Scouting’s growth in Montgomery inspires formation of new pack.
By: Dennis O’Neill
Forty-five-year-old Rich Epp of Montgomery remembers loving the Cub Scouts, but losing interest as a Boy Scout.
"I was the world’s worst Boy Scout," he joked. "I got too cold and too hungry on camping trips, and wasn’t having a lot of fun. So I quit."
Now, after serving seven years as a Cub Scout volunteer including a two-year stint as Cubmaster he has quit again.
Sort of.
At a recent Cub Scout Leader meeting, Mr. Epp officially stepped down as Cubmaster of Pack 185 to become Cubmaster of newly formed Pack 181.
Mr. Epp said the move is necessary because the success of the township’s two Cub Scout Packs Pack 185 (which meets at Montgomery Middle School) and Pack 850 (which meets at the Orchard Hill Elementary School) has flooded their rolls.
At their annual Blue and Gold Recognition and Award Dinner held at the Princeton Elks Club last spring, Pack 185 nearly exceeded the building’s fire code capacity. Camping and other overnight trips have also become increasingly difficult for both Packs, which boast rosters of 90 or more boys.
"We have simply outgrown our ability to do large group activities," Mr. Epp said.
Plans to form a new Cub Pack with parents new to Scouting were scrapped last year because the task of running the program was overwhelming to first-timers.
"I thought a better plan would be for me and a few other experienced parents to spend a year coaching a new group of parents how to run the program," Mr. Epp said.
He added that his transition team is drawing only on veteran leaders whose sons have completed the Cub Scout program. Parents currently involved with Pack 185 and 850 will not join the new Pack, or will their children.
The strategy is geared to build a strong foundation for the new group, while easing the overcrowding in the established Packs.
"We’ll only take the youngest, entry-level kids for the new Pack," Mr. Epp said. "We won’t let kids from other Packs transfer in."
That includes his youngest son, nine-year-old Eric, who will finish his Cub Scout career with 185, the Pack that graduated his two older brothers, Alex and Richard now both Boy Scouts.
Besides his duties as Cubmaster for Pack 181, Mr. Epp will remain active as a committee member and Den leader of Pack 185, and supportive of his son’s progress.
He believes the hours he volunteers for Cub Scouts is time well spent. Involvement with his sons reminds him of time spent with his own father on Scouting projects notably, hours in the basement making Pine Wood Derby cars for competition.
"Spending time with my sons, and working with boys at this age, is as good as it gets," Mr. Epp said. "I don’t understand why more people don’t jump at the opportunity."
Skillman resident George Woolley will succeed Mr. Epp as Cubmaster of Pack 185. The 43-year old Eagle Scout is a lieutenant with the Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company Number Two (Blawenburg) and an experienced Scout leader.
At 19 years old, Mr. Woolley simultaneously served as an assistant Scoutmaster, Cubmaster and Webelos Den Leader for one year before leaving for college. He returned to Scouting five years ago when his son, George, joined the Cub Scouts.
"We’re having a great time together," Mr. Woolley said. "It’s been great getting back into it again."
A good portion of his enjoyment comes from watching his son’s enthusiasm for Scouting and remembering his own experiences. Recounting camping stories and sharing tales of his own achievements has built a special bond between them.
"He gets a big kick out of the uniform and earning his awards," Mr. Woolley said. "It’s not so much that he’s competing with me, but boys like to follow in their father’s footsteps."
Mr. Woolley also hopes to follow in the successful footsteps of Rich Epp as new Cubmaster. Creative planning and hard work have built a thriving and diverse program that includes visits to the Franklin Institute, overnight trips to the Battleship New Jersey and Liberty Park, and even camping on the field after a Trenton Thunder baseball game.
"The program has been a great success and has generated a lot of interest because of the leadership we have had," Mr. Woolley said. "Rich has done a tremendous job the last couple of years."
Mr. Woolley plans to lean heavily on other leaders and advisers of 185 to help run the Pack. As a volunteer firefighter, he believes strongly in service to the community, but knows time is a precious commodity to most families.
East Windsor resident Ben Polanski is the district commissioner of the Mercer Area District of the Central New Jersey Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He acts as a liaison between the council’s professional staff and the volunteer leadership that run the community programs, including Montgomery Township’s. He also trains volunteers and teaches at Philmont (the Boy Scout’s National Training Center) in Cimarron, N.M.
He said the standard joke for volunteers in Scouting is "it only takes one hour a week."
"Our volunteers give unbelievable amounts of time," Mr. Polanski said. "And they’ll pay to do it."
He should know. The former Cubmaster and Eagle Scout does all his work for the Scouting program as a volunteer, and pays his own way to train volunteers in New Jersey and teach in New Mexico.
Like Rich Epp and George Wooley, he believes it is time and money well spent.
Mr. Polanski (whose 14-year-old son is a Life Scout and working toward Eagle) said Scouting remains one of the few value- driven programs available to boys, teaching them ethical decision making and good leadership skills.
"As corny as it sounds, I like to think we are doing something good for the country," Mr. Polanski said. "If I can reach a kid between 5 and 12 years old now, so when he is an adult he is making thoughtful decisions and giving back to the community, then I have accomplished something."
Recruiting for new Cub Pack 181 begins with the school year. Smaller groups (Den meetings) will meet in private homes and Rich Epp hopes to use Village Elementary School for Pack meetings.
"You have the opportunity to make an enormous impression on boys this age," Mr. Epp said. "You hope this time is going to count for something later. You hope they remember the experience fondly."
For more information, e-mail Cubmaster Rich Epp, Pack 181, at [email protected]. For Pack 185, e-mail Cubmaster George Woolley at [email protected]. For Pack 850, e-mail Cubmaster Larry Lipowski at Web site http://pack850nj.org.
For more information on Cub Scout and Boy Scout programs in Central New Jersey, visit www.cnjcbsa.org/.