Raymond Elks donate manuals, funding to Sea Scouts

On June 7, Raymond Elks Lodge 1292 donated 30 Sea Scout manuals to the Willapa Harbor Sea Scouts and South Bend School District.

August 1, 2018 1:30 am
(Courtesy Tony Jennings) In the front row holding their new manuals, from left, are Willapa Harbor Sea Scouts Grecia Quintana, Alondra Rosas, Cynthia Orozco, Janeth Gutierrez and Yeni Silva, with unit leader Brian Sherman. In the back row, from left, are Jason Nelson, Sea Scout leader Manuel Rangel, Rod Bannish, Sea Scout leader Tim Quigg, Elks member Rick Smith, Sea Scout leader Gordon Chaffee and South Bend Superintendent Jon Tienhaara.
(Courtesy Tony Jennings) In the front row holding their new manuals, from left, are Willapa Harbor Sea Scouts Grecia Quintana, Alondra Rosas, Cynthia Orozco, Janeth Gutierrez and Yeni Silva, with unit leader Brian Sherman. In the back row, from left, are Jason Nelson, Sea Scout leader Manuel Rangel, Rod Bannish, Sea Scout leader Tim Quigg, Elks member Rick Smith, Sea Scout leader Gordon Chaffee and South Bend Superintendent Jon Tienhaara.

On June 7, Raymond Elks Lodge 1292 donated 30 Sea Scout manuals to the Willapa Harbor Sea Scouts and South Bend School District.

The manuals are used by Sea Scouts for their learning and advancement in seamanship, leadership and community.

Tony Jennings, a member of both the Sea Scouts leadership and the Raymond Elks, talked with Elks member Rick Smith about the feasibility of applying for the Elks National Foundation Anniversary Grant of $1,500. The idea was discussed and approved by Lodge 1292 under Exalted Ruler Rod Bannish’s leadership. Smith submitted the grant, which was approved by the foundation.

After the purchase of the Sea Scout manuals, the rest of the grant money was provided to Jon Tienhaara, superintendent of the South Bend School District, to be used for transportation funding for the 30 Sea Scouts who need a bus for field trips and learning exercises. They already have visited the Seattle Maritime Academy, an operational nuclear submarine at Bangor and Harley Marine Services in Seattle.

The Sea Scouts are a branch of the Boy Scouts of America. Ship 728, Willapa Harbor Sea Scouts, started in South Bend in 2017. Under a partnership with the school district, students are released for a few hours twice a month to learn seamanship skills, learn to operate a boat, and perform community service activities and projects.