Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite places to be, especially in the winter. I love the smell of the trees, the stars in the sky, and most of all playing in the snow. That is why, for my Eagle Project, I wanted to introduce a group of kids to the Lake Tahoe area who had never experienced snow before.
To do this, I partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland (BGCO), and on Saturday, February 28th, 6 scouts and I (Anna Benson, Holden Bloodworth, Elise High, Ryan McMurtry, Michael Sidbury, and Cole Venner) guided 12 BGCO members through an amazing day at Lake Tahoe. The scouts and I started the day by meeting at Mulberry’s at 6:45 a.m. to pick up a delicious donation of sandwiches and freshly baked cookies for all the trip’s attendees to enjoy. Next, one car went to the West Oakland branch of BGCO so I could ride in the van with a dozen excited members. The ride to Tahoe seemed so much shorter than the 3 hours it took because we were talking and getting to know each other. In talking about the drive after the trip, Zemirah even said, “The laughter, the community, and all the fun on the way there were what really made the trip memorable.”
Our first stop was at the Donner Lake lookout on highway 80, this is where the BGCO members were able to see Donner Lake for the first time, and we also told them a little bit about the Donner Party. From there, we rushed over to SnoVentures, where Palisades Tahoe had generously donated tubing tickets to our group. After the kids were suited up in their snow gear donated by The Sports Basement, we spent the next hour yelling, spinning, and laughing as the group slid down the tracks using big inflatable tubes. When the tubing session was over, some kids made snow angels while others tried hiking or sledding in Olympic Valley. And two BGCO members did a fantastic job building their first snowman, which West Oakland Branch leader Rodney Cook proudly guarded to make sure it didn’t get accidentally damaged in the continued snowplay.
After enjoying our delicious Mulberry’s lunch, we drove to the Donner Memorial State Park, which had donated parking passes for our vehicles. The kids marched to the monument, took pictures, and played a little more in the snow. Then we moved inside the Donner Memorial Museum to participate in a scavenger hunt, which we made a race to make it even more fun. Finally, after determining the winners, we all said our goodbyes, and the BGCO van headed down to Oakland with snacks and drinks donated by the Oakland Grocery Outlet.
When I met with the BGCO members the following week to show them pictures from the trip, they all said the trip was “very fun”, they loved their scout helpers, and “definitely would do this trip again.” (Thanks to Nevaeh, Kei’lani, Love, and Ma’layah for their comments and feedback). Tiquan even called the trip “existentially great”. Everybody agreed that whether it is in the snow or in Oakland, we all wanted to see each other again. I started this project thinking the most important thing was to show people the Lake Tahoe I love, but what I learned is that the best part of the trip didn’t involve any specific activity; it was all of us going on an adventure together that we will all remember for years to come.
By Travers Kemp
Published in the Piedmont Post March 18, 2026