Adult volunteer wins scouting award

BRENT LEWIS was presented with the Eagle Within Award by Mary Koza at the annual Friends of Scouting Breakfast. Koza won the the Eagle Within Award in 2011. DICK MASON / The Observer

Brent Lewis was well prepared for his first appearance at the podium of the annual Friends of Scouting Breakfast Wednesday at EOU.

Lewis was understandably not ready for the second appearance he was called to make. 

An appearance at which he received one of the most pleasant surprises of his life. Lewis was presented with the Eastern Oregon District of Boy Scouts prestigious Eagle Within Award minutes after giving the breakfast’s keynote address. 

“I spent a lot of time preparing my speech (for the keynote address), but I was not prepared for this. I don’t know what to say,’’ Lewis said. “I am very honored.’’

Anyone who knows anything about the local Scouting scene was not surprised. Lewis has been an active Scout volunteer for about 25 years. So significant have been his contributions that about five years ago, he received one of the highest honors given to adult Boy Scouts of America volunteers — the Silver Beaver Award. That honor and the Eagle Within Award recognize Lewis for the high quality of work he has done for many years as chair of the Eagle Board of Review for Union, Wallowa and Grant counties. He is responsible for approving all Eagle Scout project applications. Without his board’s green light, no Eagle project can begin.

The board Lewis chairs has approved about 220 Eagle projects in Union, Wallowa and Grant counties over the past two decades.

Lewis enjoys serving on the board because of the opportunity to help the youth of Northeast Oregon.

“These are top-notch kids. There are a lot of good boys. It is nice to be able to help them succeed,’’ he said.

Lewis was presented the Eagle Within Award by Mary Koza of La Grande. Koza, also a dedicated Boy Scout volunteer, received the 2011 Eagle Within award. Koza praised Lewis as someone who is remarkably organized and cares deeply about the community and its youth.

Lewis spoke with passion about the value of Scouting during his keynote address. He talked of how meaningful the Scout oath is. It reads “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my county.” He believes the oath should end with an exclamation mark. He also spoke of the value of the Scout slogan, which asks people to do a good turn daily.

“Life is a lot about how you treat other people. Scouting teaches this to our youth and adds value to them as citizens of our community.”

A CPA, Lewis said earlier that he looks upon his time as a Boy Scout volunteer as simply one of many opportunities to balance the ledger.

“Our community responsibility is to be givers, not takers,” Lewis said. “You shouldn’t just sit back and reap benefits. You should create the benefits.”

Lewis, who grew up in La Grande, is a former Boy Scout who earned his Eagle rank in the 1960s. His wife, Susan, is also an active community volunteer, one who was named woman of the year earlier by the Union County Chamber of Commerce almost 10 years ago. 

The Friends of Scouting Breakfast is the traditional kickoff for the annual fundraising drive for the Boy Scout District comprised of Union, Wallowa, Baker and Grant counties. 

Photos and reports of many local Eagle projects were on display at the banquet, including one by Noel March, a La Grande High School student. March built new signs for the Meacham Divide Nordic Ski Area for his Eagle project. March spoke about what Scouting has meant to him during a presentation at the
breakfast.

“From the moment you join Scouts, you are taught responsibility … In my view, Scouting teaches responsibility by giving it to the Scouts. How can we expect kids to learn how to be responsible adults, if we never step back and give them something to be responsible for?’’

March said one reason Scouting is successful is that many of its activities are outdoor based.

“There is something about the outdoors that strips away our hectic lives and personal problems, and gets down to what’s really inside us. This is why I am convinced that Scouting has the formula for boys to grow into young men.” 

March concluded his address by saying that “The values I learned in Boy Scouts have done me nothing but good in my life.”