Nick Smith and Patrick Petty with Andy Buglione Assistant Commissioner of the Lighthouse District. Submitted photo.
By: Sharon Aron Baron
Two young men have achieved the Eagle Scout award, the highest rank in the Boys Scouts of America.
Patrick Petty, of Parkland and Nicolas Smith of Coral Springs, both of Troop 27 which is part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Coral Springs were honored on Tuesday evening with family and other scouts in attendance.
The rank of Eagle scout is achieved after earning 21 merit badges in everything from riflery to family history, but is best known for its minimum 100 hour service project that must be conceived, planned, and executed by the scout.
Service Projects
Patrick Petty and parents Kelly and Ryan.
Patrick, son of Ryan and Kelly Petty, attends Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School said he heard from a teacher at Coral Springs Elementary that they were in need of school supply kits. So he drummed up donations, purchased supplies, and recruited other youth of all ages to come and help him assemble the much needed kits.
Patrick said that the best part of the process was “Seeing the pictures of the kids’ faces as they received the kits.”
Thanks to Nick Smith, the Coral Springs Community Garden, now has a new shade house. Nick, son of Lisa and Stephen Smith who attends Coral Springs Charter, said the shade house will provide protection for seedlings until they grow to maturity and the food produced can be donated to a homeless shelter.
Nick Smith and Parents Lisa and Stephen.
Nick and his father worked together on the plans and then gathered other able-bodied scouts from Troop 27 to construct the shade house on two separate Saturdays. Nick commented that his scouting experience has provided him with “valuable skills that I will need in the future…including leadership experience that I will need wherever I am.”
Both Patrick and Nick, who both joined at the age of eight, said that their years in scouting, and particularly their Eagle projects help them grow as leaders and better prepared them to take on new situations in the future.
President Stephen Smith, leader for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where Troop 27 resides, said, “People now have higher expectations of you; expectations of integrity, honor, honesty, and virtue. They see a man of achievement who is willing to help lead and serve others.”
Smith also indicated why the LDS church has supported scouting for over 100 years, with each nearly each of its units sponsoring a troop nation wide: “Scouting prepares you to remain strong in the face of adversity and temptation. This is why our church endorses scouting: Because of the path it puts you on, and the skills it provides you with, to make you ultimately successful as a contributing member of your church and your community.”
For more information on this troop, contact Mike Beardall, Scout Master, at 801-510-3225 or mikeandcath@msn.com
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