Eagle Scout brings introspective to service project

Caleb Foltz of Troop 318 in Arlington, Ohio decided to take an unusual route when it came to his Eagle Scout project.  Scouting has been a huge influencer for him and his faith journey over the years.  When he started to plan his Eagle Scout project, he thought of no better way to share his salvation story and how Scouting played a huge role in shaping who he is today. 

Caleb has wanted to become an Eagle as his grandfather never earned his Eagle Scout rank and he always regretted it.  So, he was not only setting the goal to achieve the highest rank in Scouting for himself but for his grandfather as well.  Caleb decided to take advantage of his Eagle Scout project and use it as outreach to his church and community by sharing his salvation story. 

With the help of his Pastor, and his Eagle mentor, Dave Sielschott, Caleb was able to achieve his vision for his eagle project. Caleb’s project involved assembling bags with various church-branded items as well as a letter from his pastor and a letter from him about his own salvation story.  He wanted to use these bags to help his community find their words and their stories.  When Caleb was given the opportunity to share his salvation story with his church community, he encouraged everyone to take two bags home with them.  One for their family and one to give to another when sharing their own salvation story. 

If Caleb could provide advice to fellow Scouts who are working towards their Eagle, it would be to involve yourself in a strong Troop and be a reason that it thrives.  He also encourages hard work starting at a young age. One of his favorite memories in Scouting was when he was able to give back.  He was given the opportunity to work on camp staff at Camp Berry, helping to lead the Baden Powell program, designed for first year Scouts.  He shared, “It reminded me of when I was a young Scout and the way the camp staff impacted me.”

Caleb’s future plans include attending a small college, where he can play football while earning an exercise degree, with a goal of becoming a fitness trainer after graduation. He plans to also follow his own advice and says, “I plan to stay in the Troop after getting my Eagle and still make an influence in my Troop and community.”

OSU Agriculture Exploring Program opens Seneca East high schooler's eyes to future career field

Life can take us on an adventurous journey, sometimes not giving us a sign of the direction we are to take as we travel through it.   Many experience things without signs, and sometimes cause them to take a different direction.  Seneca East High schooler Zach Allgyre’s journey was just that. 

The Exploring program offers high school students the opportunity to experience a vocation, while gaining hands on experience.  This creates an opportunity to jump start their search for their future career field, when so much is still uncertain in their lives. Zach’s journey is an example of why the Exploring program plays an important role in young adults’ journeys.

Zach comes from a third-generation family farm where his grandfather started with 325 acres, with a focus on livestock.  The 2nd generation has grown the operation to a 1,200 acres grain operation.  Though Zach had come up in the farming environment he never thought he would pursue it as a career in the future.  His cousin Douglas Reer sparked his interest in farming, as he helped him get involved with FFA and being apart of the FFA Poultry team. 

His involvement with FFA led him to the OSU Extension Agriculture Exploring program.  The Exploring program exposed him to more of the agriculture world and opened his eyes to farming being a future career field for himself.  Zach has found himself as a fixture helping with the family farm. One of his favorite parts of farming is working the ground in the spring time with their tractor. 

During one of the Exploring meetings he was given the opportunity to tour Terra State University, where he discovered their Agriculture business degree program. They were able to sit in on a class and learned which classes were required to compete an Agriculture degree.

When Zach is not farming, he keeps himself involved with many extra curriculars. He is part of PEP Club and was a member for three years with the school band playing the snare drum. SADD Club (Students Against Destructive Decisions).  He is also a member of National Honor Society and has been competitive with trap shooting since he was in 5th grade.  In his down time he enjoy listening to Scotty McCreery and Alan Jackson.   

Zach says Hallie Williams the head of the OSU Extension Agriculture program has been an incredible mentor. “I’ve learned so much from the group and really appreciate her time of showing us all the opportunities within agriculture”. 

The Exploring program truly took Zach on a different path than he had mapped out for himself originally, but it opened his eyes to a future career field.  Once Zach graduates’ high school he plans to attend Terra State and dive right into their 2-year Agriculture business degree.

For more information on joining OSU Agriculture Post or other Exploring opportunities please click the link