Last week the Texoma Valley District of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) held their 2023 Eagle Scout Recognition, and among the honorees was a local Whitesboro scout. Jeremiah Velten of Whitesboro Troop 38 was recognized for earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
His journey began years earlier as he went through the process of earning merit badges in particular areas through attending regular meetings, summer camps, community activities and leadership development activities. The last step is organizing, funding and completing a service project in the community that involves planning the project, recruiting participants, securing funding and completing the construction of the project.
Two percent of scouts who begin the program complete the Eagle Scout program. It has strenuous physical requirements, demands a wealth of knowledge in scouting and the local community and sets expectations of personal character development and community involvement. It is also designed to stretch over a several year period, requiring long-term goals and planning.
BSA Troop 38 in Whitesboro has produced about a dozen Eagle Scouts in the last 10 years. The Troop meets every Tuesday during the school year at the Sonrise Center at the First United Methodist Church in Whitesboro and is run by Scout Masters Joey Crawley and Coley Wade.
Velten has been a scout since 2014 and began the process as a Cub Scout before moving into the Boy Scouts. He earned over 30 merit badges in the process and his final project was installing a Ga-ga Ball pit and sand volleyball court at Grace Lutheran Church in Denison. The highlight of his time in scouting were the two summer trips he made in the Swamp Base program with his troop. These are over week-long, 61-mile canoe treks through the swamps of Louisiana.
The Eagle Scout Award requires community involvement, and it is encouraged by scouting in general.
Beyond scouting, Jeremiah participated in Whitesboro High School athletics, band, his church youth group and was quick to volunteer wherever needed.
His community involvement hasn’t stopped with graduation as he has joined the Whitesboro Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter and EMT and plans to begin paramedic class in August.
