Achieving the rank of Eagle is an increasingly rare honor in the Boy Scout community. Only 4 percent of Scouts actually go on to complete the long list of requirements necessary for the distinction.
Last Tuesday, 17-year-old Dillon Freeman of Burlington Township joined the ranks of these proud few at a Court of Honor ceremony at the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Holly.
In addition to earning a slew of merit badges in areas like camping, first aid, emergency preparedness and personal management, one of the most significant hurdles a Scout must overcome on his way to earning his Eagle Scout rank is the Eagle Project.
To complete this important step a Scout must demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of his community.
For his project, Dillon tapped into his passion for helping animals and built a shelter out of pallets to house alpacas, mini donkeys, horses and emus for the PAWS Discovery Farm in nearby Mount Laurel.
“I care about animals a lot, I just really enjoy doing good things for them because they deserve better,” said Dillon.
Dillon joined Cub Scouts when he was in first grade. According to his mother Suzanne, Dillon was immediately drawn in by the camping and outdoor activities. She says making Eagle Scout has been a goal for Dillon since he joined.
“He wasn’t much into sports so we tried Scouts and he really loved it,” said Suzanne. “It’s his thing, he just took to it. Some kids are soccer kids, he’s a Scout.”
Suzanne sees the Scouts as a good moral compass for young people in today’s world and says her family strives to embody the Scout Oath by helping others, being loyal and kind and giving back to their community.
“In addition to camping, one of the biggest things he does is service. He has done over 100 hours of service just on his Eagle Scout project alone,” said Suzanne.
Dillon’s penchant for service doesn’t stop with the animals in his area. In fact, prior to his Eagle Scout project, Dillon and some fellow Scouts got together to restore an old shed for the Burlington Township Police Department.
“They keep us protected every day so I feel like I should give back to them,” said Dillon.
During the Court of Honor ceremony, Dillon addressed his Scout leaders and thanked them for their part in getting him to where he is today. He credits his Scoutmasters with helping him to develop the leadership skills he needed to complete his project.
“Running a troop of a bunch of kids is not easy. They were constantly working with me through the hard times and they supported me throughout my Scouting journey and my trail to Eagle,” said Dillon.
According to Scoutmaster Steven Trofe, Dillon’s growth through Scouting embodies much of what the organization is all about and what keeps it relevant today.
“What Scouting does is it gives them guidelines to be better leaders, not only in their jobs, but in their communities. We do a lot of community service, and I think that’s a key thing that a lot of people don’t do today,” said Trofe.
Looking toward his future, Dillon plans to attend Becker College in Worcester, Mass. His love for camping and the outdoors is equally matched on the other end of the spectrum by a love of electronics. At Becker he plans to major in video game design.
Wherever life takes Dillon, he plans to remain active with the Scouts in a leadership position. He hopes to bring a bit of his electronics expertise to the organization, an area he would like to see them explore alongside their more traditional practices.
