“Be prepared because nothing will happen like you plan, and don’t be afraid to ask for donations because the worst they’ll say is no – the more you ask, the more likely you’re going to get a yes.”
These are two pieces of advice many adults know in their hearts, but won’t fully believe, because they are still searching for proof well into their 40s.
Lake, the 15-year-old Dublin Coffman High School student wise beyond his years, thanks to the Darby Creek District Boy Scouts of America program, which he has belonged since first grade.
Lake learned these valuable personal and professional lessons, and many more, while on his trek to the top: Eagle Scout.
“Eagle is the hardest rank to make,” Lake says. “It’s quite rare to find an Eagle Scout. One in every 100 Boy Scouts makes it.”
But reaching the prestigious ranking isn’t even a question for Lake.
“Once you’re an Eagle Scout, you’re always an Eagle Scout,” he says.
“It makes you realize how much you don’t know and asks you to go out and do it. The project is the heaviest part of the overall requirement to become an Eagle Scout.”
While the premise of his project was given to him, Lake still carried a heavy weight through his relationship building, fundraising, planning, training and day-of hosting, especially as one requirement for a successful project is uniqueness.
“Another Scout did a smaller version of my project beforehand, in 2008, and the response he got from it was absolutely amazing,” Lake says. “So the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio kept coming back to us asking if we could do it again, and I decided that would be a really nice project to do.”
Lake began strategizing in April 2014 for his September “Buddy Up with a Scout” event – a Scout-themed day that paired Boy and Girl Scouts with a youth with Down syndrome for activities. These ranged from tent setup and kayaking, to crafts, including a Girl Scout favorite, Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere (SWAPS), and paracord survival bracelets.
“Sadly, some of our children with Down syndrome are rarely included in Scouting,” says Marge Barnheiser, program director of the association. “Whether it is the hesitation of the parents or the Scout leaders, some children are just not involved. This event gives them, their parents, other Scouts and Scout leaders the opportunity to see that it can work. Everyone wins.”
At all nine activity stations, the 22 participants with Down syndrome – ranging from sixth to 12 grade – had the opportunity to bond with their Scout buddies while learning various life skills.
“Because everything we used came from donations, the participants got to take something home from every station,” says Lake.
Keepsakes ranged from bandages from the first aid station, bobbers used at the fishing station, to bows and arrows made kid-friendly with foam noodles and dowel rods from the day’s most popular station: archery.
“If you see their faces, it’s incredible. The kids are already loving, but when they get the opportunity to go out and be a normal kid with a friend and do fun things … it’s amazing,” says Lake’s mother, Barb, who volunteered to make her son’s project possible.
In the months leading up to September, Lake hit the pavement, traveling door to door and business to business with cold requests for sponsorship. His hard work paid off, raking in $565 and donations from big names such as Jimmy John’s, Giant Eagle, Kroger, the City of Dublin and Women of Promise. Lake recruited 61 volunteers, who helped create the activities, set up the day program and/or act as a buddy.
After the stations and a catered lunch, the group played games – using a large colorful play parachute and water balloons – before parents carted off their tuckered-out campers.
Aside from the additional leadership and organizational skills he learned, Lake says the feeling that comes with an act of kindness taught him the most.
“It felt good to be able to give back to the community and to see all these people helping me.”
He’s also proud of the legs the program continues to grow after his hosting, with a number of friendships formed. The Girl Scouts who participated are now holding a few events to which they are inviting the buddies they were paired with during Lake’s day camp.
The personal accomplishment he felt from his project, coupled with the preparedness Boy Scouts of America gave him, make Lake feel confident he is ready to ace Eagle Scout.
To Rise Through the Ranks
One interested in the youth organization early enters as a Cub Scout between first and fifth grades. Each embarks up the Advancement Trail, rank by rank, until he completes the requirements necessary to become a Boy Scout, earning the highest Cub Scout rank, the Arrow of Light Award. Those who don’t become interested until after their completion of the fifth grade and are at least 10 can enter Boy Scouting automatically. Boy Scouting challenges youth to develop character, citizenship and personal fitness.
Jeff Meyers, district commissioner of the Darby Creek District Boy Scouts of America, says there are 1,822 in the Boy Scouts of America program in the Darby Creek District.
Some members earn the Eagle Scout rank, the highest advancement rank in Scouting, in which a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service and outdoor skills.
To make Eagle Scout, a boy has to have achieved Life Scout, a rank in Boy Scouting; be active in his troop; demonstrate his life dedication to the Scout Oath and Law; provide recommendations; earn 21 badges; serve actively in a unit position; plan, develop and give leadership through a service project that benefits a group other than Boy Scouts of America; attend a unit leader conference; write a letter of intent; and successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review – all before his 18th birthday.
Lake has had no problem completing many of the requirements. He has volunteered at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and Dublin Irish Festival, and has gained in-troop leadership experience at High Adventures trips.
Tessa Dufresne is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
