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Virginia Scout is Nation's Top Seller

Mallory Noe-Payne
/
RADIOIQ

 

 

An eighth grader outside Richmond broke records this year and became the top seller of boy scout popcorn in the country.  But that’s just where the story begins.

From homes to office parks, thousands in the Richmond area have heard Beck Garnett’s pitch:

“I’m raising support for boys in Richmond. And this gives them the opportunity to be in the boyscouts. And last year I was number two in the nation for the second time in a row. So this year my goal’s to be number 1.”

14-year old Beck Garnett met his goal by selling more than $80,000 dollars worth of popcorn in 2018. He beat out the second highest seller by just 56-bucks.

“I guess I’ve learned a lot,” Beck says. “I can like talk to older people without being nervous or anything, comfortably.”

His father, Scott Garnett, says Beck’s success has been because he sets high goals and doesn’t give up.

“And just grinding it out, every weekend, no matter what the weather, I think that’s the number one thing,” said Scott Garnett.

But this story isn’t about how Beck spends every weekend knocking doors, or his groundbreaking use of online sales. Instead it’s about what happens next, with all that money.

Troop 442

Troop 442 is a big diverse group, including girls. They meet each week at a church in Richmond’s southside. It’s not Beck’s troop, but this year they’ll get more than $8,000 from Beck’s popcorn sales.

Credit Courtesy of April Garnett
Beck Garnett poses at the state capitol.

Hayes, who is scout master of 442, is friends with Beck’s troop leader.  

“His scout master said said ‘Hey I’ve got a friend who’s running a troop that really could use some money for gear and all this stuff and that’s when we ended up getting hooked up with him.”

 

Beck decided to donate part of his popcorn commission to Troop 442.

The money will help Hayes buy new uniforms, gear and even send a kid to camp this summer. And that’s just this one troop. Beck is donating another $17,000 to scouts across Virginia.

For Hayes, it helps support his vision of giving every kid who wants it a real scouting experience - like the one he had growing up.

“We’re not going to give them a small version of some scouting,” Hayes says. “Our goal - the adults’ goal - is to make scouting happen for any child.”  

Giving Back

Isaiah James is 17 and he goes to Richmond’s Franklin Military Academy. He’s been a member of Troop 442 for more than a decade.

James says Scouts feels like a big family and he’s grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience wilderness.

“We also went out one time to go see like shooting stars. And that was amazing, like directly under them,” Isaiah recalls. “That was a once in a lifetime experience. It was very like soothing and calm. Just to be with nature.”

Helping others is a fundamental tenet of being a Scout. Just like Beck, Isaiah also gives back to his community. He’s planning his Eagle Scout project -- building an area kids can play and hang out at the nearby elementary school.

“I was one of the first classes to walk into the school which gave me a lot of pride so I want to give back because a lot of teachers there built me to be the person I am today,” Isaiah says.

Next year, Beck is retiring from selling popcorn. Instead he’ll train up members of this troop - like Isaiah - so maybe someday they can raise enough money to also pass it along.

 

Updated Wednesday April 24. This story has been corrected. An earlier version incorrectly stated that a troop recieves a boyscout's popcorn commission, when in fact the individual boyscout recieves the commission and can determine what to do with it.

 
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

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Mallory Noe-Payne is a Radio IQ reporter based in Richmond.