Roots is Scottville's youth-run civic service club. Community members share their memories with club members in exchange for volunteer hours spent on local needs. Stories are compiled for the community to keep as inspiration for what comes next. Every phase of every project is planned and executed by youth as they remind us how to learn by doing.
Memories, photos, video, ephemera — any year, any topic. If it happened in Mason County east of Stiles, we want to hear it. We'll practice our interviewing and recording skills while we listen and then edit your story into content for the community to keep.
In exchange, the Roots youth deliver a community service task — one you choose (paint the shed, weed the garden, haul to the dump) or one from the public nomination list (pocket park plans, sidewalk work, city commission requests).
Every exchange is produced into an archive that lives forever, the community gets its work done, and the Roots crew experiences Scottville's past through work in the here & now that improves the future.
We're onboarding our first Roots crew now. Once training and equipment are in place, the first story-and-service exchange goes live. Follow along to watch the archive fill.
Subscribe on YouTube →One local family has already stepped up as our FIRST founding donor, contributing $25k to kick-start Scion's next chapter. This is what it takes: RESOURCES. We've heard all the great ideas and we have our wish-list. Follow this family's lead TODAY and become a Scion Founding Donor.
Contribute Resources →As our boots hit the ground we are ready to outfit our first youth crew with the gear they need to be successful. Many pieces of equipment will be borrowed or received second-hand, but some things just need to be top-notch to perform out here in the sun and snow. From camera equipment to work gloves, from software to shovels, your gift will take area youth from dreaming to doing in a moment.
Outfit the Crew →Are you an attorney, accountant, grant writer, historian, journalist, audio engineer, social media strategist, or have another technical or professional skillset that you are interested in contributing to the project? Join us!
Join us →Scion's founder Lisa Burgess Cooper rides her second cycle tour in two years — 111 km at L'Étape Czech by Tour de France on October 3, 2026 — to fund Scion's journey from here to there. Every kilometer gets a sponsor. Every sponsor names a kilometer. When the bar is full, Scion is funded for a year and we have our Roots.
Sponsor a Kilometer →