Please Pray for St. Helena BSA Troop 1

Mt. Diablo Silverado Council is my local Boy Scout Council. St. Helena is just north of Napa, in the wine country--less than an hour drive from here. Please pray for the families of Ryan and Stephen as well as for the rest of the troop, who are pretty traumatized. Several of the boys were injured during the lightening strike; only Ryan was killed. They did everything right on the hike. This was truly an accident.

--March Hare

As I am sure you are aware, Troop 1 in St Helena (part of Mt Diablo Silverado
Council) lost a Scout, Ryan Collins, and an ASM, Stephen McCullagh, in a
lightning accident while on a 50 miler.

Memorial service is Friday morning 11 am in St Helena.

A few people have expressed interest in knowing the date/time etc.

Please remember these two scouts, thier families, and Troop 1 in your prayers.
If anyone is interested in attending the service and would like to be in touch
with others who are going, feel free to let me know.

Below is the info sent out by the council.

//quoted text //
We have just received a notice that a memorial service for Assistant
Scoutmaster Stephen McCullagh and Scout Ryan Collins is scheduled for
Friday, August 5th at 11:00am at the St. Helena Catholic School Gymnasium at
1340 Tainter Street, St. Helena, CA 94575 (gymnasium is behind the Church).
A link to to Church follows.

For directions click the link below.

http://www.doubleknot.com/Registration/CalendarDetail.asp?ActivityKey=103983
&OrgKey=1061

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Update on Troop 1, St. Helena

We continue to receive updated information regarding the tragic events that
occurred on Thursday, July 28th regarding Troop 1 out of St. Helena.

Assistant Scoutmaster Stephen McCullagh and 13 year-old Scout Ryan Collins
passed away while on a 9-day Troop outing hiking along the John Muir Trail.
There has been and continues to be a great deal of coverage, both locally and
nationally, regarding this tragedy. It has been a weekend filled with grief for
all of us in the Scouting family.

Our local television, newspaper and radio have been extremely sympathetic to the
family and all those from Troop 1 that have suffered. The coverage that I have
seen appears to be genuinely sincere in conveying the sadness all of us in the
Mt. Diablo Silverado Council feel. The courageous actions that Scouts and
Leaders took in the moments following the lightening strike have shown the
quality and character of Troop 1 Scouts. We wish we could change the outcome
but we know that everything was done to prevent even greater injuries.

Jeff Johnson, the Commissioner for Troop 1 has been in contact with the Troop 1
committee and with our Scout Council since early Friday morning and has been
instrumental in keeping us informed of the wishes of the Troop 1 family. Jeff
asked that wherever possible, all Scouts and Scout Leaders wear their Scout
uniform the week of July 31st in a show of respect and support for not only
Stephen, Ryan and their families but the Scout Leaders that were lost at the
National Jamboree on July 25th. As of August 1st memorial services are
pending and we will notify everyone as soon as we receive the information.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the Collins family has asked that their son Ryan be
remembered with donations to St. Helena Boy Scout Troop 1 and sent in c/o Robert
Darter at Upper Valley Medical Group, 1222 Pine Street, St. Helena, CA 94574.

Thank you for all that you do and I know will continue to do on behalf of
Scouting.

Bill Dalton
Scout Executive
Mt. Diablo Silverado Council

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