Boy Scout Troop 53 held an Eagle ceremony to recognize Thomas J. Small for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. Friends and family were in attendance at St. Christopher's Church in North Chili to honor his achievement. Rev. Bernard Dollen led the invocation, and Mark Gizzi-Schmidt was the guest speaker. Tom Small was escorted by Eagle Scouts Paul Wolski and Steven Smith, and his parents were escorted by Eagle Scouts Cory Hall and Christopher Brugger. To earn the rank of Eagle, a scout must earn 21 merit badges, hold leadership positions within the troop, and complete an approved community service project. Tom joined Troop 53 in February of 1997. He earned 37 merit badges, was a den chief for Pack 178, and has held the positions of troop scribe, assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, historian, and quartermaster. He attended the National Jamboree in 2001 and earned Brotherhood in the Order of the Arrow in October 2001. Tom's Eagle project was the construction of a sheep shelter at the Springdale Farm in Ogden. Tom organized a group of fellow scouts, family and friends, who accumulated 134 hours of work time on this project. He was also able to solicit donations of money and materials to make the project possible. Thanks to his efforts, Springdale Farm now has an outdoor shelter for its sheep. Tom, now 18, has an older sister, Sandra, and is the son of Jeffrey and Kathryn Small of Chili. He is a student at Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in software engineering. |
