CARIBOU, Maine — Officials with the Boy Scouts of America recently bestowed a rare collective award to each of four members of the Troy LaPlante family of Caribou for their exceptional involvement in the organization.
The family members were honored with the award during an April 26 ceremony in Fort Kent, while eldest son Austin also was inducted as an Eagle Scout, the highest achievable rank in Scouting, during another ceremony on May 6 at the Caribou Scout Lodge.
Austin’s younger brother, Trevor, is in Caribou’s Tiger Cub pack 184, where their mother Amy serves as the den leader. Additionally, their father Troy is the pack 184 cubmaster.
Troy also received the district award of merit, the highest honor one can receive in Aroostook County, during the Fort Kent event.
“Troy has been involved with Winterama,” said Caribou Scoutmaster Vaughn Keaton, referring to a seasonal event in which Scouts’ winter survival skills are tested in areas such as cooking and shelter building.
“He and a handful of adults take it upon themselves to groom the trail, and help set up the events,” Keaton said. “He also helps out with the Scout show in Cub camp, providing any materials that are needed.”
Austin LaPlante completed his Eagle Scout requirements by building a picnic pavilion overlooking Chapman Pond for the Aroostook National Wildlife refuge. Keaton said that about 142 hours went into the project and that Austin LaPlante employed a sizable crew.
“Aroostook Fish and Wildlife had this on their bucket list, but just didn’t have the man-hours to do it,” Keaton said. “They dropped off all the materials, and Austin spent one weekend making trusses for pressure treated wood. On the following weekend he had a crew of about 13 boys and adults helping out.”
Keaton added that Aroostook Fish and Wildlife members were “really pleased” with the results.
The scoutmaster said that, while the BSA Family Award is not often given, the family’s dedication to scouts inspired the nomination. The award is presented to family members who accomplish a variety of goals such as developing personal strengths, teaching responsibility, and handling difficult situations, “while building and strengthening relationships among family members.”
“They’re all registered scouters,” Keaton said. “This is Troy’s second time being cubmaster and Amy’s second time being den leader. They were leaders when Austin was a Cub Scout, but now they’re going through it all again with their youngest son Trevor in Cub Scouts.”