Military families in Hyde Park, Oakley and Mount Lookout can enroll their children in Scouting America without paying the $85 national registration fee.

The Dan Beard Council, which administers Scouting across 12 counties in Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky, is waiving the fee for children of active-duty service members, veterans and military families. The program is part of a national Scouting America initiative tied to America's 250th anniversary, WCPO reported Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The waiver has been available since at least late June, when the council announced it on its blog on June 24.

"We've been partnered with them for over 115 years, so we understand the plight of military families," Rachel Estepp-Ennis, vice president of marketing for the Dan Beard Council, told WCPO. "Kids have to change schools, change churches, change support systems."

Estepp-Ennis said Scouting gives military children consistency when their families relocate. Ranks, achievements and friendships carry from one troop to the next, offering stability that schools and churches cannot always provide during a move.

How to enroll

The fee waiver is available only through online registration. Families visit BeAScout.org, enter their zip code to find a local unit, then complete a military credential verification. The $85 fee drops off automatically at checkout.

Individual council and troop fees may still apply, though Estepp-Ennis said those costs can often be offset through fundraising like popcorn sales and service projects.

Local troops in the Queen City District

Hyde Park, Oakley and Mount Lookout fall within the Dan Beard Council's Queen City District, where membership executive Jeanie Gross serves as the local contact. Troop 114, chartered through Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church, is one unit in the district open to all families regardless of church membership.

The council averages 10,000 member families annually and is targeting a major fall recruiting push, with a goal of reaching more than 100,000 kids across the region.

Upcoming

The council's fall recruiting season begins this autumn across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Families interested in the military fee waiver can start at BeAScout.org. For questions about Queen City District troops serving Hyde Park, Oakley and Mount Lookout, contact Jeanie Gross through the Dan Beard Council at 513-577-7700.