Five Scouts honored for Eagle projects
Five Boys Scouts from Troop 215 at Bethel Presbyterian Church were honored at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor recently. The boys are Corey Becker, Benjamin Brownfield, Kevin Fleischmann, Ross Martin and Luke McCurry. Each did a service project to earn his Eagle Scout award.
Corey Becker is the son of Phil and Melodie Becker. His Eagle Scout project benefitted Auberle, a nonprofit organization helping abused and neglected children at a residential facility in McKeesport. Corey designed and led the construction of a disc golf course, giving the children the opportunity for fun and exercise. The project took a total of 328.5 hours to complete. He also made arrangements to get a jack hammer to dig through the limestone, so the project could be completed on schedule after running into last minute problems.
Corey is a senior at Bethel Park High School.
Benjamin Brownfield, the son of Todd and Gina Brownfield, comes from a family tradition of Eagle Scouts, including his dad, uncles and grandfather.
Ben’s Eagle Service project benefitted U.S. military personnel serving in Afghanistan. He worked in conjunction with Operation Troop Appreciation, a nonprofit organization that helps send items to American service people overseas. Ben conducted a large scale collection drive to gather and send snack items, toiletries and other beneficial supplies to the troops. Ben boxed and shipped 25 large boxes of supplies to six Army and Marine units in Afghanistan. More than 302 volunteer hours were spent on the project.
Ben is a junior at Bethel Park High School and a member of the National Honor Society and Interact Club.
Kevin Fleischmann, the son of Bret and Marjorie Fleischmann, is a junior at Bethel Park High School, but is spending his year studying in Germany.
Kevin wanted his project to benefit animals, so he contacted the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania. After learning of their need for a new dog agility course, Kevin designed and built one to be used by the dogs at the shelter. Kevin used newer and more weather-resistant equipment than the old course, and added more obstacles so the dogs would receive added exercise.
Kevin is a member of the National Honor Society, the German National Honor Society, Interact Club and Science Club.
Ross Martin, the son of Gary and Deborah Martin, also has an uncle who is an Eagle Scout. The Spiritan Center, a home for retired priests in Bethel Park, was the beneficiary of Ross’s Eagle Scout project. Ross led a group of volunteers in refurbishing and painting 10 windows, three garage doors, and one side door. He organized a fundraising event at TGI Fridays to buy supplies for the project.
Ross, a junior at Bethel Park High School, is a member of the cross country and track teams, National Honor Society and the concert band.
Luke McCurry, the son of Bruce and Laura McCurry, is following in the footsteps of his grandfather and great-grandfather by becoming an Eagle Scout.
Luke’s service project involved renovating the bunk room at Camp Rolling Hills in South Park. Working with the park manager, Luke developed a PowerPoint presentation that he presented to managers of local businesses asking for donations. The project consisted of removing graffiti, scrubbing and sealing brick walls, replacing doors and other work that was not included in his original proposal. The project involved 603 hours, with volunteers making up more than 331 hours.
Luke, a 2012 graduate of Bethel Park High School, is a music major at Gettysburg College.