Boy Scouts do so much more than help the elderly cross the street

Published in the Feb. 19 – March 4, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Umid Calvert

Photo courtesy Umid Calvert Umid Calvert works on a storage shed at the Aquatics Center as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Photo courtesy Umid Calvert
Umid Calvert works on a storage shed at the Aquatics Center as part of his Eagle Scout project.

One stereotype of Boy Scouts is that they help elderly people cross the street, but there is much more to being involved in this youth-oriented organization. In the process of earning the Eagle Scout honor recently, I discovered how the Boys Scouts can push a young man to grow as a leader and as a human being.

The journey of becoming an Eagle Scout is a rite of passage for many young men, helping them to discover their potential as they go through rank of the Boys Scouts of America. In 2012 the Scouts celebrated its 100th year, and 57,976 Scouts received the Eagle rank, a record year for the honor. They joined well-known American Eagle Scouts including Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong, U.S. President Jerry Ford, and baseball player Hank Aaron.

My own journey to becoming an Eagle Scout started when I was 10 when my grandmother Mamie Calvert was visiting from Arizona and introduced me to the Boy Scouts Troop 709 which is based in the Morgan Hill Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I really didn’t know much about the Boy Scouts, but she made be join the troop. I wasn’t really excited about belonging to the troop because I didn’t want to dress in the Scouts uniform and learn all the rules and oaths. But as time went on, when I started getting more into it and we went hiking, backpacking and camping, it started to be a lot more interesting.

Over several years, I matured faster than my peers at school because of my experiences in Scouting. People would say they were cold, and I would tell them they didn’t know what the meaning of cold was because they hadn’t camped in harsh weather conditions. As a Scout during one camping adventure, my troop made an igloo while I slept in a snow cave.

To receive the Eagle Scout rank, a Scout must earn 21 merit badges, 12 of which are mandatory such as first aid, communication and emergency preparedness. The Eagle candidate also needs to complete a project that provides lasting benefit to his community and also demonstrates his leadership skills.

My project was to construct an equipment shed at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center. I worked with the coordinators at the center, as well as other Boy Scouts and troop leaders. From Mark Garrison, the owner of M.G. Construction & Engineers, and his employees, I received special assistance with the construction, use of tools and transportation of the shed to the center.

I installed the shed early last summer prior to my eighteenth birthday. Eagle Scout candidates have a deadline to finish their project before turning 18 or they will not receive the honor.

Troop leader Ron Howard, an Eagle Scout himself, believes that earning this honor teaches youth many lessons about leadership. “Those young men who achieve the rank of Eagle find their lives are forever changed for the better.”

I am proud to be one of the 5 percent of Boy Scouts who have earned the Eagle Scout honor. And I am proud of my accomplishment in traveling down this road to this rank because it has helped me to grow as a leader and as a human being.