Matthew Cale, lifelong scout, finally soars to his goal: The title of Eagle
By Gabriella Brown Newsroom@DominionPost.com
As a lifelong member of Boy Scouts, Mathew Cale said one of the many things being a scout has taught him is to never give up.
“They taught me to never give up and just keep on trying,” Cale said. “I’m going to use what they have always told me, and I’m going to lead with that for the rest of my life.”
By proving his ability to persevere, Cale has earned the Boy Scouts highest honor — the title of Eagle Scout.
Mary Martin, unit commissioner, said Cale’s dedication to the Scouts stood out to her since he started out as a Cub Scout back in elementary school.
“We soon found out that he was the best popcorn seller,” Martin said. “Girl Scouts sell cookies, but Boy Scouts sell popcorn. Even as a second grader, he sold popcorn like crazy.”
Martin said Cale was always an active Scout member, attending several summer camps and camping trips even as a Cub Scout.
Because Martin has known Cale since he initially joined the Scouts, she said she has seen him grow into the person he is today.
“They all start out young and shy,” Martin said. “Somehow, and it seems like to us adults something happens overnight, they change into a young man ready to go out and tackle the world.”
To become an Eagle Scout, Cale had to earn all 21 merit badges, some of which took up to a year to acquire. He said one of the most difficult badges to earn was the Personal Management Merit Badge.
To earn that badge, Cale had to spend three months creating and managing his own budget. This included writing a plan of how his family could save and spend money to reach a certain goal.
“That one was most challenging, but also most rewarding because it teaches you about saving money and how to do it,” Cale said.
During his time as a Scout, Cale held several leadership positions. Throughout the years, he was able to move up the ranks, starting as a librarian and eventually becoming the senior patrol leader. As the senior patrol leader, Cale was responsible for leading and guiding other scouts in the troop.
Along with earning all 21 merit badges, Cale spent months drafting, presenting and making a community project become a reality.
For his project, he chose to work with PACE Enterprises, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities find employment. Cale’s idea for his project was to beautify PACE through landscaping and building an ADA accessible vegetable garden.
Cale and about 10 others spent weeks planting the flowers and bushes that can now be seen surrounding the building. On his own, he created a hand-built raised garden, which can now be used to teach PACE clients how to grow and care for their own vegetables.
“I just want people there to be hands-on like everybody else,” Cale said. “I want them to see where the vegetables come from and how you maintain a garden and maintain flowers.”
With his newly earned title, Cale hopes the skills he has learned will help him throughout his adult life, starting with college and job applications.
In the near future, Cale plans to attend Pierpont Community and Technical College in Fairmont to study culinary arts. He said he has always wanted to become a chef, and was inspired by helping his mother bake when he was younger.
“I always wanted to get my hands dirty in the kitchen,” Cale said. “I always wanted to cook and find new recipes and just make something out of nothing.”
While his time with the troop is coming to an end, Cale said he will always be a Scout. He said once he gets on track with pursuing his career goals, he plans to return to the troop whenever possible to help out.
“I’m still going to come back, but as an adult leader,” Cale said. “I’m going to come back and help them and just watch over them like a big brother.”
Tweet @DominionPostWV
