North Aurora Scouts BSA Troop 104 celebrates double Eagle awards
North Aurora Scouts BSA Troop 104 is celebrating its first Eagle Scout award winners - two who happen to be good friends.
Connor Harms, 18, of North Aurora and Antonio Del Toro, 17, Aurora, received their promotions to Scouting's highest rank at an Eagle rank court of honor Nov. 20. The ceremony took place at Living Hope Church in North Aurora, the troop's chartering organization and site of Sunday evening troop meetings for 22 Scouts and adults.
Del Toro has been selected to speak at the annual Eagle-class recognition dinner by the St. Charles-based Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America. The "Gathering of Eagles" will be held on Friday, Feb. 18, at Bobak's Signature Events venue in Woodridge. Del Toro will receive a $500 scholarship for speaking at the event.
For his Eagle Scout service project, Harms collected 500 pounds of food for Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry in Aurora and earned more than 30 merit badges.
Del Toro gathered 2,410 pairs of socks for clients of Mutual Ground domestic violence shelter in Aurora for his service project and earned 24 merit badges.
At the Eagle promotion ceremony, Dr. Thomas Brooks, Troop 104 founder, and Scoutmaster Chris O'Brien presented Eagle scarves, badges, parent pins and mentor pins.
Fox Valley Marine Detachment 1233 presented a K-Bar Marine fighting knife to each Eagle.
Del Toro is a West Aurora High School senior. Harms graduated from West Aurora in May and is studying civil engineering at Purdue University. Harms is the son of Lee and Michelle Harms. Del Toro is the son of Marco Del Toro and Lorraine Del Toro-Garciacano.
Brooks called Harms and Del Toro Scouting brothers, together attending Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, and other Troop 104 activities. He added that Harms helped him organize Troop 104 in October 2014 by recruiting friends.
According to Brooks, "It is very fitting that our sole remaining charter member of Troop 104, Connor Harms, and his good friend Antonio Del Toro, succeeded in their goals of becoming Eagle Scouts. They are excellent young people."
Harms joined Scouting in second grade as a Wolf Scout. With Troop 104 since 2014, he has served as a senior patrol leader, troop guide and historian. As historian, he found a hobby developing documentaries of troop camping adventures - an estimated 150 campouts for him. Other hobbies are skateboarding, hiking and playing guitar and ukulele.
At Aurora West High School, Harms played Blackhawk soccer, graduated in the top five percent of his class, and was a member of National Honors Society and National Spanish Society.
Del Toro joined Scouting in 2010 as a Tiger Scout at Hall Elementary School in Aurora. He came to Troop 104 in 2015 after earning his Arrow of Light award. His leadership positions include assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, and senior patrol leader.
After graduating from Aurora West High, Del Toro plans to move to Finland as an exchange student sponsored by Aurora Rotary Club. His long-range goal is to become a commercial airline pilot.
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts - 2.5 million - have earned this rank after a lengthy review process.
Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges. The Eagle Scout must demonstrate Scout spirit, an ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages. Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal and a badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout.