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Sean earned his Eagle Scout award this year, which is a fantastic achievement. For his project, he created and led a writing workshop for the Austin Bat Cave, a non-profit writing and tutoring center. The center will be able to use the program for years to come.

UPDATE: Here is a link to the photo slideshow of Sean's Scouting career.
As part of the ceremony, Troop 448 Scoutmaster and dear friend Danny Martinez wrote this passage about what it means to be an Eagle Scout. He actually wrote it the first time for my eldest son Brian when he earned his Eagle award, but was unable to personally deliver it because of a death in his family. I so glad he was able to be at Sean's ceremony. It moved me to tears.

What does it mean to be an Eagle Scout? One Hundred years ago, Arthur Eldred became the first Eagle Scout. At that time you needed any 21-merit badges. As time went on, Boy Scouts added Eagle required merit badges. By 1958 requirements for service to community and being an active member of the troop were added.  And by 1982, the year I earned the award, 1 million young men had earned the Eagle Scout Award. Today, there are more than 2 million Eagle Scouts.  And if you read the current official BSA requirements for Eagle Scout, you will see things like being active in the troop, showing Scout spirit, positions of responsibility, merit badges like Cooking, Hiking, and Personal Management.  And of course, the Eagle project.  But what does it really mean to be an Eagle Scout?  Right now, it means that a lot of younger guys are looking to you as an example. You are the standard. They are looking to you to see how an Eagle acts. It’s a pretty big responsibility, and it should be an honor.  As you get older, it means you are the guy with a truck that will always help your friends move.  When somebody needs a knot tied, or something built they look at you.  And when there is a fire needing to get started, or when somebody pulls out a Dutch oven, you are the guy for the job.  It means you can take care of yourself.  Eventually, it becomes something more personal.  You start working, living your life and nobody gets to see that medal on your chest.  And that is when it starts to mean the most.  Because it’s not about the medal or the badge, it’s about how you choose to live your life.  It’s about what you do when nobody is watching you. How you choose to spend your time, your talent, and your treasure.  It’s about what you give back.  Because outside of Scouting, most people aren’t going to care all that much about the award. But they are going to care about the kind of man that you are. Are you trustworthy? Are you loyal? Are you helpful?   Being an Eagle Scout means that you can get a job done. It means you don’t quite when it gets hard. It means you care about things that are bigger than you and that you want to make a difference in the world. Most of all, it means that a lot of people cared enough about you, believed enough in you, to give you their trust, their time, and their love.  So now it’s your turn.  Soon you will have the Eagle medal – great.  Now what? Being an Eagle Scout isn’t really about all those requirements I started out talking about.  Those things were designed to prepare you for what comes next.  Life. Being an Eagle Scout isn’t about what you did, it’s about what you do. And that is entirely up to you.