ONTARIO, Ohio–The Johnny Appleseed Trail District (JATD) of Heart of Ohio Council, Boy Scouts of America held its annual volunteer and Eagle Scout recognition dinner Thursday at Ontario United Methodist Church.
Those honored were the adult volunteers who serve as mentors and leaders to young men and women who are active in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Ventures and Career Exploring programs within the JATD, which serves Ashland, Crawford and Richland counties. The Eagle Scout Class of 2014 was also recognized during the program.
“Nights like tonight are good because you see kids that made it–they finished it,” said Kyle Vaughn, Troop 304 committee chairman and district advancement chairman for Heart of Ohio Council.
“But even if you have a kid who never advances in rank, it’s still pretty memorable because you made a difference somehow,” he added.
The Eagle Scout Class of 2014 includes Matthew Kochheiser (Troop 126), Kyle Wills (Troop 170), Lucas Wonder (Troop 170), Justin Konyn (Troop 152), Kane Phillips (Troop 406), Micah Watts (Troop 513), Kyle Rinehart (Troop 126), Anthony Schlitt (Troop 502), Hunter Friebel (Troop 406), Solomon Echelberger (Troop 126), Matthew Daugherty (Troop 586), Michael French (Troop 304), Jaret Southard (Troop 537), Alex Barker (Troop 304), Charles Thornton (Troop 406), Joseph Williams (Troop 406), Garrett Murphy (Troop 304), Brett Salimbene (Troop 413) and Derek Sautter (Troop 152).
Each of the Eagle Scouts were given an Eagle Apple award made with hand-cast pewter. Brian Besecker, former district chairman and current vice president of operations for Heart of Ohio Council, said the awards are as unique as the individuals receiving them.
Murphy said he’s always aspired to become an Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program.
French said he’s learned a lot through this program. Recalling one of his favorite experiences, he said he enjoyed a two-week trip to New Mexico with his troop.
Vaughn, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout when he was younger, said his son is involved in Boy Scouts. “When my son got into scouting, I kind of jumped back in with him…This gives us a good opportunity to work with youth,” he said.
And because of Vaughn and his fellow volunteers’ dedication to the program, they, too, were honored at the event.
The District Award of Merit, the highest award that can be given at the district level, was awarded to Pauline and Sherrell Anderson. The Andersons received a standing ovation as they accepted their award.
Besecker said, “This award is given to outstanding volunteers who have helped not only in their units, but in the whole district…[The Andersons] are always at functions, and even if they’re not part of the staff, they chip in and help. You never have to rely on anyone else if they’re there. And they do a great job with their units.”
“They have raised eight Eagle Scouts, so for that I think they deserve the award,” he said with a laugh.
Other award recipients included Mark Stelzer, Scoutmaster of the Year; Kevin Siler, Cubmaster of the Year; Roy Williams, Volunteer of the Year; Martha Morris, Tesa Oehler and Nathan Van Dorn, Unit Award of Merit; Todd Whitmer and K.C. Kurtz, Cub Overnighter Chair; Alan Allwine, Klondike Derby; K.C. Kurtz and Staff, Day Camp; Kevin Siler, Pinewood Derby; Kim Messersmith, Council Staff; and Brenda Forbes, Rookie of the Year.
An award was also presented to Besecker for his seven years of service as district chairman.
Both Besecker and Breck Dokken, district director for Heart of Ohio Council, spoke positively about the JATD.
“I call it a shining star,” said Besecker. “We’ve had a positive move in activities, training, and membership. And we were the first district in seven years to meet our Friends of Scouting fundraising goal.”
Dokken shared, “This is a wonderful program. It’s really starting to grow again in our area. We’ve never really been down in memberships, but it’s really growing.”
He also commended all of the leaders for their hard work, saying. “It’s not easy being a leader; it never has been and never will be. But we have a lot of them in this room, and for that I thank you.”
