Anyone who has a farm in the Fern Ridge area has no doubt wandered into the Farm Store in Veneta and is familiar with owner, Travis Soverns. Congenial, he knows his regular customers by name and greets them warmly. He and wife Stacy also are active at the Foursquare church on Broadway where Soverns is the assistant minister. It is this stalwart faith as well as their desire to provide wholesome opportunities for their three sons ages 7, 9, and 10, that has led them to start a Trail Life group for boys and an American Heritage scouting program for girls.
Trail Life USA is a Christ-centered, Church-Based outdoor program that is based on values obtained from the Bible and is aimed at boys from ages 5-17. Akin to Boy Scouts, Trail Life has uniforms and weekly meetings and boys work through a book while earning badges, meeting other clubs, and participating in such things as campouts. There are three levels in Trail life – Woodlands Trail for boys age 5-10, Navigators for boys ages 11-13, and Adventurers for boys ages 14-17. The boys are challenged by male mentors to develop character growth, perform community service, and hone leadership skills. American Heritage Girls, is also Christ-centered with a focus on leadership and character development aimed at girls 5-18. The group was founded in 1995 by parents who wanted a faith-based scout-type program that would be dedicated to fostering integrity in young women via service to God, family, and community. Like the Trail Life program, American Heritage Girls earn badges, participate in service projects and leadership opportunities and experience the outdoors while an emphasis is placed on Christian values. Stacy Soverns had heard about the merits of the programs and decided that it should come to Veneta. Not only will this be the first in the city, but it will also be the first in Lane County. She and Travis are working out the finer points, but a post on Veneta’s community Facebook page showed tremendous interest by parents in having their children participate. To do so, however, assistance is needed in the form of volunteer leaders who can come every week to teach the kids, as well as people who can aid with fundraising efforts and people who can accompany the youngsters while they go on campouts and hikes. It is the Soverns hope that parents will be willing to lend a hand as this program does stress parental involvement. Those who volunteer will have to undergo a criminal background check. The goal, Travis says, is for the programs to begin in the autumn when school resumes after summer vacation. There are still a few kinks to work out, but the Soverns are very excited to bring this opportunity to Veneta and can’t wait to get things underway. They sincerely hope that others will feel the same and reach out to lend a hand. For further details and to offer up time, one need only to go to the Trail Life or American Heritage Girls website.
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