How can one woman motivate a group of Western Los Angeles County Council Cub Scouts to accumulate hundreds of food donations for the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry? By promising them if they hit their goal, the Cub Scouts could dump a bucket of ice water on her head.
This was the first year Rebecca Giglio held the title of SCV day camp director.
The WLACC Cub Scouts’ SCV day camp is a four-day camp where Cub Scouts, from kindergarten to first grade, participate in activities such as woodworking, archery, crafts, field sports and swimming. What most of the Scouts don’t know is that these activities go toward their “adventures” (equivalent to a badge).
“That’s kind of what draws me in, is that I love being able to make these experiences for the kids and they remember it for years to come,” said Giglio.
Every year the director is tasked with establishing a service project during the duration of camp that the Scouts can work on.
Giglio wanted to do a service project that would really instill in the kids’ memory, have them create a connection to it and be a team-building experience.
“I got the idea for the food drive from when I was younger and I went to day camp,” said Giglio. “I just remember that being a really fond memory and a service project that’s more rewarding for little kids like they know, ‘Oh, I’m bringing in these things,’ rather than, ‘Let’s go dig a hole,’ or a lot of them don’t get the same experience out of picking up trash. That’s what a lot of service projects for little kids are, ‘Let’s go pick up trash.’”
The original goal was for the day camp to accumulate 350 food donations. In order to up the ante and get the Scouts even more excited to donate, Giglio promised that if they hit that goal, the Scouts could dump a bucket of ice water on her head.
“That’s all they talked about all week,” said Giglio.
Scouts were bringing in one to two to 20 food donations a day. On the last day, 250 food donations accumulated.
The Scouts exceeded their goal of 350 with 500 total food donations for the SCV Food Pantry.
There was only one thing left to do.
“I’m not good with the cold, so the ice water was definitely a shock for me,” said Giglio, “but I’d do it again in a heartbeat because to see all of the just amazing screams and excitement and smiles the rest of the day on these kids, I’d do it again every year.”
