TAHS student recieves national award for Eagle Scout Project

The national award includes a $2500 scholarship

Eagle Scout Cody Eckles (right) on Dedication Day of the newly renovated Soldiers Park.

Tyrone High School sophomore and Eagle Scout Cody Eckels has received yet another honor for his Eagle Scout project completed at Soldiers Park along 14th Street.

The project, which honors veterans with engraved pavers, military flags, and statues complete with landscaping and placement of sands from war sites and soil from cemeteries, received the honor of National Eagle Scout Association Service Project of the Year by the National Eagle Scout Association.

This award was established in 2009 by Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams to “recognize valuable service of an exceptional nature” by a scout to the community. It is given by the National Eagle Scout Association, formed in 1972.

Eckles will receive a $2,500 scholarship for college or trade school for achieving the National Service Project of the Year honor.

The scholarship, a special bronze emblem for Cody’s uniform and a certificate will be awarded to Cody at the national meeting in Dallas, TX.

It was surprising [to get the award] and I was happy…but what is better then the award was meeting all the veterans and hearing their stories

— Eagle Scout Cody Eckels

“It was surprising [to get the award] and I was happy” said Eckels, “But what is better then the award was meeting all the veterans and hearing their stories.”

Each of the 285 local Boy Scout Councils selects a council-level winner.  Then a region-level winner is selected. The national winner is selected from four regional finalists.

Eckels raised over $86,000 by doing 35-40 presentations about his Eagle Scout Project in a four and a half month time period. He did this to show the community what he wanted to do and how it was going to be done and if they wanted to make a donation.

Eckels sold 628 bricks engraved bricks at $75-$150 dollars a piece, six flag poles for $600 dollars, and he received donations from eighteen different companies, groups, or individuals totaling another $2,500.

Just to qualify to apply for the award, Eckels and his family collected pictures, programs, newspaper articles, flyers and had to complete a fully-detailed Eagle Scout work book. He also had to write a complete description of the project, showing how the project went, what materials were purchased, how funds were raised, what was done with left any left over money and more.

Cody is a wonderful asset to Troop 300. If you ask him to lead the troop or teach a younger scout a skill, you don’t have to follow up on him, you know it will get done. Cody has earned the rank of Eagle Scout

— Scoutmaster Kim Patterson

“Cody spent eighteen months planning, fundraising and leading his project. You can see that his hard work ignited additional work being done there now. That work may not have been done if not for Cody’s project,” said Eckle’s current Scoutmaster Kim Patterson.

“Cody is no different than any other kid in Tyrone,” said Peter Kreckel, Eckel’s Scoutmaster prior to Patterson, “with the exception that he has reached beyond himself and did a fabulous project to benefit the men and women who served our country.”

“My advice to your generation, is to put down the iPhone, Android, and computers and to physically “reach out” to the people around you,” added Kreckel,  “Cody is a shining example of what the future generation can bring to this place we call home.”

“Cody is a wonderful asset to Troop 300. If you ask him to lead the troop or teach a younger scout a skill, you don’t have to follow up on him, you know it will get done. Cody has earned the rank of Eagle Scout” said Patterson.