A lost Scout needs help...

[Max]

Hey everybody,
I am currently a 1st class scout, i am 15 and turn 16 here on the 17th of December. I am starting to panick a bit because i have realized how much i would regret not becoming eagle my entire life if i dont do it. Heres my situation i am first class, I have the following merit badges. Swimming, Citizenship in the Nation, riflery, horsemanship, space exploration, leatherwork, and wilderness survival. ( Bold= eagle required). I am waiting on personal fitness which i've completed and family life. I have well over 4 months leadership and i am unsure about my service project hours. Do i have time to make Eagle, what do i need to do? The service hours are giving me trouble. I asked my SM if i could volunteer at the elderly home as community service ( without pay of course) he said no because its a for profit organization. Does anybody have ideas for service hours that dosnt involve waiting on someone's eagle project. Its hard to focus, this is putting alot of stress on me all the time now.

thanks,
-Max

[spl08]

First, let me say welcome to meritbadge.net! it's always great to see more scouts on here (myself, Hubert, and pipestone_1991 are the other scouts that are active on this forum)!

Do i have time to make Eagle,

uhh, heck yes you do!

what do i need to do?

It sounds like merit badges are your one of your biggest issues based off what you've said. I would suggest doing 2 eagle required merit badges at time, and continue to do so until you've got the ones you need.

The service hours are giving me trouble. I asked my SM if i could volunteer at the elderly home as community service ( without pay of course) he said no because its a for profit organization. Does anybody have ideas for service hours that dosnt involve waiting on someone's eagle project.

Have you asked what other opportunities there are besides that? Also, you'll notice that the hours don't have to be Eagle Scout project hours.

While a First Class Scout, take part in service projects totaling at least six hours of work. These projects must be approved by your Scoutmaster.

Do you volunteer with the pine wood derby for the cub scouts? Is your troop ever active in service projects that don't involve fulfilling the Eagle requirement? If not, why not organize one? Doesn't have to be anything complicated. Just like you said, do the thing with the old folks home. Bring some of your fellow scouts along to do some of it too. Of course, there are many other options too. Just look around your community! There's always plenty to do!

[mt_goodrich]

First of all.....relax....take a deep breath.

Second...sounds like you just need to sit down and make a plan of action.

Third, it sounds like you need to set some smaller goals. Yes...the ultimate goal would be to achieve your Eagle, but why not start off first with the ranks before.

I know it is an old saying, but a joke my niece told me a while back:

"How do you eat an elephant?"

Answer: One bite at a time.

As far as service hours. there are MANY opportunities in your community....just keep looking.

You will do fine....you have plenty of time. Just have a plan.

[Mrw]

With just a little bit of planning, this is very able to be done.

For community service hours, some ideas are helping at your church or library, helping out at a community service group like the Volunteers of America or Goodwill or Salvation Army - whatever is active in your town. Help at a food pantry or homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Ask if you would be able to help a elderly or disabled neighbor with some yard work they cannot do themselves.

It is good that you have done the family life and personal fitness. I would suggest you start recording all the money you get and spend as a start on Personal Management now.

This should get you Star very soon.

Get the merit badge books you need for the remaining badges and start reading them. Most of them are important information, but not difficult subjects. They should start getting done pretty quickly then.

Come back and ask anytime you have more questions or need encouragement.

[scubascout]

Well
for service projects, I usually do paradeds, Knights of Columbus, VFW, American Legion, or Lion' sClub activities. Veteran's day is coming and you could probably plant flags at veteran's graves or be a flag bearer at a ceremony in a near by VFW or American Legion hall.

For Merit badges
electives- do the "easy" ones because you are short on time-crime prevention, fire safety, fingerprinting etc.
eagle required- like spl08 said do 2 eagle required at the same time. Get communications, and the citizenships out of your way. Then focus on first aid and emerency prep. Camping you can pretty much do easy, as long as you have the time, its all paperwotk.
Dont forget personal management!!!!

Most are easy if you have the BOOK!

Good luck Max. Faulkner

[Max]

Well i got family life and personal fitness signed off this evening at the meeting. Now i need 4 1/2 hours community service. i'll look into some of those ideas, thanks for the help!

whats the quickest time to go from star to life?

and another thing, when do my merit badges start to count, service hours, ranks etc. When your presented it, or when it is signed off, etc. For example when i get star is it the day i do bor, scoutmaster conference, etc?

