Commitment to service inspires Ben Brandes in his daily life

September is host to National Service Day during which Americans across the country are called upon to volunteer in their local communities, making them a welcoming place for all who live and visit. One of White County’s youth took a call for service in his community and created a safer space to play for both youth and adults in the Hickory Valley Community.

Ben Brandes, a White County High School senior, has been a member of the Boy Scouts of America since he was in the second grade, so, naturally, the time to decide if he wanted to attempt earning the rank of Eagle Scout came about. To be awarded as an Eagle Scout, Brandes had to complete a community service project.

Brandes didn’t take on just any project, he planned a project, managed 22 volunteers, and totaled over 183 service hours to refurbish, and make safer, the basketball courts at the Hickory Valley Community Center. Brandes replaced both worn out wooden basketball goals with new steel and aluminum goals and repainted the court itself. In addition, he built a fence separating the court from Hickory Valley Road to ensure that it was a safer place for community members to gather and play.

Brandes’ commitment to scouts and learning how to serve his community had previously resulted in him earning a total of 57 merit badges and his youth Religious Award for his faith, Paul Bunyan Award, Den Chief Award, Snorkeling and Scuba Awards, completing National Youth Leadership Training and National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience, and completing the mile swim recognition.

This year, along with being awarded the rank of Eagle Scout with seven Silver Palms, Brandes attended the BSA’s National Advanced Youth Leadership Training at the Philmont Scout Reservation, in New Mexico, a week-long leadership training course.

“Scouting is more than meets the eye,” Brandes said. “I have learned skills that I will be able to use in any situation. I have made friends from all over the world. Scouting has opened my eyes to the world.”

But he hasn’t kept his service projects just in the realm of the Boy Scouts organization. Brandes is a member of the JROTC program at White County High School as well as an active member of the school’s Interact Club, which itself immerses students into the world of service and volunteerism. He also been selected to attend the American Legion’s Boys State program.

“Tyler and I are so proud of Ben and what he has accomplished in scouting,” Brandes’ mother, Ashley Brandes, said. “He’s worked hard since second grade for this accomplishment. It’s really amazing to see him grow and mature into a young man.”

 She said both she and his father are constantly amazed at the commitment, discipline, and love for service they see growing in their son, and they attribute it to his time in the Boy Scouts program.

 “Scouting has taught him so many wonderful character traits and disciplines,” Ashley Brandes said. “It’s given him a great start in this world. It’s opened so many doors to be able to travel, from a World Jamboree and meeting scouts from all over the world to meeting a long-lost cousin in New Mexico this summer. It’s given him wonderful leadership training. It’s opened his eyes to how service impacts everyone and all communities. It’s piqued his interest on varied subjects through merit badges. This Eagle Schout Award is such a high accomplishment that only 25 percent of scouts even earn. We are so proud that Ben followed through with all the long hours and tons of work this project brought. He’s a great young man, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.”

As for what’s next, the White County High School senior has no plans in lowering his service efforts as his post-high school dream is to join the U.S. Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer, taking his love for service to a level that will serve his country and those in need in communities across the continent.