Cub Scout recruitment events begin Tuesday night throughout St. Joseph for the Pony Express Council Boy Scouts of America. 

Any boys in 1st through 5th grade can join Cub Scouts. This week in St. Joseph, the Cub Scout Packs in St. Joseph will be holding recruiting events at various community locations and schools. 

According to District Director of the Pony Express Council Erik McGuire 300-400 Cub scouts are recruited each year during recruitment week. 

McGuire said in addition to camping, earning badges and doing service projects each year, scouts meet every week and learn new skills.

“The catchphrase is, ‘Scouting is fun with a purpose,'” McGuire said. “So while a scout may do a project like build a pinewood derby race car, while they’re building that, there’s various lessons and values being instilled in those scouts. So, it’s fun, but it’s fun that teaches them something.”

McGuire said joining a Scout Pack can be an activity that involves the whole family.

“It’s one of the few activities that Mom and Dad and/or grandparents or guardians can actively participate alongside their child the whole time,” McGuire said. “It’s not like a sports team where you have a coach that is doing all the work while a parent may be at the practice and then takes their child home. The parents actively go along with their scouts, if they’re able to, and help them through their activities and really build that bond. So it’s a time investment where you’re actually spending time helping your child develop.”

The Pony Express Council serves an 18 county area in Northwest Missouri and in Kansas including Atchison, Brown and Doniphan Counties.

Recruiting events in the St. Joseph area begin today and will also be held Wednesday and Thursday. For times and locations go to the Pony Express Council’s Facebook page.