Elgin teen earns Eagle Scout rank

Boy Scout Troop 2, chartered to St. John Lutheran Church, recognizes Eugene Hofmann of Elgin for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at an Eagle Court of Honor scheduled May 17.

Eugene chose as his Eagle project to provide service to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in West Dundee, where his grandmother was cared for during the day.

Eugene organized a group of Scouts and adults in a landscaping and rejuvenation project by creating a new perennial bed and cleaning three windows in the front of the church.

They had to level the area, pulled weeds and recycle the bricks to make a new border. The group then planted new perennials and shrubs, moving and replanting existing plants, refilled bare spots and seeded and mulched the newly landscaped areas. Eugene's project also included the scraping, priming and painting of three existing windows.

As a Scout, Eugene earned 32 merit badges. He attended summer camp at L.E. Phillips in Wisconsin and has gone on a High Adventure trip to Isle Royal in Minnesota.

He earned the Boy Scout of America Lifesaving and the World Conservation Awards. Both high honors in the troop.

Outside of Scouting, Eugene is a senior at Larkin High School in Elgin set to graduate this May. After high school, Eugene has plans to join the Army and hopes to become a Ranger. Eugene believes "that scouting has helped him in his future in the military."

For information about joining Troop 2, visit Troop2.com.