Winnetka Troop 20 is one of the oldest and best in the country. It was established in Winnetka in 1927 and has been in continuous operation ever since. Thousands of scouts have been scouting with us, including many people who still live in the Village. Our Troop is sponsored by the Winnetka Congregational Church and chartered by the Scouts BSA, which in turn is chartered as a nonprofit organization by Congress. Our Troop is nondenominational, and we are self-supporting.
Troop or patrol meetings are held once a week between September and May. Over the years the Troop has consistently had outstanding scout and adult leadership. Troop 20 is one of the most active Scout Troops in the State of Illinois and has offered scouting experiences to over 2,000 scouts since 1927. Because of the Troop’s high level of training and participation, its scouts have become leaders in our community. Nationally less than 2% of all Scouts achieve Eagle rank, but for Troop 20’s almost 100 years of existence, about 10% of its scouts have earned Eagle.
In 2019, Troop 20 created a girls program to offer the same outstanding scouting experience to young women. The girls program rapidly grew to fifteen scouts within the first year.
The Troop is blessed with significant adult participation. Bob Vorwald was the Scoutmaster for about 5 years and in the fall of 2015 he turned over the reins to Nat Roberts. In 2019, Laura Zung joined as the Girls Scoutmaster. Additionally, the Troop has an incredibly strong volunteer base of existing and past parents who believe in the values of Scouting and helping young boys grow into good men. Among the many is Tom Fritts , our ScoutMaster Emeritus, who has been with the Troop since 1964 and still actively participates.