Eagle Scouts are an elite group.
Only about 7 percent of Boy Scouts made it to the top rank in 2013, according to
the Boy Scouts of America website. Scouts have to earn 21 merit badges, serve in
a troop leadership position, plan a community service project and then be
reviewed by a group of adults.
Nick belongs to the Franklin Park troop 158 has completed most of those requirements with an additional challenge. As a person with a disability, he has until he turns 21 rather than 18 (on
average, Scouts don't make it to Eagle until age 17. His service project was collecting plastic bags and turning them into lightweight plastic mats, which were distributed to homeless people through an organization named New Life for Old Bags. Nick started collecting plastic bags from stores, friends and family. He gathered close to 7,000. He created flyers on a computer and sent out emails to get volunteers. He led
those volunteers in cutting those bags, braiding strips into plastic yarn and then crocheting it into mats. Each mat can take several hours to complete. Then he had to write a report about it.
He became an Eagle Scout. He is having his Court of Honor on October 25, 2015.
.
Elmwood Park, IL