A hospital can be a pretty unpleasant place for anyone who has to be there to have an illness treated. For children, the fear and discomfort associated with a hospital stay can be even worse.
These devices allow child patients to go for a ride. (photo: Chattanooga News Channel 9)
Eagle Scout Logan S. of the Boy Scouts of America Cherokee Area Council wanted to find a way that kids at his local hospital, some of whom were facing serious, life-threatening illnesses, could receive a moment of fun – a chance to just be a kid.
So, to help these children, Logan and a team of volunteers he organized created more than a dozen Lily Pads. These unique devices attach to a rolling IV pole and turn the rolling pole into a ride of sorts for child patients. Because the kids are small, they’re able to stand on the Lily Pad and use the IV pole as a fun means of transportation as nurses or family members pull them around.
To learn more about these remarkable devices Logan created for his Eagle Scout project, be sure to check out the heartwarming full story on Chattanooga News Channel 9.
Scout Daniel P. was born with blindness, and as he’s grown older, he has also suffered from progressive hearing loss. However, that hasn’t stopped him from earning Scouting’s highest honor.
“He works really hard, and he never gives up,” said a fellow Scout of Daniel.
Scout Daniel P. overcame challenges to earn his Eagle. (photo: Westchester News 12)
Indeed, he has served as an inspiration to many of the younger Scouts, accomplishing things that some might have previously thought would be impossible because of his blindness.
Daniel, who is a Scout in the Boy Scouts of America Westchester-Putnam Council, admits he has faced challenges along the path to Eagle.
“When you’re trying to supervise an activity and you can’t see if people are slacking off or whatever, so you have be sort of extra, extra alert,” he said.
But those challenges that may have stopped someone else just drove Daniel to work even harder.
He also had help from other members of his Scout troop that even created a special position to make sure that someone was always looking out to help Daniel navigate activities without added difficulty.
To learn more about this remarkable Scout and how he has plans to work at a Scout camp this summer, be sure to watch the whole story from Westchester News 12.
When a massive fire threatened to destroy his family’s ranch, an Eagle Scout’s quick thinking and commitment to be prepared helped protect the ranch from the danger of fire. For his efforts, he earned the Medal of Merit from the Boy Scouts of America.
Matt received the Medal of Merit (photo: Todd Dickson, Mountain View Telegraph)
The Medal of Merit signifies that a Scout has performed an act of service of a rare or exceptional character that reflects an uncommon degree of concern for the well-being of others.
With his father away on a business trip, Eagle Scout Matthew L. of the Boy Scouts of America Great Southwest Council was in charge of preparing the house, moving livestock, and prepping for a possible evacuation.
He and his mother made sure all of the animals were safe and prepared so that they could be moved quickly if the fire approached the ranch. He also mowed grass, cleared away wood, and soaked the barn with water to help reduce the possibility of it burning should the fire reach the property.
The Scout’s preparations were so thorough that when an evacuation order did come for those living nearby, Matthew’s family was granted the ability to remain on their property.
To learn more about how Matthew knew what it means to truly be prepared, be sure to read the full story on mwtelegraph.com.
Imagine being at a local park when someone nearby experiences sudden cardiac arrest. Easy access to an automated external defibrillator, or AED, could mean the difference between life or death for that person.
He installed AED units at local parks (photo: centraljersey.com)
Unfortunately, in many public parks in communities across the nation, there may be no AED available.
For Eagle Scout Jack M., of the Boy Scouts of America Monmouth Council, making the community a safer place was an important goal. For his Eagle Scout project, he decided to install the lifesaving units in the four public parks in his city.
To learn more about how Jack raised funds, installed the devices, and organized an instructional seminar on how to use the devices, be sure to read the full story on centraljersey.com.
Each Memorial Day, in communities around the nation, there’s a familiar scene at many cemeteries. Scouts are out planting flags at the graves of members of the U.S. Armed Forces, recognizing their bravery and sacrifice in service to our nation.
It’s an opportunity for Scouts and others to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day, and it’s a chance to show respect to the many men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, both past and present, who put the safety of the country ahead of their own safety.
Here are just a few of the places Scouts are planting flags for Memorial day –
A Scout participating in Memorial Day activities (photo: Lee Erwin, Clarksville Now)
“The purpose of Memorial Day is not to have picnics, miss a day from school and watch a parade,” noted Troop 82 Scoutmaster Bryan LeClerc. “It is to honor those men and women who gave their lives for our country while serving in the military. We owe these heroes our respect and honor. Thanks to them, we live in freedom today.” – Fairfield Sun
A Scout planting flags at veterans’ graves (photo: Lauri Shultis, Grand Island Independent)
“In scouts we teach that the flag isn’t just a cloth with red, white and blue,” said Assistant Scoutmaster Ray Fye. “It represents something, and the scouts can see how every veteran realized that meaning, and sometimes they gave their life for that meaning.” – Grand Island Independent
Finding an old, unused telescope in his basement launched a love of space for Scout Colin B., and as that love for space grew, Colin knew he wanted to offer that same sense of fun and wonder to others in his community.
Eagle Scout Colin B. in the local observatory (photo: Jen Rynda, Baltimore Sun)
After joining and becoming more active in his community’s astronomical league, he began visiting the local observatory, located in a town park. The site is used by children and adults in the community who are interested in astronomy.
