An eleven-year-old Southern Fifth grader, Eric Hilligoss, has been awarded the GOD & FAMILY award, one of only two honors that may be carried over and worn on a Boy Scout uniform.
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher
An eleven-year-old Southern Fifth grader, Eric Hilligoss, has been awarded the GOD & FAMILY award, one of only two honors that may be carried over and worn on a Boy Scout uniform.
Eric, son of Mr. and Mrs. Denny (Joanne) Hilligoss, Stronghurst is a member of Pack 63, made up of 30 Cub Scouts from the Southern School district. Connie Mesecher is the Den Leader, and her assistant leaders are Rod Mesecher, Denny and Joanne Hilligoss.
Members of Cub Scout Pack 63 successfully go through all their rankings before advancing with the Arrow Of Light rank in the fall of their 5th grade year.
"THE GOD & FAMILY" recognition, and "THE ARROW OF LIGHT " rank are the two highest rankings in cub scouts. The rank is received upon completion of Webelos, some outdoor skills and the basic scouting skills.
The ranking path each Cub Scout can travel in Cub Scouts is
TIGER
BOBCAT
WOLF
BEAR
WEBELOS and
ARROW OF LIGHT
Eric, now in his final stages of Webelos, participated in the summertime camps, all the extra activities and meetings before qualifying for The God & Family Award. This recognition is above and beyond what he had to accomplish for Boy Scout advancement.
A scout is basically on his own to seek a religious badge which is sponsored by the actual denomination a scout attends.
Eric attends the Stronghurst Bethel Lutheran Church where Pastor Jim Olsen was his counselor. In this process the church is recognizing scouting by overseeing the completion of a project and by conducting eight sessions with the youth.
This past Sunday, an award ceremony was conducted during worship by Pastor Olsen where Eric was given the God & Family awards surrounded by his parents, who are assistant scout leaders and his only brother, Jess Bond.
He received the Growing in God's Love "Knot" patch from his father, Denny, a God & Family lapel pin from his brother, Jess, and a God & Family medallion from his mother, Joanne.
His final award was the Certification of Completion of the God & Family program from Pastor Olsen.
As a thank you, Eric presented Pastor Olsen with a God & Family Counselor pin.
Eric has been in cub scouts four years and the God & Family program is above and beyond what is asked of him as a cub scout.
As part of this process, Eric refinished some wooden steps in the back of the church and met with the pastor in 8 sessions using a workbook to learn more about God and family.
It was especially meaningful to Eric's brother, Jess, now 20, to see his younger brother succeed in this project that he had also accomplished in 5th grade. Jess, an Eagle Scout, is now an adult assistant scoutmaster, and attends Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He is a Sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice with a minor in history.
The Henderson County American Legion 765 at Stronghurst is a sponsor of the local scouts donating $20 a year. The Legion has spent hundreds of dollars in training adult leaders besides offering a meeting room for them. According to scout leaders, The American Legion has always been there when they needed support.
Two Southern eighth graders in the boy scouts are beginning their Eagle Scout projects. They are Jordan Brueck, son of Gary and Debbie Brueck Stronghurst, and Bradley Buss, son of Dale and Donna Buss, rural route Media. The boys will be remodeling the outside of the old legion building downtown Stronghurst as part of their service work.