Pathfinders Conduct "Serve Others" Camporee

My article from the October 1, 2015 issue of The Mena Star

Pathfinders Conduct "Serve Others" Camporee
by Richie Lawry

Last weekend, over 160 young people from the Arkansas-Louisiana Pathfinder organization came from communities all over Arkansas and Louisiana to the Mena area to conduct a "Serve Others” Camporee. They camped at the Christian Motorcycle Association Iron Mountain Campground.  On Friday, September 25th, the Pathfinders performed various "Serving Others" activities in the Mena area.  On Saturday afternoon, September 26th, the young people went door to door throughout Mena collecting over 1500 items of canned food to assist the Soup Kitchen sponsored by the Mena Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Arkansas-Louisiana Pathfinders are part of a worldwide program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They offer a wide range of learning experiences for young people 10 to 15 years of age.  Pathfinders are similar in many respects to Scouting but have an added spiritual emphasis.

Each year the Pathfinder organization holds a camporee.  The Arkansas- Louisiana Pathfinder leaders chose the Christian Motorcycle Association Campground as the location for this year’s event.  Clubs from the communities of Benton, Bonnerdale, Conway, Fort Smith, Gentry, Hot Springs, Huntsville, Little Rock, Springdale, and Texarkana in Arkansas and Marthaville, Minden and Shreveport in Louisiana camped at CMA from September 24 through 27.  The theme of this year’s camporee was “Serve Others”.  All across Mena the Pathfinders took part in projects in which they served others.

The projects included picking up trash and cleaning up at the Polk County Fairgrounds, clearing several miles of trails for the National Forest Service, working on flower beds at The Oaks, making and serving sack lunches at the Mena Seventh-day Adventist Church Soup Kitchen, taking down trees and cleaning up brush at the PCDC Adult Education & Wellness Center, doing needed clean-up for a local widow, and collecting cans of food to be given out by the Mena Soup Kitchen.

Arkansas-Louisiana Pathfinder Director, Lloyd Clapp, said, “We really appreciate the Christian Motorcycle Association staff and facilities. We were honored to be able to serve the community of Mena in a small way”.