Eagle Scout candidate works to help those in need locally

[February 20, 2015]  LINCOLN - At fifteen years of age, Boy Scout, Carter McCraith has decided it is time to reach a bit higher, and try to achieve Eagle Scout status. Carter is the son of Tim and Kelly McCraith and belongs to Boy Scout Troop #102 in Lincoln.

In order to earn his Eagle Scout, Carter has decided to work for the next few months to help provide food to the hungry in Logan County.

In order to qualify for Eagle Scout candidacy, a scout first has to achieve a certain pinnacle in his Scout career. McCraith has participated in the programs and earned the badges necessary to get him to that point.

The next step was to come up with an idea that would be Eagle Scout worthy. The work of the Eagle Scout has to follow certain guidelines that include exercising organizational skills, creating and leading a team, and performing an act that will benefit a community.

For McCraith, the first step was to come up with an idea. He said in thinking about what to do, he knew that each year the need for food at local food pantries is growing. He thought about those in Logan County who don’t have what they need to eat each day, and decided that to do monthly food drives would be a worthwhile cause for his Eagle Scout project.
 

He then had to define a plan as to how he would achieve his goal. The plan was then submitted to an oversight council who reviewed his proposed project and approved it as being a worthy effort for an Eagle Scout.

Carter then needed to put together his team. According to his plan, he was going to solicit help from area churches for the food drive. He chose his team members based on their willingness to work and also their affiliation with local churches.

Carter’s team members include Zac Smith, Zac Craig, David Papach and Carter Robison. Each of the boys will address their local churches, explain the purpose of the food drive, and seek donations.

When donations come in, the team will work together to document the amount of food collected by weight. Food will them be distributed to the Logan County Food Pantry and the food pantry at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Lincoln.

Churches that are being asked to help will include Holy Family, St. Mary's Catholic in Atlanta, Faith Assembly of God and Zion Lutheran Church in Lincoln.

As the leader and candidate, Carter’s responsibilities include meeting with his team and helping them develop their talking points for the presentations at the churches. He also worked with them in preparing collection boxes that will draw attention to the food drive. Once food is collected, he will continue his leadership role by instructing the team on how to weigh and document collections, and how to go about distributing the food to the two food pantries.

Boxes will be placed in the four churches, with food collected on the third Sunday of each month through April. This will give the scouts an opportunity to offer food donations to the food pantries three times during the project.

Throughout the process, Carter will document the progress of the project and in the end submit a final report to the Council. His performance as a leader and the result of the project will then be considered. If the council deems it to have been a successful, well run project, Carter will be awarded his Eagle Scout designation.

For the 15-year-old, the designation is a very important goal. Though he is only a freshman at Lincoln Community High School, he is looking ahead to his future.

He noted that while there are many boy scouts, there are few Eagle Scouts. He said, “When you tell someone you are an Eagle Scout, they take notice. To have an Eagle Scout looks good on college applications and job applications.”

LDN wishes Carter and his team the best of luck, and look forward to seeing another Eagle Scout in Logan County.

[Nila Smith]