Talk About Patriotism! This Eagle Scout Project Is As American As Apple Pie

What could be more American than baseball, small business and the Boy Scouts?

Fifteen-year-old Stephen Rogers made the connection.

When the outgoing and articulate teen was 5, he played Montville American Little League baseball. At that same age, he began what would be a decade long commitment to scouting. Now the Montville High School student and member of Troop 93 has embarked on the journey to Eagle Scout, with the first stop, a big project that brought the three B’s together.

To devise, create, organize and execute a community service project is no mean feat; it’s a lot of work. The project Rogers chose was to construct eight, 8-foot picnic tables to place throughout the Little League complex, because, as he said, “I wanted to give back.”

“The (Little League) was always there for me, and I wanted to be there for them,” he said.  

Rogers, accompanied by his troop and father, Troop 93 scoutmaster Jeffrey Rogers, unveiled the pressure-treated wood tables he, his father and fellow scouts built over the course of three weekend days prior to the start of the first round All Star games to take place at the complex.

On hand for the unveiling were local business owners that sponsored the project, including Brian Bonner of Bonner Electric, Russell Rice of Russell Rice Contracting, Dave Richards and the Montville Umpire Board, Michael Doherty of Doherty Financial Group, members of the Oakdale Fire Department and Home depot. Rogers also thanked Golden Pizza of Preston for donating pizza to “feed my work crew” and Troop 93 parents.

And he wanted to thank his father “mostly.”

“My dad because he’s basically done everything with me,” he said. “Try not to cry, Dad.”

So, with threatening storm clouds hovering but holding off, Rogers and friends and fellow scouts unveiled the trailer load of tables.

“I’m really glad I got to do this,” Rogers said.

In order to be an Eagle Scout, the highest rank a scout can achieve, he has had to earn 21 badges, serve 6 months in a troop leadership position, plan, develop and provide leadership in a service project for a civic organization, participate in a scoutmaster conference and successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.