The Seneca Waterways Council recently celebrated 163 Eagle Scouts and service projects which provided over $1 million in community improvements, and awarded Rochester metal sculptor and artist Albert Paley with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
Scouts were honored for achieving Scouting’s Highest Rank of Eagle Scout at the 71st Annual Eagle Scout Mentor Dinner, hosted by the Seneca Waterways Council, Boy Scouts of America on April 5 at the Hyatt Regency Rochester.
Twelve Scouts from five New York State counties were honored with Eagle Project of the Month recognitions, for providing service projects that offered significant benefits in their communities. Service projects are a final requirement for achievement of Eagle Scout, and provide scouts with a high level of skill development in project and leadership management. Out of these twelve projects, one was selected as Eagle Project of the Year and that honor was presented to Eagle Scout Rebecca Bober from Troop 410 in Honeoye Falls. Bober’s conservation project included trail restoration, removal of invasive plants species, and a bench installation for the Penfield Community Victory Garden. Through Bober’s leadership, 50 volunteers worked over 340 hours on the project. The value of Bober’s project was $8,486.
The cumulative efforts of these 163 Eagle Scout service projects are impressive. Improvements such as trail restoration; construction of Veteran memorials; installations of benches, shelving, and fencing; benefit churches, service clubs, fire departments and other community organizations and public spaces. Total benefits for 163 communities from the Class of 2021 Eagle Scouts service projects were: 3,623 volunteers; 28,942 volunteer work hours; and a value of $1,031,722.
The Council also presented the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) to Eagle Scout Albert Paley, celebrating his lifetime achievement and international recognition as an American modernist metal sculptor and artist. Paley is a Class of 1958 Eagle Scout from Troop 109 in Pennsauken, NJ and has been an active artist for over 50 years at his Rochester studio. The DESA was established by the National Eagle Scouts Association to recognize Eagle Scouts who achieve extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their profession and/or service to the nation and have a strong record of voluntary service to their community. Paley is the first metal sculptor and non-architect to receive the Institute Honors Award, the highest recognition presented by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He has been commissioned by both public institutions and private corporations and has completed more than 50 site-specific works. Paley has become one of the most distinguished and influential metalsmiths in the world. The award was presented to Paley by Dr. David Munson, Class of 1968 Eagle Scout, and President of the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Additional highlights of the night included recognition of Eagle Scout Andrew Fullone from Troop 167 in Pittsford, recipient of a Louis and Sally Langie Eagle Scout Scholarship for $20,000 towards college education; and each of the 163 Eagle Scouts were matched with career mentors, local professionals who sponsor individual Scouts and attend as guests to spend dinner time learning about their Scout’s goals and aspirations while sharing professional experiences and insights.
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