St. Charles teen Zachary Kampen earns rank of Eagle Scout

Zachary Kampen of St. Charles celebrated earning the rank of Eagle Scout with fellow members of Troop 13 at a Court of Honor Sept. 27 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles.

Zachary's project was dedicated to the special needs individuals at Marklund, because he has a special place in his heart for those who are not as blessed physically as he is. He saw that the people at Marklund, who were wheelchair bound, were limited in the things that they could utilize on the playground and felt it was necessary to remedy the situation.

Zachary sat down with Marklund and asked what he could do for their playground. They suggested that having benches to put under the patios for each of the buildings would help their residents. Zachary and his father began to draw up the plans for wheelchair-accessible picnic tables and benches.

Zachary gathered seven of his fellow scouts from Troop 13 on the final prep day and they cut all the wood and prepped everything for his major troop work day. On the final Saturday of work, more than 30 Scouts, showed up at the Scout house to help him build and stain all the tables. Then the final day came and he gathered a few dads to help him make the final transport to Marklund.

Zachary has earned 25 Merit Badges as well as the Boy Scouts of America Kayaking award and BSA Snorkeling award. He is a past Patrol Quartermaster, Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader with Troop 13. Zachary is a member of the Order of the Area, has attended Gerber Scout Camp three times, and Florida Sea Base High Adventure.

He attends St. Charles East High School where he has played football since 2013 and wrestled since 2012.