-Max

[pipestone1991]

Well i got family life and personal fitness signed off this evening at the meeting. Now i need 4 1/2 hours community service. i'll look into some of those ideas, thanks for the help!

whats the quickest time to go from star to life?

and another thing, when do my merit badges start to count, service hours, ranks etc. When your presented it, or when it is signed off, etc. For example when i get star is it the day i do bor, scoutmaster conference, etc?

-Max

Six months, it's crunch time my friend, to fly among the Eagles is going to take preserverance and a lot of work.

Good luck.

[Mrw]

Your rank is effective as soon as the Board of Review is complete. The quickest time from Star to Life is 6 months. The same for Eagle.

In theory, if you become Life the day before you turn 17, you still have time to make Eagle. But that would leave absolutely no wiggle room and really would be poor planning.

I would expect you to finish Star before your birthday in December and then set a goal of Life by June. That would entail six hours of service, a position of responsibility the whole time and three Eagle required badges. That should then leave you plenty of time to get the rest of the badges and do an Eagle project without rushing at the last minute.

[Quailman]

The Sam Houston Area Council has a great winter camp between Christmas and New Years. It's a good opportunity to earn ERMBs, among others, that aren't offered at summer camps. See if your council (or a nearby one) has anything you can attend, even if your troop does not participate.

Look around for museums or other places that might host merit badge programs. Here, it's the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Moody Gardens (Galveston), Bechtel Corporation (engineering-related MBs), etc. I googled "merit badge day" and got 799 hits. Your district probably has one each year. Many colleges offer MB programs through chemistry, engineering departments, etc. It's easy to earn elective MB's if you are willing to devote the time - a little harder for the ER ones.

Call the cubmaster of your former pack and ask if there are any service hour opportunities he knows of. My son got credit for spending two hours cleaning up an elderly neighbor's yard after a storm brought down lots of limbs (he did not charge for his effort). He runs them up getting two hours per week during spring baseball season by helping with a Challenger little league.

Also, call the elderly home and make sure its for-profit. There are not-for-profit ones, too. Someone in your troop should keep track of service hour opportunites. Find a Citizen in the Community MB counselor and ask about volunteering for charitable organizations. You'll need eight hours for the MB, but you can do more for rank, and he should be able to steer you to various organizations.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[scoutaholic]

Hey everybody,
I am currently a 1st class scout, i am 15 and turn 16 here on the 17th of December. I am starting to panick a bit because i have realized how much i would regret not becoming eagle my entire life if i dont do it. Heres my situation i am first class, I have the following merit badges. Swimming, Citizenship in the Nation, riflery, horsemanship, space exploration, leatherwork, and wilderness survival. ( Bold= eagle required). I am waiting on personal fitness which i've completed and family life. I have well over 4 months leadership and i am unsure about my service project hours. Do i have time to make Eagle, what do i need to do? The service hours are giving me trouble. I asked my SM if i could volunteer at the elderly home as community service ( without pay of course) he said no because its a for profit organization. Does anybody have ideas for service hours that dosnt involve waiting on someone's eagle project. Its hard to focus, this is putting alot of stress on me all the time now.

thanks,
-Max

You have plenty of time to complete your Eagle if you work on it. You've already got the MBs for Star, and one for Life. To finish up Star is just service hours. Once you have completed those, get your SM Conference and BOR ASAP. You can start counting your 6 months to Life the day you pass the BOR.

There are many opportunities for service, so just keep your eyes open and you will find some.
Why does it matter if the elderly home is 'for profit'? If you volunteer your time, without pay, it shouldn't matter if someone else at the same facility makes money.

The requirements specify at least 1 year from the date of your Star BOR to Eagle. You have about twice that much time before you turn 18. Eagle is a big goal, and you will probably be better served by looking at the shorter term intermediate goals.

The next rank to work on after Star is Life. You will need to 2 Eagle Required MBs, 2 more alternate MBs, 6 service hours, and 6 months in a leadership position.
Remember in your planning that Personal Management takes 3 months, and Camping requires 20 nights of scout camping. Don't leave these until the last minute.

