(Riverton, WY) – After several years without a local Cub Scout pack, longtime Scouting volunteer and “Pack Grandpa” Mike Zirbel and Cubmaster Jett Odle are helping bring the program back to Riverton with Pack #4044, open to boys and girls in kindergarten through fifth grade. Families interested in learning more are invited to a sign-up and information night at 6 PM on Tuesday, September 22, at the United Methodist Church in Riverton (1116 W Park Ave.).
For Zirbel and Odle, Cub Scout programs are more than just a place to drop off your kids for a few hours; they are an opportunity to foster a sense of community for both children and parents, while also teaching lifelong lessons about character development.
Zirbel has been involved with Scouting for about 65 years, beginning as a Scout himself and later participating as his son went through the program and became an Eagle Scout. He currently serves on the council executive board and has watched generations of Fremont County kids move through Scouting. Riverton previously had both a Cub Scout pack and Scout troop, but Zirbel said the local programs disappeared about three or four years ago after responsibility for both fell largely on a single volunteer, who eventually became overwhelmed. The newly organized Cub Scout Pack 4044 is intended to bring that opportunity back for Riverton’s younger kids.
Odle’s connection to Scouting also goes back to childhood. He participated through the Arrow of Light level, and years later returned to the program with his own children. odle, his wife, and their 5- and 8-year-old children were participating with the Cub Scout pack in Lander, making the drive from Riverton each week. They loved the experience, he said, but the regular commute, particularly in the Winter, helped convince them that Riverton families could benefit from having a pack of their own. Odle is now serving as Cubmaster, while Zirbel jokingly described his own role as “Pack Grandpa.”
Both Zirbel and Odle stressed that modern Cub Scouting is designed as a family activity. Rather than putting the workload on one or two people, parents are encouraged to take on smaller volunteer roles, an approach Zirbel described as “micro-volunteerism.” Odle said spreading those responsibilities among families makes the program more manageable and more enjoyable for everyone involved.
For Odle, that family component was one of Scouting’s biggest attractions. His children participate in sports and other activities, but those often mean one parent taking one child in one direction while the other goes somewhere else. Cub Scouts gives all four members of his family an extracurricular activity they can participate in together.
“It’s not just for the kids,” Odle said. “We get to see our friends who are the adults, and the kids get to play together. It’s just a great organization.” Scouting is also flexible enough, they noted, for children to remain involved in sports and other activities without being penalized for occasionally missing meetings.
That opportunity for both children and adults to socialize and become part of a larger community is something the pair hopes Pack 4044 can provide. Kids can participate in activities ranging from hiking, fishing and bicycling to archery, arts and crafts, the Pinewood Derby and Rain Gutter Regatta, but Zirbel and Odle said those activities also create opportunities to teach cooperation, confidence and character. Cub Scouts repeat the Scout Oath and Scout Law, emphasizing traits such as being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly and kind. “It’s building good people,” Odle said.
Odle said the Cub Scout motto, “Do Your Best,” also carries a lesson beyond simply trying hard. He saw that lesson firsthand when his competitive 5-year-old built a Pinewood Derby car that wasn’t particularly fast. Rather than becoming upset, his son told him, “I didn’t build a good one, but I did try my best. And it was a lot of fun.” Odle said those lessons extend to parents as well, because adults find themselves learning, socializing, and trying to model the same qualities they are teaching their children.
Pack 4044 has already held informal gatherings, and plans to meet regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the United Methodist Church in Riverton. The Riverton Rotary Club is serving as the pack’s sponsoring organization. Odle said the church provides an enclosed outdoor area and playground, giving children an opportunity to spend time outside and play together during gatherings.
Families interested in learning more are invited to a sign-up and information night on September 22, and folks can follow along on the Pack’s Facebook page, which will be updated more regularly in the coming months. Activities and supervised play will be available for children while organizers walk parents through the registration process and provide Pack details. No preregistration or paperwork is necessary; organizers will have the needed forms available on Tuesday. The pack has also raised money to help cover membership fees for families who need assistance.