Eagle scout honored with medal of merit
Trey Ramsay (right) leads Hunter Hayes in an oath.
Troop 472 scout leader Patrick Fonda (right) presents Hayes (center) with his Eagle Scout pin while his parents look on.
Joshua Moses presented Hunter Hayes with the Medal of Merit.
Hunter Hayes gives a pin to his mother, Suzanne Hayes.
Hunter Hayes (center right) with his family.
A local scout was honored for his years of work, as well as his heroism during a difficult situation, during a ceremony on Saturday.
After 11 years of dedication, Hunter Hayes of Troop 472 had his board of review at the end of December, then officially became an Eagle Scout during a Court of Honor on Saturday at the First United Methodist Church of Elgin.
In addition to the badges and other requirements, Hayes completed a service project in order to become an Eagle Scout. After a large, decades-old tree in the front lawn of the First United Methodist Church was destroyed, he planted two new trees in its place and made other improvements to the church grounds.
Along with attaining the rank of Eagle Scout, Hayes was also awarded the Medal of Merit in Saturday’s ceremony. This award honors scouts that have performed an act of service above and beyond what is expected of a member of the Boy Scouts of America and that demonstrates exceptional character and concern for others. Scouts are submitted for recommendation through a nomination process.
Photos by Julianne Hodges