TWO CUB Scout brothers from Pack 761 have been recognized for their outstanding effort in the pack's annual popcorn sale.
John and Brian Manos of Dayton sold more than $1,025 worth of popcorn for the fund-raiser, more than one-fourth of their pack's total.
John, 9, and Brian, 8, had decided they wanted to sell enough to earn the prize offered by Boy Scouts of America - a Coleman camping stove. They knocked on more than 75 doors to reach their goal.
Their mother, Joy Manos, gave them good advice at the beginning of the fund-raiser.
"You can't work for something and just sit around," she said. "When you want to reach a goal, you have to sacrifice for it."
But the boys had an obstacle to overcome.
They live in Dayton, where the houses are spread out, so a lot of traveling was necessary. Manos helped her sons carry out their plan - but not in the way you might imagine. Manos is legally blind and cannot drive a car, so the children had to be creative to sell their popcorn.
"If the boys have a goal, I don't want them not to be able to reach it because of me," their mother said.
So she and her sons drove around their neighborhood on the side of the road and through yards in a golf cart. Manos normally uses this mode of transportation to get around, so she didn't regard it as unusual.
Anywhere they could drive the cart, Manos did. One night, they had to tape five flashlights to the cart so they could see.
Wherever they couldn't travel with the cart, the boys enlisted the help of their father, John, and Joy Manos' mother, Grace Stanton of Dayton, to take them around in a car.
They visited neighboring developments along Howard, Roxbury, Linthicum and Green Bridge roads. And they did a lot of walking.
"One time it was kind of cold outside and my feet got numb," the younger John said.
It took about a month of selling door-to-door to reach the goal.
"It took a lot of time to get it all done," Brian said.
The boys each were recognized by their pack with a certificate of achievement and a $10 gift certificate to Sunny's Surplus.
At the pack meeting Dec. 21, the pack made Christmas ornaments, but the brothers had something else on their minds. They had received their new stove that day and had brought it to the meeting to show to the other boys.
"I thought it was kind of neat to earn the stove," the younger John said.
Joy Manos was happy with the stove, too.
"It was nicer than we thought it was going to be," she said.
The stove has room for two small pots on one side and a grill on the other. The boys plan to use it on a den camping trip in May.
Holiday giving
Kudos to Annie Axenfeld and Andy Sotak, who helped organize Glenwood Middle School's sixth-grade food drive for the Maryland Food Bank.
Thanks to the efforts of these two, 71 percent of Glenwood's sixth-graders participated in the drive.
Of 224 pupils, 174 turned in five or more food items. In Maggie Cregan's homeroom class, 100 percent of her pupils turned in five or more items.
Young musicians named
The River Hill High School Orchestra is proud to announce its representatives to the all-state orchestras.
Selected for the Maryland Junior All-State Orchestra were Elizabeth Shin, cello; and Jiang Wei Zhu, Erin Hedden, Claire Dean and Michael Do, violin.
Selected for Maryland Senior All-State Orchestra were Jay Brimley and John Wu, violin; and Chris Youn, viola.
Also at River Hill, two choir members will represent the school on the all-state choruses. Selected for the Maryland Junior All-State Chorus was Duri Park, soprano. Daniel Ji, tenor, was selected for the Maryland Senior All-State Chorus.
Lacrosse at Glenelg
Kevin Boland will be coaching indoor lacrosse for boys ages 6 to 17 at Glenelg Country School next month and February.
Players will be grouped by age and ability, and teams will be formed for one-hour indoor lacrosse games in full equipment.
Sessions are planned for Jan. 7, 21 and 28 and Feb. 4, 11 and 25. The cost is $75.
Equipment rental is available for $15.
Boland is the head of the middle school at Glenelg. He was a high school All-American and college All-American at the University of Maryland.
He has coached varsity, youth and middle school lacrosse for more than 20 years.
Information or registration: Kevin Boland, 410-531-0501, Ext. 2214, or 301-498-7217.
