Golfers swing to support Rochester Boy Scouts

Aug 22, 2023

LAKEVILLE — Seventy-six degree weather and light wind made for a good day on the golf course, according to Rochester Boy Scout Troop 31 Scoutmaster Kevin Thompson.

“The weather's behaving and the wind isn't too shabby,” he said. “It might actually straighten out some of my shots.”

Thompson and about half of Troop 31 were at the Back Nine Golf Club in Lakeville on Tuesday, Aug. 22 for their first golf tournament fundraiser where 44 people registered to play 18 holes in support of the scouts.

According to Thompson, the idea for this fundraiser came from Scott Orlowski, a parent of one of Troop 31’s Boy Scouts who stepped up to the plate and led the fundraising effort.

“I know there's a lot of golfers out there that like to golf and [the Boy Scouts] need money,” said Orlowski. “We lost the big fundraiser and replaced it with another big one — and if some people enjoy themselves while they do it, even better.”

“We have a lot of parents who are willing and able to step up,” said Thompson.

With the closing of the Rochester Country Fair, which was a good fundraising opportunity for Troop 31, the Scouts had to get more creative.

The fundraiser also included a silent auction for unique bottles of whiskey that “are not easy to come by,” said Thompson.

The total amount raised from the fundraiser is not known at press time, but Thompson does know that the proceeds are “all going to the kids” to pay for summer camp, scouting gear, special trips, patches and more.

“We've got a belief that if it's only a money problem, it's not a problem,” said Thompson. “We do a lot of this [fundraising] so that [kids] don't have to worry about money because when you get a kid who really wants to be part of the program — then why not.”