned opportunities for kids to build community in Cub Scouts, but adults are making friends here as well. Scouts are assigned to dens and typically those dens stay together throughout the program — our family has made several friends throughout our years with Pack 451.

We also have plenty of opportunities for adults to contribute to the pack through their own skills or experience. We have parents who help with den activities, cook meals on camping trips, plan outings, or bring their professional experience to the pack. The sky really is the limit here — we have IT experts, medical professionals, scientists, an archaeologist, business leaders, firefighters, community leaders, stay-at-home parents and grandparents, hobbyists, runners, bikers, and the list goes on and on. If an adult is willing to invest time and energy in the pack, we have opportunities for them to be engaged. We also have plenty of parents and other adults who remain engaged by simply showing up for their scouts — getting them to meetings, applauding a new skit, or telling them “good job” when they have done their best.

How does Pack 451 engage with the local community and what kind of community service project do you undertake?

Laura Helton: Pack 451 participates in a service project roughly once per month and individual dens also coordinate their own community service. Projects we participate in every year include collecting books for Book Harvest, collecting socks and winter weather gear to donate every December, participating in Mrs. Parker’s Foodraiser at Lakewood Elementary, and helping with Durham’s Creek Week clean-up every spring.

We have also helped distribute water during races, cleaned up trash at community events, collected food for various food banks, collected personal hygiene supplies for donation, conducted flag ceremonies at community events, and a variety of other activities.

We want each scout to understand the importance of being engaged in the community. We also look for projects where all of our scouts – from kindergarten through fifth grade — can find meaningful ways to participate, even as an elementary-aged kid.

What kinds of outdoor activities do scouts get involved in when they join the pack?

Laura Helton: We have so many outdoor activities! We go on two pack camping trips each year. These are great. The pack does all of the shopping and cooking, and families just need to show up with a tent and sleeping bags (we also have some for people to borrow) and enjoy themselves. This is a GREAT introduction to camping for anyone who hasn’t been before. We go on hikes regularly and have hosted pack bike rides, campfires (with s’mores!), water activities, and other fun.

When the weather is nice, we often just meet outside — even if we are doing activities that could be done inside, our meeting facilities offer lots of places where we can meet outside.

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