Eagle Project to benefit Saint Margaret’s Catholic Church

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Julian Morthier is a 16-year-old member of Tallahassee Troop 118 of the Boy Scouts of America, and has been a member since he was in the third grade. Over the years as a scout, he has worked his way through the ranks, from Cub Scout to Life Scout, which is the final rank below Eagle Scout. In order to become an Eagle Scout, a Life Scout must fulfill certain criteria; they must progress through the ranks in order from Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and then Eagle. They must also earn 21 merit badges, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communications, Cooking, Environmental Science or Sustainability, Personal Fitness, Camping, Family Life, Personal Management, Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving, and Cycling, Hiking or Swimming. Additionally, a Scout must serve six months in a troop leadership position, plan, develop and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community, take part in a Scoutmaster conference and successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.
Morthier has earned an impressive 96 merit badges in his time as a Scout. As a Cub Scout, he completed every rank all the way through Webelos, including the Arrow of Light, which is the highest honor a Cub Scout can achieve. As a Boy Scout, he has held several leadership positions, including Senior Patrol Leader, and has attended many summer and adventure camps with his troop, including spending many nights camping on weekends. Through all of the various trips and tasks he has completed in his experience as a Scout, Morthier believes that the most challenging was a week-long canoeing trip at Northern Tier, where he canoed over 50 miles. While all of these endeavors are highly impressive, he is not quite finished meeting his goal of reaching the final rank.
“To earn my Eagle Scout rank, I must complete an Eagle Project,” says Morthier. “I have chosen to support Saint Margaret's Catholic Church in Monticello, Fla. They have supported me through many years of selling popcorn, and I want to show them how much I appreciate it.”
For his Eagle Project, Morthier has pioneered the installation of a 25-foot tall, solar-lit telescoping flagpole for the church, surrounded by paver bricks, including memorial/dedication bricks.
“The memory and dedication bricks can be inscribed to honor, dedicate or memorialize a beloved person or family,” says Morthier. “The flags will show the love of our country and our church.”
Once his project received the approval of both the church and the Eagle Board, the next step for Morthier was to raise money for the project. He leaned into his extensive leadership skills to help raise the necessary funds, and in the last month, he has seen an outpouring of encouragement and support from the community, raising nearly $4,000 in brick sales and cash donations. He personally purchased all of the supplies, and also organized and rallied volunteers to help with the construction of the flagpole. The team worked together from 8 a.m. until nearly 5 p.m., scrambling to beat the oncoming promise of rain. Fortunately, the weather held out, and the group was able to successfully finish the construction. Today, the finished project features a multitude of memorial bricks, and the flagpole proudly presents both the American flag and the papal flag of the church. Any money left over from the fundraising was donated to the church.