EAGLE SCOUT AWARDS
Gavin Grim and Aidan Mathieu received the rank of Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor held Oct. 9 at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, Emmaus. Both Scouts are members of Troop 5, chartered by Horizon Church, Allentown.
Gavin Grim, son of Amanda Grim of Allentown and the late Dan Grim, began his scouting journey as a tiger at Pack 74 before joining Pack 5. Gavin completed all the Cub Scout ranks and earned the Arrow of Light. During his time in Troop 5, Gavin was a part of scouting ’s honor society — the Order of the Arrow, attended national youth leadership training, and earned many merit badges. Gavin was also a leader of the troop as quartermaster, chaplain’s aid, patrol leader, and senior patrol leader.
For Gavin’s Eagle Scout project, he led an effort to upgrade the Allentown Central Catholic High School Performance Arts Association Snack Bar. Gavin received funds from his church, the Performance Arts Association, and a Thrivent Action Team grant, as well as supply donations from Allentown Central Catholic High School, his great uncle, and the R.J. Skelding Company. The snack bar’s serving windows’ doors were changed from a pulley mechanism to a hydraulic lift, the doors were replaced with a lighter material, the walls, floor and ceiling were painted, and with the help of an experienced electrician, the electrical outlets were brought up to code. Overall, 140 hours of planning and volunteering were needed to complete this project.
A senior at Central Catholic High School, Allentown, Gavin is the drum major and a member of the cross-country team. He plans to pursue an engineering degree after graduation.
Aidan Mathieu, son of Susan and Jeffrey Mathieu of Salisbury Township, began his scouting journey as a tiger at Pack 5. After completing all the Cub Scout ranks and earning the Arrow of Light, he crossed over to Troop 5. Since joining Troop 5, Aidan earned the Order of the Arrow, attended national youth leadership training, and earned numerous merit badges. Aidan was not only a leader of his own troop but also served as webmaster, patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader and senior patrol leader.
For Aidan’s Eagle project, he built a donation bin and a 20-foot-long fence to support the Sanctuary at Haafsville, a volunteer-based no-kill animal shelter. Aidan created a Go Fund Me page to raise monetary donations from the community, received a grant from the United Way Teen Works and donations from local businesses. Once Aidan acquired the necessary materials, he led his fellow Scouts in building both structures. Now, the donation bin allows the
Sanctuary to collect donations from the community more efficiently, and the fence protects a sewage drain from vehicles.
Overall, 228 hours of planning and volunteering were required to complete this project.
A senior at Salisbury High
School, he is a member of the boy’s soccer team and plans to pursue a degree in biology and computer science.