ANSONIA – Local scouts are getting a series of equipment upgrades, thanks to support from The Valley Community Foundation.

Pack 51 Ansonia and Troop 51 Ansonia each received grants from VCF, one that enabled the scouts to get a new Pinewood Derby racetrack and another to help outfit a trailer to store the scouts’ camping and outing equipment.

Pack 51 is open to kids ages 5 to 11 from the Valley. Troop 51 is open to kids from ages 11 to 18.

Scout leader Matt Frouge said Pack 51 received a $2,500 VCF grant to purchase a Pinewood Derby track, which made its debut at the annual scouting event in March.

Troop 51 received a $2,000 VCF grant to purchase shelving, lighting and other items for their trailer to house camping equipment and other outdoor gear.

The Pinewood Derby is a beloved tradition in scouting, where members take a block of wood with four wheels and channel their ingenuity and creativity to create small, unpowered racecars to put to the test during the annual derby.

Pack 51 has been using the same old wooden track for the past several years for the event. All that changed, however, thanks to the VCF grant.

“We were able to purchase a state-of-the-art aluminum Pinewood Derby track, with four lanes with sensors and a digital read-out to indicate what position the cars came in,” Frouge said. “We were using a wooden track that we had to shim and hit the nails back in when the cars came down the track. The kids love the new track.”

Julissa Kos, 9, has been a member of Pack 51 since she was seven. This was her first Pinewood Derby using the new track. Julissa clinched second place with her souped-up racecar, which she decked out in unicorn decals and painted pink and purple.

“I loved the new track. It tells you what place you were in, and it made my car ten times faster,” Julissa said.

Julissa said taking part in the Pinewood Derby is just one of the many fun activities that she and her fellow scouts get to do, but her favorite part of scouting is simply “because I can be nice to everyone.”

Frouge said the kids were thrilled with the new track at this year’s derby. He thanked the VCF for their support.

“It was high energy, there was a lot of excitement, and the kids were happy to see something new,” Frouge said.

Frouge and his childhood friend Jim Blaskewicz, both Ansonia residents with kids involved in both the pack and the troop, formed Pack 51 and Troop 51 five years ago.

Blaskewicz, who is the troop’s scoutmaster, said the grant enabled the troop to purchase new shelving, lights and other items to make the troop’s trailer ultra-functional.

“VCF has been great to us,” Blaskewicz said. “Our troop got a grant to outfit our trailer and make it a custom space to house all our camping equipment. “We were able to buy some battery-operated lighting, so we don’t have to bring a generator with us when we go camping.”

Pack 51 and Troop 51, which are chartered by the Friends of the Ansonia Nature Center, will hold an event later this summer to encourage other Valley kids to join. The event will showcase the many activities and events the scouts partake in. For more information about joining, email Pack51ansonia@gmail.com.

Blaskewicz said scouting is so much more than learning how to tie knots and attending meetings. If it wasn’t, he said there’s no way he’d still be involved after 26 years of scouting and leading.

“The life skills that we teach the kids are things they don’t necessarily get from everywhere,” Blaskewicz said. “We teach them things like how to read a map and a compass, how to do first aid, archery, how to build a camp site and a fire pit. These are skills they will have for the rest of their lives.”

Troop 51 recently participated in a daylong first aid event in conjunction with Ansonia Rescue Medical Services (ARMS) where Blaskewicz is assistant chief. All the kids got CPR-certified.

“Scouting also gives kids new friends to grow with and create lasting bonds of friendship,” Blaskewicz added. “We’re also big believers in putting ourselves back into the community, and we do all sorts of service projects, festivals and we’d love to get more kids involved.”

More information about Pack 51 and Troop 51 can be found on their Facebook pages.