TROOP: 

Who can join Troop 104?
Any boy aged 11 - 17, or a 10 1/2 year old who has completed the fifth grade, is eligible to join Boy Scouts and Troop 104.

When and where are the troop meetings held?
Troop 104 meets weekly throughout the year, except on national or school holidays or when away at summer camp or high adventure trips. Troop meetings are on Monday evening from 7:00 - 8:30 PM at the Scout Building of First Presbyterian Church 175 Lake Hollingsworth Dr. Lakeland FL 33801 . 

Check our monthly planning  calendar to make sure we are meeting on a specific night and what our planned program includes that evening. 

What does it cost to join Troop 104? 
Your initial registration fee is $125.00 per year,$12.00 subscription to Boy's Life, the monthly magazine from Boy Scouts of America. Troop dues are $50.00 per year, and cover additional troop related program expenses like meeting supplies, outdoor equipment, and related program expenses.

Does the Troop conduct fundraising?
To offset expenses associated with Scouting events, Troop 104 does some fundraising throughout the year. Monies raised during fundraising is deposited into an individual Scout's account for use later to pay monthly camping expenses or summer camp costs

Do I need a Scout uniform?
Troop 104 is committed to the ideals and concepts of Scouting, including the importance of proper and complete uniforms. All Scouts are expected to wear the full field uniform to weekly meetings, while traveling to and from camp, or at other special events. Activity uniforms, which consists of a scout t-shirt, scout shorts, and scout socks are worn at events that call for heavy physical activity.  Troop 104 runs a "Trading Post" where spare uniform parts are available for a fraction of the cost of new uniforms. Check with a leader for more information about the Trading Post.

What kind of activities are offered by Troop 104? 
There is a saying among Scout leaders that successful units "keep the outing in Scouting." This means offering a quality program of outdoor activities that get the Scouts into the great outdoors. Troop 104 does just that. We conduct monthly outdoor activites that coincide with our monthly themes. From camping trips to overnight backpacking excursions, you will find Troop 104 outdoors every month. 

What does Troop 104 do for Summer Camp? 
The troop also plans an annual summer camp trip in July to a BSA camp somewhere in the southeastern United States. From northeast Georgia to the mountains of North Carolina, Troop 104 offers trips to parts of our country that Scouts may not get to visit. Our program also features high adventure activites during the summer. Our troop spent a week visiting Alaska one summer, doing really interesting things mountain biking and salmon fishing. Our high adventure trips have also taken us backpacking to Philmont, canoeing into Canada at Northern Tier, and sailing/snorkeling in the Keys at Florida Seabase. 

Do I need special equipment? 
The program at Troop 104 involves a great deal of outdoor adventure. Participation in campouts, day hikes, and overnight backpacking trips do require a certain amout of special equipment, though it does not have to cost a lot to provide your Scout with quality camping gear. Troop 104 provides a wide range of troop and patrol gear, such as kitchen boxes and cooking equipment. This leaves personal equipment as the only gear that needs to be obtained for outdoor adventures. 

RANK: 
How do I advance in rank in Scouting?
While the Eagle Badge is considered the higest rank award a Scout can earn, the trail to Eagle is filled with many challenges and learning opportunities. 

Scouts go through a series of lower ranks that include Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class which focus on learning about citizenship, outdoor skills like hiking, camping and cooking, life skills like first aid, and perform service projects. 

Higher ranks of Star and Life Scout require merit badges be earned, with a certain number of Eagle-required merit badges necessary for each rank. Additional service projects and serving in leadership positions complete the requirements for these ranks. 

It is estimated that only 2% of all young men who joing Scouting will earn the Eagle Badge.
Earning your Eagle Badge requires a tremendous amount of dedication and commitment, along with a great deal of perseverance and hard work. To become an Eagle Scout, one must plan and conduct a major community service project in addition to earning a total of 21 merit badges, 12 of which are required. Upon completing these tasks, the Scout appears before an Eagle Review Board to answer a wide range of questions designed to ensure the Scout has truly met the requirements to become an Eagle. 

Troop 104 has a rich history of young men who made the commitment and earned their Eagle Badge. 
104's Eagles are the foundation of their communities and professions around the country - having completed the difficult and challenge Trail to Eagle during their Scouting careers.