A day with the boys at PIC

Over 150 boys and their families enjoyed the recreational facilities and partake of the good food at the Pacific Islands Club during the Boy Scouts of America CNMI Family Day held last Saturday.

The event is hailed as one that would hopefully bring family ties closer in this age of strained filial ties and feeling of confusion and angst inside the home. Scouts were accompanied by their dads and moms in the morning’s water fun activities and became enthusiastic cheerers during the afternoon’s volleyball and soccer games.

The day also saw a myriad of team-building exercises aimed at improving communication and fostering the spirit of camaraderie between the members of the Commonwealth’s four scouting groups — Troop 902 Duty Free-Saipan, Troop 908 – Koblerville Community, Pack 902-Garapan Elementary School and Pack 920-WSR Elementary School.

Lunch time saw the four scouting groups line up side by side to queue for a meal of spaghetti, chicken, hamburger, chicken kelaguin and a host of other local and continental goodies.

It was interesting to note the Boy Scouts let their younger counterparts, the Cub Scouts, fill their plates first before having their turn in the buffet table.

Such noble gesture is a small yet definitive proof the Scouting movement’s effort to develop better citizens of the Commonwealth is finally taking off.

“We are a value-rooted scout movement, meaning we are working toward some desired aim. Our aim is not only to develop better knot-tiers, firemakers, or tower makers, but rather to develop better people,” BSA CNMI District Commissioner Joe Herrera said.

PIC Banquet and Special Events Manager Jim Sobsek said the hotel and resort facility is planning to do more team-building exercises for BSA CNMI in the future.

Among the activities lined up are wall climbing, canoe races, archery and other skill-building events offered by PIC. Mr. Herrera, for his part, said he would like to make the Family Day event an annual thing.

The BSA CNMI Family Day occasion also saw BSA CNMI present Certificate of Recognition to the Scouting movement’s most generous supporters in the island. Among the entities honored was Tan Holdings Corporation.

THC’s award was received by Troop 902 Scout Master and Realty Management Services employee Benjamin Bocago. RMS is one of the companies that fall under the THC groups of companies.