53-Year-Old Man with Down Syndrome Becomes Eagle Scout 

 

 Typically boy scouts have until the age 18 to achieve Eagle Scout status, but there are exceptions for those with special needs. 53-year-old Stephen Lape just became an Eagle Scout.

Lape has Down Syndrome and within the last few years has suffered from Alzheimer's Disease.
Lape was one of the founding members of Troop 594 which started in the early 1970s for boys and men with mental challenges.
Various leaders, his family and volunteers have helped him achieve more than two dozen badges and take part in service project.
Four other men in Troop 594 are slated to achieve Eagle Scout honors this year.

INNOVATION- EAGLE SCOUT CREATES COOL, USEFUL IPHONE APP

 Eagle Scout Creates Cool, Useful iPhone App

If you’re in the wilderness and you can barely get a signal on your cell phone, there’s a chance you may you have an easier time sending a text message.
That’s because text messages don’t require the same amount of data that a phone call does.
So, if you’re in the remote wilderness and you find yourself in an emergency situation, it makes sense that it might actually be easier to send a text message for help, instead of trying to call 911.
Nick Entin, an Eagle Scout from Troop 128 in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., has created an iPhone app that — with just a few clicks — will send a text message to a number of recipients with your GPS coordinates and a message stating that you need immediate help.
Instead of fighting your way through a 911 call with a limited signal, you can send a more reliable message with just a few clicks. That frees you up to concentrate of staying safe until help arrives.

An issue regarding compatibility of the gps locator feature with iOS 5 has been reported. A fix has been submitted to Apple and will be available for download as soon as it is reviewed by Apple. Remember, updates are free once you buy the app, so download and enjoy today!

Emergency Beacon is a vital app for all outdoor enthusiasts. Emergency Beacon was made as a tool to help victims of natural disasters, falls, avalanches, or any other incident where they need to be rescued. The app features the ability to send your current gps coordinates by email or sms to a list of preset contacts, a built-in emergency survival guide, and an audible alarm to help rescue teams find your exact location.*

Why not just call 911? According to Gizmodo, a 1-minute phone call is 460,800% larger than a text message. After a natural disaster, cell phone calls often cannot be made due to overloaded cell towers. Text messages and emails don't require as strong a signal and will more easily be put through in a natural disaster.

Emergency Beacon is available for purchase ($.99) on the iOS App Store. Check it out and download today! If you like it, give it a rating and help spread the word!

If you have any questions or comments, or if you have technical issues with the application, let us know through our support page.

Click here to purchase it through iTunes.

OF INTEREST - 2012 EGLE SCOUTS GET SPECIAL BADGE

2012 Eagle Scouts Get Special Badge

If you earn your Eagle Scout rank in 2012, you’ll get a special commemorative rank patch.

2012 is the 100th anniversary of the first-ever Eagle Scout, a young man named Arthur Eldred who earned his Eagle in 1912. So, if you earn your Eagle during the 100th anniversary year, you’ll get a patch that no Eagle before or after you will ever earn.

The special-edition patch will be available at Scout shops after the first of the year.

Remember: Planning and executing an Eagle project takes time. Start working on yours now!

NEWS - MUNNS BOAST THREE GENERATIONS OF EAGLE SCOUTS

Munns boast three generations of Eagle Scouts

Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2011 12:30 am

By IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE STAFF

CALDWELL — Eagle Scouts run in the Munn family.

In April, Joel Munn became the family’s third generation to earn the Boy Scouts of America’s most distinguished honor. More than 100 friends, fellow scouts and family members attended his Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony, which Scoutmaster Dennis Fox conducted.
Joel, 15, the son of Renee and Jeff Munn of Boise, is a member of Troop 97 and a student at Borah High School.
He was accompanied in the Court of Honor by his father, Jeff, who was accorded Eagle Scout honors in 1980 as a member of Troop 276 in Caldwell, and his grandfather, Monte Munn, who earned the same distinction in 1948 as a member of Caldwell’s Troop 22.
“It is rare and exciting to have three generations of Eagle Scouts from one family,” Scoutmaster Fox told the gathering at Joel’s Court of Honor ceremony.
Star Chief of Police Ken Rampage (also an Eagle Scout) talked about Joel’s Eagle Scout project at the ceremony. He told how the gazebo and park benches in the City of Star’s Blake Park had been vandalized and were in disrepair. Chief Rampage said Joel worked with the Star City Council planning the refurbishing, assembling the necessary supplies and tools, and organizing and supervising work parties who returned the gazebo and benches to their intended splendor.
A five-member team of Senior Scouts from the Ore-Ida Council, dressed in full ceremonial attire, conducted the Order of the Arrow presentation as part of Joel’s Eagle Court of Honor Ceremony.
Joel’s father, Jeff, managed the clean-up for the Caldwell March of Dimes Walk-a-Thon as his Eagle Scout project back in 1980. In grandfather Monte’s days, projects were not part of the Eagle Scout requirements.
In addition to his scouting, Joel is a member of The Great Highland Bag Pipes with the City of Trees Pipes and Drums.