Bolingbrook Boy Scout Soars with Eagle Project

For more than a century, scouting has helped young boys mature—preparing them to become responsible adults.

And no such scouting distinction displays that more than becoming an Eagle Scout, an honor bestowed on less than 5 percent of boys that put on the uniform.

For, Trevor Goldman, a 15-year-old Bolingbrook High School student on his quest to achieve Eagle distinction, becoming an Eagle Scout will be the culmination of a dream realized when he was 10 years old.

How He Got Here

Scouting is about more than mastering outdoor activities and memorizing camp songs. It’s a carefully designed course in leadership that teaches lessons about accepting responsibility and acquiring skills that will serve scouts for life.

The organization continues to flourish largely through the reciprocity of former scouts—like Bolingbrook Troop 75 Scoutmaster Brian Kuntz, who sponsors Goldman on his journey.

Kuntz attained Eagle Scout status as a young man.

"The highest rank a boy scout can attain is Eagle Scout,” Kuntz said. “Trevor’s project is one of the most extensive Eagle projects I’ve ever seen.”

Goldman Gets to Work

The Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project offers an opportunity for a scout to demonstrate leadership while performing a project for the benefit of his community.

The project must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of American, but can’t be performed for an individual or a business.

Goldman actually ran out of ideas before contacting the Bolingbrook Park District for help.

“They gave me two different options: (building a state-of-the-art walking trail) for the Nature Center or building a deer fence,” he said. “I didn’t know what a deer fence was so I picked this one.”

Goldman then cleared, mulched and built a quarter mile trail at the nature center.

“The scope of the project is just impressive,” Kuntz said.

Ron Betternhauser, natural resource manager at Hidden Oaks said the project was lofty.

“I thought it could be done but that the timeframe looked a little unrealistic,” he said. “But he did it … in a month.”

Overcoming the Odds

Goldman’s father, Mike, initially thought the project a Herculean task, but his mother, Ronly, knew otherwise.

“Once my son sets his mind to it, I knew he would get it done,” she said.

Completion of the project required the assistance Kate Dorick and Jessie Perkins—two members of the Hidden Oaks staff—as well as a team of 12 youth volunteers, mostly comprised of Goldman’s fellow scouts.

The group worked throughout June to meet its deadline.

More About the Trail

The trail begins in the Hidden Oaks’ parking lot, loops through the children’s area and continues west, traversing the lower portion of the property across a ravine.

What’s more impressive is the 22-foot wooden bridge that was  constructed to enable walkers to safely cross the ravine.

What’s Next?

The final hurdle will be arranging for the Boy Scout District Committee to designate the project 100 percent complete. 

When that is finished, Goldman will have set himself apart from the pack.

College admissions officers view the Eagle rank as a sign of achievement. Employers see it as an indication of work ethic and success.

But the real lessons Goldman takes away from his experience have everything to do with the power of tapping the endless stream of internal productivity flowing through his body.