Ken Moe presents Andrew Hoffmann with his Eagle Scout medal during the Eagle Court of Honor Sunday afternoon. Andrew’s parents, Mary Beth and Lynn Hoffmann, are pictured with them.

Andrew Hoffmann earns Eagle Scout Award

Andrew Hoffmann earns

Eagle Scout Award

Andrew Hoffmann, 15, received the Eagle Scout Award Sunday during a ceremony in the gathering area at St. Raphael Catholic Church.

 Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America. A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle.

Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating Scout Spirit through the Boy Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages.

Andrew’s service project was building raised flowerbeds at Gil-Mor Manor nursing home in Morgan.   The idea for the project came to Andrew as he was watching an episode of This Old House last year.

The project put two raised flowerbeds over a newly-laid concrete slab where previously had been a tree and dirt garden.  The project was approved by Gil-Mor Manor administrators and directors in 2013.

The project was financially supported with a generous $3,000 grant from the Pieschel Family Foundation that paid for tree removal and concrete work.   Other funds were raised with a burger cookout fund-raiser.

Andrew built the wooden structures to contain the flowerbeds. The flowering plants were contributed by Hackers’ Greenhouse and Nursery.

The project was completed on July 31 with the help of the nursing home residents.  They enjoyed the beauty of the flowers the remainder of the summer and early fall.

The project allowed for space that would accommodate people in wheelchairs and visitors.

Guiding Andrew through the project was his father, Lynn Hoffmann,  Scout Master of the local Boy Scout Troop 227. 

Pervious leader Ken Moe was master of ceremonies at the program Sunday, and presented Andrew with a medal and badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout.

Andrew spoke briefly at the conclusion of the ceremony and told about the skills he learned during his years in scouting, of camping and learning survival skills  in backpacking trips and workouts and adventures along the Lake Superior Hiking Trail and the Boundary Waters.

Andrew’s parents, Lynn and Mary Beth Hoffmann, provided guests a light lunch following the ceremony.

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