Brandon Matuszczak Earns Eagle Scout Award

Brandon Matuszczak received recognition from Hoffman Estates Mayor McLeod at his recent Eagle Scout ceremony.

Mayor McLeod paid a special tribute to the 15 year old Hoffman Estates resident by presenting him a plaque which states August 25th, 2014 as Brandon Matuszczak Day in Hoffman Estates.

To earn the prestigious Eagle Scout Award, the scout must complete an Eagle Scout Project in addition to earning the required merit badges. The scout must be active in his troop and take positions of leadership.

In addition to the other requirements, the scout must select an Eagle Scout Project. The scout must organize the project and put his leadership skills to use.

When Eagle Scout Brandon looked at different projects, he decided that he wanted something that could give back to our military. After doing much research, he decided to partner with MarineParents.com. His goal was to provide essential care package items to the troops serving in Iraq. While this would have been more than enough for an Eagle Scout Project, Brandon decided to go above and beyond.

The sccout soon learned that the Marines were requesting cards and prayers. Brandon reached out to his former teachers for assistance. With the help of local schools, family and friends he was able to raise over 550 cards and letters for the troops. He also contacted local Churches for prayers.

The next step of his project involved more help from his community. With the help of the Palatine Jewel, Brandon organized a care package drive on a Saturday afternoon.

With the help of his fellow scouts from Troop 209 in Palatine, they were able to raise 320 pounds of care package items. The community showed amazing support for this Eagle Scout Project. Customers made a point to shop that day just to donate items for our troops. One shopper even showed up with a trunk full of donations.

As successful as his project was becoming, Brandon decided to add one more phase to his project. He partnered with Mrs. Finn, from Kenny's Kaps. This charity donates knitted caps to men and women who have received head injuries while serving our country. After learning about this charity, Brandon quickly started finding volunteers to help crochet or knit caps. Within a few months, Brandon collected 104 caps to donate.

When Brandon was asked what he liked best about his project, he quickly answered the care package portion. His response was "I was thanked by retired Vets at Jewel. I was never expecting anyone to thank me for doing my project. All these men and women came up to me and thanked me for helping our troops. I was suppose to give back to my community and they gave back to me instead."

Less than 5% of scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Brandon will continue on with Troop 209.