Boy Scout Troop 1518 was first chartered to Sydenstricker United Methodist Church in 1968. Charles Kulp was the first Scoutmaster. Although Sydenstricker Church maintains its own Youth Group, the Church has always maintained and supported Troop 1518 as a neighborhood community service. Both the scouts and the leadership of the Troop have always been open to anyone. Most feel that this open mix is the principal factor in ensuring a rich and varied program.

Our first Eagle Scout came five years after chartering. Thereafter, Eagle Scouts have been popping up with steady regularity. But the objective of Troop 1518 is not to produce Eagle Scouts. The objective is to provide a cafeteria of opportunities from which each scout can select and pursue a personal program of interest. Making Eagle rank is and should be a by-product of participation in our program. So is citizenship, self-reliance, and training for manhood.

We have about seventy boys in the troop. At one time about a decade ago, our numbers grew to the high eighties. Our current size has evolved naturally and allows us to balance program variety with individual interaction.

We have one Scoutmaster and about fifteen Assistant Scoutmasters, who report to the Troop Committee. Anyone agreeing to be a scoutmaster or assistant scoutmaster must agree to wear the uniform, and we ask that they commit to completing Scoutmaster Training within one calendar year. Training is offered by the Old Dominion District twice a year. It consists of one evening session, one Saturday session, and one weekend campout. The Committee, in conjunction with the Church, selects the Scoutmaster, and all Assistant Scoutmasters. To avoid Scoutmaster Burnout, a serious problem in earlier years, the Troop has initiated the Scoutmaster-In-Charge [SMIC] concept. This delegates all event decisions to the Assistant Scoutmaster in charge of any particular event. Decisions such as cost, destination, start times, and even program, can be decided by the Assistant Scoutmaster running the event, without need for prior approval by Committee or Scoutmaster. The Event Scoutmaster is truly the Scoutmaster In Charge. Many assistant scoutmasters plus personal authority has resulted in a breadth and commitment impossible to achieve with a single leadership model.

We have at least one outdoor overnight camping outing per month. In addition, there are one-day events, service projects, and patrol activities. We offer one Eagle-required merit badge class per month, along with optional merit badges. These are scheduled outside troop meeting hours by the Merit Badge Counselors.

The troop meets every Monday during the school year, from 7:30 pm to 8:45 pm in the Chapel [the old wooden church] of Sydenstricker United Methodist Church. The troop does not meet when school is cancelled, such as for holidays, teacher work days, or snow days. This makes it simple to determine if there will be a meeting on any particular night. We do not meet during summer recess, since so many families are on vacation or taken up with sports or academic obligations. We go to summer camp every summer, and also plan a high adventure trip for older youth (14 and older) each summer. We have been fortunate to send several Troop crews to Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier National High Adventure Base, and Florida Sea Base in recent years.