Garrett Dees made Cross Point Methodist Camp Director Ken Long’s idea a reality with his Eagle Scout project.
“I wanted to help the church, and I camped out there when I was younger,” Dees said.
Dees, a member of First United Methodist Church in Ardmore, led a group of 24 workers in adding a wooden deck to the side of one of the camp’s cabins.
“An Eagle Scout shows leadership. He is the leader of the project. He leads the adults, as well as the boys,” Scout Troop 5 leader Denny Alexander said.
Dees and other workers built the deck Oct. 16 and 17, spending the night at the camp. The project, which took 180 hours to plan and execute, resulted in a nice, sturdy deck where campers can relax.
“He (Long) said he would like to get more and will probably use it as a model,” Dees said.
Dees joined Scouting six years ago as a Cub Scout. Older Scouts played a key role in inspiring him to stay in Scouting and earn his Eagle designation.
He still remembers his first campout at Camp Classen with Troop 5 as one of his favorites.
“A lot of older Scouts helped out and got us really interested in Boy Scouts and joining this troop,” he said.
Since that trip, Dees has earned 21 merit badges and logged more than 200 community-service hours.
He worked as a merit-badge counselor in the summer 2008 and has served as the librarian, scribe, quartermaster, patrol leader and assistant senior patrol leader for his troop.
Dees currently serves as the troop instructor, teaching skills and requirements to younger Scouts.
He has many reasons for sticking with Scouting.
“My friends joined with me. I like camping and being able to learn new things,” Dees said.
Becoming an Eagle Scout was a natural progression for Dees.
“A lot of boys in this troop make Eagle,” Dees said. “It’s a good accomplishment. Such a few percentage of people get Eagle Scout.”
Of the badges he earned to reach Eagle Scout, Dees found the Citizenship in the Nation badge the most challenging.
“I didn’t know anything about it, and now I know more,” Dees said.
Dees is a junior at Ardmore High School where he plays the trombone in the band. Right now, his future plans are to graduate and go to college.
He also wants to continue his involvement with Scouting.
“I will still help out with the younger Scouts,” Dees said. “Hopefully, when I have a kid, he can be in Boy Scouts and I can help him out with that and be a Scout leader.”
Jennifer Lindsey, 221-6536
