State Fair Community College will host its first-ever Merit Badge College for the Boy Scouts of America on Sept. 24 in Sedalia.

The camp is an opportunity for scouts, both male and female, to earn merit badges in animal and plant science, robotics, welding, auto maintenance, dentistry, health care, citizenship, and more.

“We have seen similar camps at other colleges be very successful,” said Chris Harper, district executive for the Great Rivers Council of Boy Scouts of America. “It is an exciting opportunity to showcase some of these high skill areas and give the scouts an opportunity to earn some merit badges in areas that might not be as accessible as others.”

The scouts will have the benefit of learning in one of the state’s premier technical centers, the Olen Howard Workforce Innovation Center. The Howard Center is a new 35,000 square foot facility that boasts more than 30 welding stations, welding simulators and industrial computerized manufacturing equipment, including the only five-axis CNC machines in any educational center in Missouri.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome the scouts to State Fair Community College,” said Michael Rogg, dean of Career and Technical Education. “I am confident that the merit badge courses we have put together will capture their interests and keep these young men and women fully engaged.”

In addition to the Howard Center, SFCC offers a full dental hygiene clinic, which is open to the public, and proudly boasts the number one ranked nursing school (LPN and RN) in Missouri for six consecutive years according to registerednursing.org and practicalnursing.org.

“Given the resources State Fair Community College has, it just makes sense to partner with them,” said Harper. “I know these camps are extremely popular, and it is our hope and expectation to make this an ongoing annual merit badge camp.”

More than 120 scouts and scouters from across Missouri have already signed up for the merit badge college. All participants will receive an SFCC Roadrunners patch. Scouts (and parents of scouts) interested in the State Fair Community College Merit Badge College should contact their scout leaders or Chris Harper at chris.harper@scouting.org for more details.

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