Touch a Truck Event Builds Community Connection for Scouts

One of the nation’s oldest Scout Troops is using its annual fundraiser to foster community connections and spread joy, all while supporting the mission of UNC Children’s.

Scouts BSA Troop 39 has served Chapel Hill since 1912, making it one of the oldest continuously chartered Scout Troops in the United States. And for nearly 20 years, Troop 39’s Touch a Truck celebration has been its signature annual fundraising event, directing more than $192,000 to UNC Children’s in support of research and care for kids and families impacted by health challenges.

For Jennie Winston, the mother of two Scouts who chaired the Touch a Touch committee and served as lead organizer of this year’s event, it’s a day that highlights the importance of connecting with the community.

“As kids grow up, they learn about their role in the community, and I think that’s one of the great things about scouting,” Winston said. “It really does encourage kids to think about the role that they play in the community and how they can give back, and the connection we have made with UNC Children’s is a big part of that.”

Winston’s sons Henry and Jack Fuller have been part of Troop 39 since a young age, and she has seen how community service events like Touch a Truck help build a sense of excitement about civic involvement.

“I love what they do for the kids, the time that they spend outside, and the time that they spend building community within the Troop,” Winston said. “Touch A Truck is our big annual event and it helps fund the Troop and make it accessible for kids who might not otherwise be able to participate in scouting.”

Many aspects of Touch a Truck are special, including the fact that all the time and resources involving the various vehicles on display – fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, even a Carolina Air Care helicopter – are donated by the community. But for Winston, it’s the fact that it’s a day for Scouts like Henry and Jack to take the lead of a beloved Chapel Hill event.

“The Scouts take more and more ownership of it each year, and the Troop really is Scout-led,” Winston said. “For Touch a Truck, we have a really active group of parents that help with the logistics and the planning, but the Scouts really are the face of the event.”

Winston was also quick to acknowledge the important role played by leaders within the organization, like Scoutmasters Wes Weaver and Laura Philpot.

“They really do an amazing job supporting the kids and encouraging their sense of community, and they put in a ton of time that we all greatly appreciate.”

The community service lessons that Troop 39 and Touch a Truck have instilled in the Scouts have come full circle for Henry, who has been involved since the first grade and now, at age 16, is working to complete his Eagle Scout project in support of The Giving Garden, a local group that donates fresh produce.

“There are kids that make Eagle every year and all of them do amazing service projects that benefit the community,” Winston said. “That is very much part of the ethos of the Troop.”

And that service mindset only grows stronger thanks to Touch a Truck and its dedicated support of UNC Children’s.

“It really is the whole community coming together to put on a fun event and support both the children’s hospital and the Troop.”

To learn more about Touch a Truck and supporting UNC Children’s, contact Cameron Lafferty, Assistant Director of Development, at [email protected].