After heavy snowfall hit the Martinsburg, W. Va., area during the month of January, Del Johnson received a phone call from an older man in his ward. His wife had a doctor's appointment that she needed to go to, but because of the deep snow, she couldn't get out of her apartment to the shuttle that normally took her to appointments.

The couple needed help and called Brother Johnson because he is serving as the Scoutmaster in the Hedgesville Ward, Martinsburg West Virginia Stake.

Brother Johnson grabbed his shovel and went with his three sons, Chad, 12, Eric, 10, and Luke, 9, and went to work shoveling snow and clearing a path for the couple.

After completing that task, Brother Johnson noticed all of the cars covered in snow. He realized the couple in his ward were not the only people affected by the storm. So upon his return home that evening, he started making phone calls.

"I called the missionaries, the Scouts and the elders quorum," he said. "We grabbed our snow shovels, and off we went."

Starting at 10 a.m. the next day, Brother Johnson and two crews including workers of all ages met at the parking lot to clear the snow. Together they worked for six hours digging out and brushing snow off cars and clearing paths.

"It was a tremendous amount of effort," Brother Johnson said. "The snow was so heavy that even snowblowers couldn't move it."

One of the residents of the complex, Patricia Jefferey, was quoted in a local newspaper.

"They were armed with nothing more than shovels and an undaunted spirit to help others," she said. "All of these volunteers were either members of Scout Troop 164 or parents of troop members. That troop is affiliated to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hedgesville Ward.

"They stayed for anything from 3 to 5 hours and did an amazing job clearing snow from in front of entrances and sidewalks, and uncovering at least 35 cars that were enveloped in snow, some so deep that you could not tell what was actually under the snow piles. … The children worked very hard, in very cold conditions, and never suggested giving up or quitting. …

"In this day and age, it is easy to forget that so many young people are working to make a difference in our lives."

"Serving others is often a reward itself, to see how grateful the residents were and how these young men took time to help them," Brother Johnson said.

"We had a really great time and grew closer as a Scout troop." — Marianne Holman