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MACOMB TOWNSHIP — There is no understating the achievement of becoming an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.
For many who join the 112-year-old organization, it is a goal that requires commitment throughout their entire adolescence, and many fail to reach the mark for any number of reasons. But those who make it find themselves within a rarified crowd, and two members of Troop 242 based in Washington, Michigan, know how that feels.
Carter Schury, of Macomb Township, and Kalvin Hasenauer, of Chesterfield Township, completed their Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Sept. 18 at Sycamore Hills Golf Club.
“It just feels like an accomplishment,” Hasenauer said. “I pulled through. I dedicated myself to something, and I made it to the end goal that I set years before. So there’s that sense of accomplishment there.”
While the journey to Eagle took a unique path for each Scout, there were some similarities along the way. For instance, both got into Scouting due to their families having a foothold in it.
“Both my older brothers were Scouts, so I just kind of had the motivation to be as good as them,” Schury said.
Similarly, Hasenauer found his way into Scouting along a path made by siblings.
“I was kind of grandfathered in with my parents putting me into Cub Scouts in elementary school,” Hasenauer said. “My brother was also in Cub Scouts, and when he went to Boy Scouts, I also followed his footsteps. It’s kind of just been a part of my life (for) basically my entire life since kindergarten (and) first grade. I’ve kind of always been in it and had a real liking for it.”
While classmates and friends dropped out over the years to pursue other interests, both boys found the people around them as the core reason for staying.
“It was a great time to hang around them; just to talk to them, be with them,” Hasenauer said. “The Scout leaders and older Scouts were always there to help. If you asked any question, they were real happy to help you every single time. … Just a great crowd and good role models to be around. I think that’s what kept me around a lot.”
One of the key parts of becoming an Eagle Scout is completing a service project, which tends to involve building or repairing something for the public good.
Schury decided to build raised-bed garden planters for St. Kieran Catholic Church as his project.
“St. Kieran already had two raised garden boxes, and they were going to be donating food to a food bank,” Schury said. “So (I) had the good idea of making two more so they could donate even more food to the food bank.”
Hasenauer built shelves and installed racks and ramps in the Utica High School band’s trailer.
“I really love that organization,” Hasenauer said. “All four years of high school, I marched and played tenor saxophone. Honestly, I didn’t really do all that much the first few years that I was there, and then I saw the Eagle project as a really good opportunity to help out the band and kind of cement myself in it.”
With the Eagle rank achieved and their futures ahead of them — Schury is finishing his senior year at Eisenhower High School and the Utica Center for Science and Industry, while Hasenauer is at Lawrence Technological University studying robotic engineering — both look back fondly on their time in Scouting.
“It is kind of sad just ending it because of all the memories I’ve made, but it is also a very happy moment because of how far I’ve gotten over these past few years,” Schury said.
Hasenauer encourages more people to get involved with Scouting activities.
“I think Scouting is a very good thing for many, many people; Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts across the nation,” Hasenauer said. “There should be a lot more support around it and a lot more funding to the cause, because they do a lot for the community and do a lot for everybody in general.”
