An Uplifting Story

[moosetracker]

So my husband returned with from the eagle board last night with an fantastic story which I hope will be picked up by Boys Life perhaps while or at completion of this scouts Eagle project, because it is inspirational.

 

I guess my husband was busy with something so did not see the young man walk in and only noticed him once seated.. He started off by stating that at 15 he nearly dropped out of scouting.. He obviously had the goal of Eagle in mind because what discouraged him was he has Spinal bifida and he saw no way around doing the choice of Merit badge requirement to do either swimming,hiking or biking. I am unsure who gave him the suggestion, but he ended up going to a bike shop which special fitted a three wheel bike for him to help him.. Then his father and him got to work, and from what I understand it was long and grueling to work up the muscle strength for the merit badge, but after that he kept on going..  Today he has done several 50 mile bike trips and is now working on enough muscle strength for a 100 mile bike trip..  This accomplishment also gave him courage to try snow skiing and he worked with a group that works with special needs. He could use normal skis but they rigged something to tie the front together somehow to help him and worked hard to be able to ski down the longest slope..

 

His Eagle project proposal is incorporating both biking and skiing.. He is organizing from start to finish his own 50 mile bike trip with an entrance fee.. The money raised will go to buying helmets for the special needs skiing club..

 

Probably my telling the story will be a spoiler if Boys Life does run it someday, but mine is definitely a brief summary of it, with maybe a fact or two wrong.. I am sure a story on it will still be interesting for all of us to read, especially if it carries the info about the execution of the Eagle project.

[Gone]

Send to BL and let them know. They might print it. They are pretty active on FB.

 

The boy's SM, MBC or Eagle Advisor should have let him know of the modified requirements available to Scouts with special needs. This would have helped him a great deal. Glad to see his determination.

[mattman578]

Love the story that is great

[SSScout]

The bike trip sounds like (I hope) an ongoing project, to be done every year?   If FoS can do  golf tournaments, why not an Eagle project that sets up a yearly bike hike to raise money for another worthy cause? 

Tell him to research TOSRV, a hundred mile bike trip once organized by the Columbus American Youth Hostel Council. Attracted  3.000 plus bikes each year, Columbus Ohio to Portsmouth Ohio.  Now, branched off to a separate entity.... https://tosrv.org/15/index.htm    I did it in '76 and '77.  Ah, the memories...

 

Congrats and good luck to him.

[moosetracker]

Well an Eagle project is for a set time, so for his project it is only one.. But who knows he may continue it, or it may be picked up by someone else.. Sounds like these 50 mile bike hikes are put together regularly since the scout has been on several organized by others in the past.. Whether any of these are yearly or if just some group chooses to do one for various reasons I am not sure..

 

As for submitting to BL, I know the Eagle Board gave him and SM the suggestion and encouragement, but it should be the scouts decision if he wants it published.. He may be modest about it or something.

 

I am sure he knows the 100 mile bike hike he is aiming to join, it may be this exact one if there are not that many organized.

 

As I said, I am unsure what or who gave him the idea about the bikes.. Boys don't get an eagle advisor appointed until the come to the board to present their Eagle Project and then they only visit once or twice the project and are available to be called if the boy hits some bumps during the project and wants advice.. I don't think many troops in our area offer a troop level Eagle advisor, nor if they do if they assign them to help boys all throughout his scouting experience..  I am sure the SM was out asking for help and advise on behalf of this scout, but if he was the one to find the solution for him I don't know.. Most people don't know answers to these complex problems until hit with one, and then it means asking around on the web, at the council, at the round table etc. until they find someone with an answer.. 

Edited June 15, 2015 by moosetracker