Quinlan David Reynolds of Scout Troop 4, Bethel Park/Upper St. Clair, was recognized for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout in a Court of Honor ceremony held this fall.
The final hurdle in the quest for the highest rank for Boy Scouting is the Eagle Project, a community service challenge. The candidate for Eagle must oversee all aspects of the project. The tasks include planning, financing, implementation, completion and final presentation of the completed project to a committee of Scout leaders.
Quin’s Eagle Project benefited St. David’s SHIM (South Hills Interfaith Movement) Garden. It consisted of building a set of outdoor stairs on a steep hillside. Quin raised $2,300 through a spaghetti dinner and donations. That exceeded his expenses, and as a result, $1,089 was donated to St. David’s.
Quin organized 5 workdays, during which 22 Scouts volunteered 207 hours, 15 adults contributed 115 hours, and two others volunteered two hours, for a total of 324 hours.
There were many letters of recognition from national, state and local dignitaries. The Scoutmaster talked about the process and responsibilities of an Eagle Scout as well as detailing the road taken to achieve the rank.
Russ Spicuzza, Elk Scouting representative of South Hills BPOE Lodge 2213 in Bethel Park, gave a short congratulatory talk and presented Quin with two framed certificates of merit, one each from the local lodge and the National Elks Lodge in Chicago. Spicuzza presented Quin with a personal sized American flag and small gold lapel pin, representing 80-plus years of the relationship between the Elks and Scouting.