[Billiken]

Max:

First, welcome to the forum.
Second, I think Personal Fitness, Family Life, and Personal Management are the three hardest Eagle-required MBs. You've got two of them.

Know that service project hours for Star and Life can be for work that benefits the BSA (unlike the Eagle project):

http://www.meritbadge.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1938

IMHO, the easiest rank advancement in Scouting is Star to Life.
Like you, one usually has enough non-required MBs, it's just the additional 3 Eagle-required MBs that most Star Scouts need.

You need 5 more non-required MBs.
Pick ones that truly interest you and would be fun to work on.
(You really don't have much choice about the Eagle-required MBs.)

My advice: Do a review of all the requirements for all remaining required MBs. There may be school projects or events that will satisfy certain requirements.
For example, we've got three 8th graders in our troop who, as part of Language Arts class, are creating autobiographies of themselves. This satisfies a requirement for Communications MB.

Also, be aware of the various Camping MB requirements that relate to planning a camp out.
Review requirement 9 - the 20 days/nights of tent camping (know where you stand versus that total).

You've got time. Just get organized and, like others have said, stay focused on the long-term goal (by completing short-term targets)

[WeeWillie]

Ask your SM to walk down the halls of a nursing home with you in your Scout uniform. It will be apparent to both of you that your service is not to the for profit nursing home, but rather to many of the residents who rarely have visitors.

[RWSmith]

Max,

Welcome to the board! Also, be aware the your POR time does not have to be six consecutive months -and- it doesn't have to be all in the same position. I.e., you could be PL for two months, then, ASPL for four months.

There's been a great deal of good advice from the above posters. You've got time... As previously stated, GET WITH YOUR PARENT(S) and YOUR SM and SIT DOWN TOGETHER and MAKE A PLAN... A DO-ABLE PLAN... (That is to say, include some "wiggle room" here and there for potential unforeseen adjustments.)... And, PUT IN WRITING. Ask them for their help, support and commitment because they are just as much a part of this as you are. Making Eagle should not be a matter of it all riding on your shoulders alone. Then, work the plan as best you can... You're actually doing the right thing -now- by asking for support (help) -now-. And keep asking for "help" as you progress so that by the time your ESLSP rolls around, there will be plenty of willing help(ers) on hand. You'll see.

Good luck. You'll make it.

[Max]

Yeah i didnt think that whether or not a elderly home was non-profit or not was particularaly relevant for community service.

If any of you are SM's do you think volunteering at the library would be acceptable community service hours?

-Max

[scouter01]

Yeah i didnt think that whether or not a elderly home was non-profit or not was particularaly relevant for community service.

If any of you are SM's do you think volunteering at the library would be acceptable community service hours?

-Max

it should although if I was an sm, i would not allow people to help old people walk accross streets ( darn streotypes)

[Mrw]

I was suggesting to a First Class scout last night that going to the library and asking to do something for them would be a good and easy way to finish off his last hour for Star.

[Chief J]

If your SM does not believe helping at the nursing home would qualify, your best response would be to ask him directly what he considers qualifying service hours or organizations.

I state this because the service hours must be SM approved, there is a fairly lengthy discussion n another thread on this topic.

Best bet, ask the SM how you can get your service hours.

Chief J

[John F.]

Beside needed service hours, you will need a position of responsibility in your troop. Example are SPL, ASPL, PL, Troop Guide, Scribe and others.

[Max]

at this point i have everything done for star besides 4 1/2 hours of community service.

I'll be PL or run for SPL when elections come up. I'll have merit badges for life done before i even make star and there are a few eagle projects coming up that i'll get service hours for life.

[Scout]

Max,

As a scoutmaster and an Eagle, I recommend you go into your scoutmaster's confernece armed with the questions you have posted here. Especially, the question regarding your service hours. Be specific and realistic. If I was your scoutmaster, I would appreciate your initiative and help you to set a timeline. If these are not happen, see out the troops Charted Organization Representative and committee chair for service projects and put together a time line to show your scoutmaster at the next troop meeting.

You can make it and you are showing the determination that is takes. Keep up the good work.