It's the Boy Scout Troop 787 of Mission Viejo's, 40th Anniversary!

One of the oldest Boy Scout Troops in Mission Viejo and most recognized troops in all of Southern California will be celebrating its 40th anniversary  at its meeting place the “Barn” located at Coast Bible Church, 26300 Via Escolar, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 on Sat., July 12 from noon to 5 pm.

Troop 787 was established in 1974.   Initially, they met at the newly opened Capistrano Valley High School.  Later in 1982, they approached Coast Bible Church to renovate an abandoned, neglected building inherited by the church when they purchased it.

The building was originally owned by the Santa Margarita Company in the early 20th century and used as support station for cattle grazing operations.   The Boy Scouts renovated it and in return, the “Barn” (as it is known) has been a historic, meeting place for 32 years.   It is almost rare for any troop to have a permanent meeting place.

From backpacking to camping, from climbing to cycling to kayaking, the boys are constantly challenged to earn merit badges and advance in rank.   Summer outings have included the Channel Islands, Grand Canyon, Sierras, Mt. Whitney and Mt. Shasta, but it’s not just about the adventures. 

The scouts are challenged to learn so much more.  There are more than 130 merit badges they can earn such as art, aviation, communications, dentistry, digital technology, first aid, citizenship, emergency preparedness, crime prevention, fire safety, journalism, law, movie making, public speaking …. just to mention a few.

From actors to athletes, to astronauts and presidents, more than 2 million Boy Scouts have climbed the ranks to become Eagle Scouts.  Perhaps you don’t know that

Hank Aaron, Neil Armstrong, Michael Bloomberg, Gerald Ford, Stephen Spielberg, Michael Moore, Ozzie Nelson, Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Walton were all Eagle Scouts.

In fact, Troop 787 has had 128 of its boys achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.  If each Eagle Scout project takes an average of 100 hours, those 128 Scouts gave 12,800 hours of service to our community.   You will see scouts in Mission Viejo building fences, planting our slopes and more. 

Troop 787 has been a pioneer in its leadership role in Orange County, National and World Jamborees. In the mid 90’s, Troop 787, established the first, Junior Leadership Training program which has grown into the National Youth Leadership Training.

At NYLT, senior scouts are trained to lead a week-long leadership session in June that is held at Lost Valley Reservation near Warner Springs.  The troop contributes significantly to the leadership and planning of this annual training.

Currently, 54 scouts and more than 90 parents support and make up the troop.  Since 1982, Ben Woolridge has been the High Adventure Chair (32 years).  The first year Scout Training Chair and the 40th Anniversary Reunion Committee Chair, Jerry Sterling has been supporting the boys since 1987 (27 years).  With such consistent leadership it is apparent that Troop 787 continues to have stellar reputation and admiration in our community and across the country.

The 40th Anniversary Reunion will be an afternoon enriched with traditions through demonstrations, exhibits, a dinner and awards.  The celebration will take place across the entire Coast Bible Church campus.   The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Ron Stoffel, Troop 787, 40th Anniversary Reunion Communications, rdhstoffel@cox.net, 949-463-8265.