On Saturday, 20 Army ROTC cadets will be traveling to Camp Sacajawea in Boone. The cadets are volunteering their time from 1 to 5 p.m., helping to train Girl Scouts in a few basic skills.

The cadets will teach the Girl Scouts about first aid, land navigation and what to do if they happen to get lost.

The cadets volunteered with the event last year and were asked to come back for a second round after making a positive impact last year. The event is an annual campout for Girl Scout troops from the area.

Kerri Marsh, mother of one of the Girl Scouts attending the camp, said, there will be “about 12 troops from the Gilbert/Ames service unit” in attendance.

There will be approximately 55 Girl Scouts from the service unit, some of whom will stay the night at Camp Sacajawea. There will be an opening and closing flag ceremony, dinner and campfire sing along.

During the day, the girls will participate in four rotations. One is led by JAX, a local sporting goods store. They will also learn how to make soda can sundials and eclairs over the fire. The Army ROTC cadets will lead the two other rotations.

“They’ve done annual events with Boy Scouts in the past, but they wanted to help out Girl Scouts, too,” said Sara Peters, senior in history and senior Army ROTC member. Peters has done a lot to help organize the volunteering opportunity for the cadets, and is excited to see the plan put into action.

Kerri’s daughter, Mary, said she is excited to learn from the ROTC members and the camp.

“I like camping,” she said.

The cadets are excited to volunteer their time to the troops, and the Girl Scouts are excited to learn from them about first aid and basic safety skills. The ROTC cadets will likely gain great leadership opportunities out of the event while providing positive role models for the Girl Scouts.