Parish Happenings. . . .

Fitzer receives Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout

by John Fitzer II

My name is John Fitzer II and I am a member of St. John’s parish in Darwin, MN. A couple of years ago I had to complete a project to attain the Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout, which is held as the highest rank in Scouts. It is a huge honor to achieve this, considering that only 2% of all Scouts ever achieve this level. The requirements of an Eagle Scout are to earn 21 merit badges, to hold Scouting values in everyday life, and to complete a service project with 75 or more hours involved in the planning and carrying out the project. It’s a task that is overwhelming to any high school student, but when broken down into pieces it seems to become more attainable.

The project I completed was a cemetery directory for St. John’s parish. The first step was to come up with some plans for the project, draw designs and calculate the dimensions. Then I had to meet with the cemetery committee at St. John’s and present my project.

The first draft of the project was considered to be too much of a liability for the church, the design was too big. So I designed a second project, much smaller than the first. They approved it and the next step was to present it to my Troop Committee, which is comprised of my Scoutmaster, treasurer, and Assistant Scoutmasters. They approved the project and told me that I could begin work as soon as possible. Funding for the project was donated from local businesses in the Dassel-Cokato area. After I collected sufficient funds for it, a local lumber company gave me a deal on materials for the project.

The actual construction was done mostly by my two grandpas, with some help from teachers and peers. Many Scouts and leaders from my troop helped install the heavy structure at the cemetery at St. John’s. If you drive by it today, there it stands, still cemented in the ground. I hope it has helped many people find their loved ones.