It’s that time of year again; SPRING. The major fundraiser for the Scouts is grass cutting. The troop is contracted to cut three area cemeteries; St. Mary’s in Gaylord, Resurrection in Vanderbilt, and Hayes Tower Cemetery and Township Hall on the west side of Gaylord. We have done this for a great number of years with a huge amount of success. We cut from mid May through mid September.
Mowing is an easy way for both the Scout and the parent to put money into the Scout's account. St. Mary's and Resurrection cemeteries are usually cut every other week and Hayes Tower is done as needed. The Scouts can make up to, and generally do make $10.00 an hour. If you are working along side your Scout cutting, then your hours are also added into his, making it possible to make up to $20.00 an hour. If you are operating a riding lawnmower the Scout’s account will be credited up to $20.00 an hour. Parents are encouraged to come out and cut even without their Scout with the money being credited to the Scout’s account.
We do have some rules that we enforce. First and foremost, you must be there with your Scout. If you are unable to be there then you may make arrangements with another family to have your Scout accompany them. That is allowed with the understanding that they are responsible for him. Safety glasses must be worn when weed whacking at all times. Sunglasses and / or prescription glasses that are not impact resistant are not safety glasses. Only licensed drivers are allowed to use riding lawnmowers. When we cut, we use riding lawnmowers, push lawnmowers, and weed whackers. The weed whackers and push mowers are to go around the gravestones, trees, signs, etc. and the riders will go up and down the rows. If you have a push mower and all the trim work is done, then please feel free to go up and down the rows at that time. We have instituted this pattern to allow us to earn up to $10.00 an hour. Gas and oil for your lawn equipment is your responsibility.
We have sign up sheets and contact people for each of the cemeteries. You may sign up to cut as many of the cemeteries as you like. The contact people will announce at the scout meetings when we will be cutting, so make sure that your Scout pays attention to announcements. Once we no longer meet on a regular basis, then the contact people will call to let you know when we will be cutting. We generally begin cutting around 5 PM, however we do understand that people work different hours and may not be able to cut in the evening. If this is the case, you are more than welcome to go out early and cut, however, we ask that you let the contact person know, and that you only cut 2 hours to allow everyone a chance to earn some money.
If the cemetery doesn't get finished the first night and you are able to return the next day or night to cut, then you can cut as long as you like to insure that it is finished. Once you have finished cutting, be sure to call the contact person to turn in your hours. The sooner this is done the faster we can get payment into the Scout’s accounts. If it happens to be raining enough that we can't cut, we will cut the following day. When this is the case, if you need to go out early to cut, then you may cut as long as you like. We find that people arrange their schedules to cut on the appointed night, so when we have delays due to the weather there are not as many people available to cut.
St. Mary's and Resurrection are paid when done. Hayes Tower is paid out at the end of the season; however, we do keep a running tally of the approximate amounts going into accounts. This allows you to draw from your sons account for trips, camping gear, etc.
The contact person for Hayes Tower Cemetery is Craig Oakley (231) 585-7679. Resurrection Cemetery is Jim Marsh (989) 732-0796. St. Mary's Cemetery is Tim Neff (989) 732-4051.
If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to call me any time.
Raeanne Salem
Fundraising Chairperson
(989) 370-5461
