Help send Brady & A.J. to Philmont Scout Ranch

Hello, my name is Rob and I am fundraising to raise the rest of the money to send my two teenage sons, Brady and A.J. to Philmont. The Philmont Scout Ranch High Adventure Base is located in Cimarron, New Mexico.

I am an Eagle Scout and have many great memories my time camping, hiking and canoeing with the Boy Scouts. Scouting not only provided me with many great adventures and lifelong friendships but also served as an important character building as I became a young man. Today, more than 40 years later, I still try to live my life guided by the principles found in the Scout Law. A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. Those principles have served me well in life.

My one regret when it comes to Scouting is I never had the opportunity to go to Philmont. It was just not something my family could afford.

Nearly two years ago their troop began making plans to go to Philmont. It was an expensive trip and still is, but I didn't want my sons to miss out on an experience I never had. My wife and I discussed it and committed to sending them. They have three younger siblings that live at home. My kids aren't able to do everything. They sort of need to pick and choose what extra-curricular activities are most important to them. The Philmont trip was something they both wanted to do. I believe the adventure will have a life-long positive impact, so we made the commitment to send them.

It would take some financial budgeting and sacrifices on our part to be able to send them, but we made a $200.00 down payment to reserve their spots. We paid their second installment, $900.00 x 2 last summer. The remaining balance needs to be paid next month.

Then something happened that threw a monkey wrench into everything. I was laid off from my job as an archaeologist this past October. I have been doing independent contracting work ever since, which is sort of hit or miss. Thankfully, we have been able to cover our regular monthly living expenses, but as far as having very much left over, our discretionary income has become almost non-existent.

Besides the direct cost involved with going to Philmont, there is also a ton of backpacking gear we will need to buy in advance of the trip. We have bought some of this equipment here and there, and my wife found some good sales on Black Friday, (pretty much everything they got for Christmas this past year was Philmont related), including rain jackets, sleeping bags, camp chairs, trekking poles, etc. but we still need to purchase some other equipment including hiking boots (again not cheap), and a few other miscellaneous odds and ends.

I hate even having to ask, and it is certainly a humbling experience to do so but at this point, I don't see any other alternative. It's too late to get a refund and besides, sending them to Philmont on a high adventure will hopefully be a great experience for them with lasting memories. I am just trying to do something for my sons, that my parents could never afford.

The trip has been mostly paid for already. The bulk of their equipment has already been purchased, we are just hoping for some generous souls to step forward and help with the final payment and the few remaining equipment needs.

Thank You!