“When I earned my Eagle Scout, I felt a huge weight come off of my shoulders.”
Since Tim Jones was 11 years old, Boy Scouts has been a huge part of his life. The 18-year-old reached the highest honor a Boy Scout can achieve, earning his Eagle Scout Award earlier this year.
Jones is one of four Scouts who has earned Eagle Scout status in Troop 764. According to Troop 764 Committee Chair Tom Jones, only 6 percent of Boy Scouts obtain the Eagle Scout Award. A boy must earn 21 merit badges, 13 of which are required in areas such as cooking, environmental science, emergency preparedness, first aid, citizenship and others.
“I’ve always wanted to join the Boy Scouts after my brothers were involved in it years before I was,” Jones said. “I also had many friends that were involved that helped pull me in.”
Jones crossed over from the Cub Scouts in March 2010, and continued to make time for Scouting even with school and other activities. Jones stayed involved in Boy Scouts over the years by stepping up as a leader and being a positive influence for younger Scouts.
“As I got older, I started to plan Scouting events and meetings with other elder Scouts,” Jones said.
Other than working hard on his own goals, Jones was a huge help to other Scouts’ projects. Jones stated he was a part of many Eagle Scout projects of boys in his troop.
“One of my favorite projects was helping my brother Steve build Purple Martin houses by the retention ponds at the Burlington Township Middle School,” Jones said. “It was rewarding because it was fun helping my brother, and I was attending the middle school at the time. Another project that I really liked was Charles Fisher’s Eagle Scout project, which involved placing trail markers along the hiking trails at Rancocas State Park.”
Jones has learned a lot from his time with the Boy Scouts.
“I have taken many life lessons from Scouting, including the importance of preparation and planning,” Jones said. “I also learned that no matter how big your goal is and how hard it may seem, there will always be people around you to help you.”
After earning his Eagle Scout Award, Jones stated he “felt a huge weight come off of his shoulders.”
Jones will begin his collegiate career at Montclair State University this fall, where he plans to major in filmmaking. Even though his time with the Scouts may be coming to an end, the Burlington Township resident has advice for kids who are interested in joining.
“I would tell them that the things you learn in Boy Scouts will be important for the rest of their lives,” Jones said. “With Scouting, you’ll meet great people, learn important lessons and have lots of fun.”
For more information regarding Troop 764 of Burlington, check https://www.facebook.com/groups/816302368480796/.
