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Local troop needs help after camping equipment stolen

By Sarah Shurge cooler, one large garbage can, multi-
Sunday, September 25th, Boy ple buckets (1-gallon and 5-gallon),
Scouts of America Troop 735 in tiki torches, two flag stands, one
Wayne made a devastating discovery. wagon without handle, one new
Over $6,000 in camping equipment rolling chuck box along with its con-
was stolen from their trailer, along tents, two charcoal starter chimneys
with personal medical forms and with the charcoal, one lock and bro-
more. ken latch, knife sets, cooking uten-
On Sunday, the scoutmaster had sils, spices, a custom branding iron,
sent a scout to grab a grill from the and an unknown amount of totes
troop’s trailer so they could grill hot along with the contents inside.
dogs and that’s when the scout dis- Boy Scouts of America Troop 735 Articles about the troop’s camp-
covered their trailer had been bro- ing equipment being stolen have
ken into. The trailer had been a Life Scout for about three years. up in October, but with all of their been posted on fox2detroit.com,
parked behind Planet Fitness with Troop 735 currently has 11 gear stolen, they are not sure what mlive.com, and audacy.com, includ-
permission to do so. The thief tried scouts, most of whom have grown up the next steps will be. ing the troop’s GoFundMe link.
to steal the entire trailer, but it was together in the troop for 10-11 years. “The kids have to fundraise by Donors have begun reaching out
properly locked, so they were unable In 2005, the troop originally started selling popcorn to get this stuff and in an effort to help. The troop has
to move it and broke the hinges in- at UAW Local 735 in Canton, and someone stole it,” said Elmore. had four tents donated so far. On Fri-
stead. then in 2010, moved to St. Mary, “With COVID they weren’t able to sell day, September 28th, a $6,000
“This is just devastating,” said where it has been located since. popcorn as fundraisers and the check was donated to Troop 735 by
Cherie Elmore. “I kind of feel bad for From around April through Octo- troop has been struggling.” a staffing company in Dearborn.
the person that stole everything be- ber (depending on the weather), the Items that were stolen are as fol- “We are so grateful for the people
cause what kind of mindset do you troop goes camping once a month in lows: ten tents and tarps, one that have reached out, all the dona-
have to be in to steal from children?” tents. In November, the troop has propane tank, two propane lanterns, tions, or people sharing our link or
Elmore is mother to Jayce El- their annual campout at St. Mary’s four Dutch ovens, two small camp our story,” said Elmore.
more, an Eagle Scout from Troop where they go through inventory and stoves, one large Camp Chef grill top, If you are interested in donating,
735. Jayce has been a scout for 11 pack up everything for the season. four cast iron frying pans along with
years since he was in 1st grade, and The troop had a campout coming storage bags, one 5-gallon water See Troop, page 19

18 · October 2022 · The Wayne Dispatch