Colin, a young man who believes in the ideals he learned in Scouting as a member of the Boy Scouts of America Baltimore Area Council, felt that he could help to improve the area near the observatory to offer something extra to people in his town.
For his Eagle Scout project, he worked with the city parks department and the director of the astronomical league to design and install a space walk that provides an educational look at our solar system.
With a team of Scouts and helpers under his direction, Colin and others worked for more than 200 hours developing and installing the space walk.
The trail is .4 miles long and displays the distance between each of the planets of the solar system to scale. At each stop along the trail, visitors can read about planets and other key celestial objects located in our solar system. It offers education and a little perspiration for those who enjoy a side of exercise with their lessons on space.
To learn more about this unique Eagle Scout project, be sure to check out the full article in The Baltimore Sun.
When John S. initially joined Cub Scouts as a boy, he was completely nonverbal as a result of autism.
John’s father, an Eagle Scout himself, encouraged his young son to join Cub Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America Garden State Council.
“He said it was fun, so I tried it out and liked it,” John said.
Scout John S. restored a veterans memorial park for his Eagle Scout project (photo: Taylor Henry, NJ Advance Media)
The Scout leaders and other Scouts worked closely with John to encourage him and help him along the way. Many of the Scouts became friends with John, and some even recently supported him by walking along with him in the annual Gloucester County Autism Walk in West Deptford.
Through the support of his family as well as his friends in Scouting, John continued through the Scouting ranks, earning merit badges, going on camping trips, and growing to love his Scouting experience. He even gave back to Scouting by instructing some of the younger Scouts in the principals of Leave No Trace outdoor ethics.
When it came time to start working on his Eagle Scout project, John thought long and hard about what would serve his community and honor his own family, many of whom had a background in service to the military.
The local veterans memorial in his community had fallen into disrepair over the years. Sunken marker stones, peeling benches, and faded signage made it virtually unusable for the citizens of the community. John decided to fix all that.
He worked with his fellow Scouts to complete a full restoration on the veterans memorial. They also planted flowers and fixed nearby items that also needed a touchup.
To learn more about this remarkable Scout and his project, be sure to read the full article in the New Jersey Advance Media.
As a child in Syria, Sami J. spent his time as a Syrian Boy Scout in the city of Aleppo, participating in typical Scouting activities and enjoying his days.
As stability in Syria began deteriorating, Sami’s family made the difficult decision to leave their home and move to the United States. He was in 8th grade at the time.
Sami escaped war in Syria to become a Scout in the USA. (photo: WKYT News)
It was a tough transition, but Sami credits Scouting in the United States with making the process of integrating into American society a more manageable one.
“It got me involved in society, a lot,” he said.
Upon joining the Boy Scouts of America, he quickly began participating in the Scouting activities of his local troop, and he rose through the ranks, eventually earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
He graduated from high school, enrolled at the University of Kentucky, and even decided to give back to Scouting by becoming an Assistant Scoutmaster with a troop in Lexington, Kentucky in the Boy Scouts of America Blue Grass Council.
To learn more about Sami’s fascinating story, be sure to watch the CBS News piece about this unique Scout on WKYT News.
With the recent annual number of Eagle Scouts earned averaging more than 50,000 nationally, it can be easy to forget that some communities go years, or even decades, between Eagle Scouts. In Nickerson, Kansas, a small town with a population of just over 1,000 people, it’s been 40 years since a young man has earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the community.
The town just got a new Eagle Scout after several years. (photo: The Hutchison News)
This year, though, it wasn’t just one new Eagle Scout. The town has two young men who earned the rank within a few months of each other.
Some towns and cities have a wealth of Eagle Scouts each year, meaning there are regular Eagle Scout projects being conducted to support those communities. In Nickerson, a town located in the Boy Scouts of America Quivira Council, the re-emergence of Eagle Scouts has brought much-needed community service.
One young man constructed a disc golf course to offer some recreation opportunities to the members of the community. The other Eagle Scout candidate installed a flag pole at the local fire station, giving the town a nice infusion of patriotism.
Now, even though both Scouts aged out of the program after earning the rank of Eagle Scout, each has returned to become an Assistant Scoutmaster with their troop.
To read more about how this town went 40 years between Eagle Scouts, be sure to read the full story in The Hutchison News.
What started as a fun family vacation became a frightening experience for two brothers when one began drowning while swimming.
Jake saved his brother’s life. (photo: WRAL News)
Brothers Jake and Josh L. were swimming in a lake when Jake swam across a small cove to go explore the opposite shore. Josh followed his older brother, but he was an inexperienced swimmer, and halfway out into the water, the boy panicked and began struggling to stay afloat.
Josh was drowning, and Jake had only moments to react to save his younger brother.
“When I turned around, I saw that Josh was out there. He was struggling and wasn’t able to keep himself above the water,” Jake said.
Seeing that his brother was drowning, Jake didn’t panic. Just weeks before, Jake had received some basic water rescue training along with other members of his Boy Scout troop.
He immediately knew what to do to help his younger brother. He swam over to him and put his Scout training into action to help get his brother safely to shore.
To learn more about Jake’s heroism and the national recognition he received for helping to save his brother’s life, be sure to watch the whole story from WRAL News.
