Boy Scout of America Troop 86 70th Anniversary Celebration

Boy Scouts of America Troop 86 shares a rich, lasting and mutually beneficial history with Marlboro New Jersey. On Sunday - June 3rd, 2018 the Troop celebrated their 70th Anniversary. Troop 86 has been very successful in guiding the youth of Marlboro to uphold the Scout Law, to exemplify community service, and help 97 Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle; that alone is a very impressive feat. And all of this is possible due to hardworking, dedicated youths, their parents and the marvelous leadership that has been present from the beginning. Troop 86 of Marlboro, New Jersey was formed in 1947 and is part of the New Jersey Monmouth Council Battleground District, and was sponsored by the Old Brick Reformed Church located on Route 520. Unfortunately, most of the records on the Troop's beginnings were lost in a flood. On February 21, 1959 Jim McCreight, Ken Stattel and Tim Whitson became the first three scouts in Troop 86 to achieve the rank of Eagle. All three of the original Eagle Scouts were present at the 70th Celebration, along with other notable Eagle Scouts of Troop 86. As all the former Eagle Scouts stood together, there was one commonality between them, the gleaming pride and reverence shining through, for they know that it takes a great deal of hard work, perseverance, dedication and sacrifices to achieve the rank of Eagle. The event was led by James Eimont, BSA Troop 86 Committee Chair and Master of Ceremony, who presented a brief history of Boy Scouts and Troop 86. Followed by remarks from Michael De Carlo, the current Scout Master of Troop 86, who takes pride in his role as a mentor to the Scouts and emphasized the importance of community service. He highlighted the community services provided by Troop 86 scouts throughout the years. For example, during Hurricane Sandy Scouts from Troop 86 manned the Community Center and helped senior citizens. They also would help clean up after harvest (Gleaning) at local farms and then donate crops to local soup kitchens. Over one thousand hours of community service a year are provided by Troop 86 Scouts to the Marlboro community. "And this helps them become well rounded citizens. It also helps them acquire project management skills, people management skills, in accepting failures and persevering failures", denotes De Carlo. De Carlo paints a bright vision for the future of Troop 86, he states, "Troop 86 will continue to give back to Marlboro and Marlboro to look up to Troop 86 and to rely on Troop 86". James Eimont adds that Eagle Scout projects add a great deal to the community. Mayor Jonathan Hornik also graced the occasion, he congratulated 70 years of Troop 86 and recalled that many Eagle court of Honors were led by his late father, Saul Hornik, who himself was a proud Eagle Scout, so he states that it’s in him to see the importance of BSA Troop 86. He states, "Marlboro is a great town due to contributions made by organizations like Boys Scout of America". He went on to present a Proclamation declaring June 3rd “Boy Scout Troop 86 Day”. The common theme echoed through the celebration was the strong commitment to community service by Troop 86, it is the corner stone of this troop as emphasized by Michael Mahon, Chief Executive Officer of BSA-Monmouth Council and Priscilla Borges, Battleground District Executive. "Troop 86 provides great quality community service", said Mahon. "Do whatever you can do to make this community great", said Borges. The three original Eagle scouts of Troop 86 reminisced how being an Eagle Scout helped and guided their successes. Tim Whitson express, "Being an Eagle Scout helped me get into college, because surely I wasn't getting in through the grace of my grades". Jim McCreight and Ken Stattel praised the leadership in Troop 86 which helped make them better people. "What you learn in scouting follows you for the rest of your life. So many impressive leaders are Eagle Scouts or were part of BSA. They know when to follow and when to lead. Knowing when to follow is just as important, for that is what makes you a good team player", proclaims McCreight. "Be prepared, BSA helps you be prepared and may be to save a life one day", states Stattel. Troop 86 definitely helps you prepare to achieve success, learn, understand and grow form failures, it prepares you for life. And this preparation is guided by many selfless, dedicated, most amazing individuals who are the leaders of Troop 86, like James Eimont, Michael De Carlo and Karen Bentivenga (Mrs. B, as known by all the kids). Mrs. B proclaims, "Being a part of Troop 86 has been a wonderful experience for my whole family for the past 17 years. It is wonderful watching the scouts grow and learn. That is one of the many wonderful things about boy scouts its roots are strong in tradition while it continues to grow and develop to remain relevant and current. I hope Troop 86 will continue to thrive from many years to come as the lessons scouting teaches in the classroom of the outdoors are so very important to the growth of our children". As mentioned by the Reverend George Kaden at the celebration, we look back at the rich history of community service by Troop 86; we look around among the proud Eagle Scouts and the young Scouts devoted to achieving Eagle rank; we look within for each scout to instill and ingrain the valuable lessons learned; we look up and feel gratitude to be part of this Troop, and lastly, we look ahead to a brighter future for Troop 86 as it continues to teach our youths to uphold virtues like integrity, humility, courage, patience, industry and modesty. We look ahead to future leaders with virtues who can drive a positive discourse in their society.
By Kunjan Bhatt