The Middle Tennessee Council of Scouting America proudly celebrated the achievements of 218 young people who earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout during the 2024-2025 program year. These exceptional youth were recognized Sunday at the Council’s annual Scouting Awards Ceremony for their leadership, service, and commitment to their communities.
To become an Eagle Scout, a young person must meet several rigorous requirements before their 18th birthday. These include:
• Earning 21 merit badges, including core subjects such as first aid, citizenship in the community, nation, and world, communication, cooking, personal fitness, and others.
• Serving actively for six months in a position of responsibility within their troop.
• Planning, developing, and leading a service project that benefits the community.
According to Scouting America, Eagle Scout service projects average 185 hours each. With 218 Scouts completing projects this year, the collective impact totaled more than 40,000 hours of community service throughout Middle Tennessee. These projects spanned a wide range of needs and causes.
1. Community Infrastructure & Beautification
Many Scouts focused on improving public spaces and community facilities by restoring parks, building trails, and enhancing school and church grounds.
• Renovating the Cornersville High School athletic press box
• Constructing benches and fencing along the Mill Creek Greenway
• Beautifying church campuses and public parks like Don Fox Park and Rotary Park
• Creating a life-size chess board and bench at a middle school
2. Service to Vulnerable and Underserved Populations
Several Scouts addressed the needs of vulnerable groups through hands-on service projects.
• Building a storefront (“The Hope Shop”) for a homeless outreach program
• Designing and executing a sensory board project for a special needs school
• Creating wheelchair-accessible garden beds at a senior center
• Organizing a large-scale social event for individuals with disabilities in Clarksville
3. Education, Engagement, and Memorialization
Other projects focused on sparking learning, honoring service, and bringing communities together.
• Constructing free mini libraries, story trails, and live bookshelf installations
• Building Reagan’s Rainbow Memorial Bridge for grieving pet owners
• Designing shadow boxes for historical museums and message boards for state parks
• Shipping a greeting card display to a U.S. military base in Germany to help service members stay in touch with family
“This program is not just about badges—it’s about building strong character traits in our youth,” said Larry Brown, Executive Director of the Middle Tennessee Council. “Through the journey to Eagle, these young people have developed work ethic, moral integrity, tolerance, and a respect for diversity. They’ve learned to set and achieve personal, professional, spiritual, and financial goals—and I have no doubt they will go on to be successful professionals and productive citizens.”
Additionally, seven local business and nonprofit leaders were honored with the Silver Beaver Award on Sunday – the highest honor a council can present to its volunteers – for their distinguished service, exceptional character, and extraordinary commitment to Scouting and their communities, setting an enduring example of lifelong service:
• William H. Frist, renowned heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and founder of Frist Cressey Ventures
• Sandra Green, Longtime Volunteer and Order of the Arrow Member
• Aubrey “Trey” Harwell, III, Partner and Crisis Management Team Leader, Adams and Reese, LLP
• Katrina Hicks, Nurse, Williamson Health Medical Group in Neurology
• Tracey Kennedy, Print Production Lead, Middle Tennessee State University
• Beth Pendergrass, Information Systems Audit Manager, State of Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury
• Erick Strickland, President and CEO of Employee-Owned, Nashville-Based 3LS Inc.
Added Brown, “The mission of Scouting remains steadfast: to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of citizenship, leadership, service, and self-confidence, with this year’s award honorees serving as a powerful reflection of that mission.”
