Saturday May 21 was a day of great pride and honor for three young individuals and their families, as Boy Scout Troop 4031G of Montgomery held a Court of Honor recognizing their new Eagle Scouts; Noah L. Cabrera, Colin Edwards, and Lia Grammer, who is the first female Eagle Scout from troop 4031G.

Reaching the rank of Eagle Scout is not an easy endeavor, but Noah, Colin and Lia have put in the time, effort, and completed all necessary tasks to achieve the highest rank the Boy Scouts of America can award.

“We are so proud of him,” said Susan Cabrera, mother of new Eagle Scout Noah Cabrera.

Parents, fellow troop members, and scout masters were all sharing that same sense of pride for the three new Eagle Scouts.

“We’ve all been involved with the troop ever since Noah joined 11 years ago, being a part of the board and helping out as much as we can. The scout masters have pushed and motivated each scout, and it’s amazing to see how much Noah has grown. I think being involved with the scouts helped him find his voice. He had to reach out of his comfort zone a bit, but it’s a good thing in the long run,” explained Susan.

To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, one has to be involved in the troop for at least six months as a Life Scout, show dedication to the Scout Law and Scout Oath, earn 21 merit badges, serve at least 6 months in a leadership position, attend a Scoutmaster’s conference, pass a board of review, and propose, plan, and complete an Eagle Service Project.

Noah, Colin, and Lia had their own individual service projects, which were completed over the course of about two years, thanks to the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Colin for example, had a completely different project before the start of the pandemic and had to scrap it entirely and find something new. He ended up landing on a project with the Walden Village Police Department, creating framed shadow boxes displaying badges and ID cards of retired Walden Police Officers. Twenty-one shadow boxes total are now hanging on the walls of the station.

“Before COVID hit, I had a project helping out local baseball teams, but it never really got anywhere because sports were canceled and school went online. My dad is a retired NYPD detective, so finding the project with the Police Department seemed like an appropriate thing to pursue. It took quite a bit of planning, and a lot of time getting the frames, but Chief (William) Herlihy was a big help. I’m happy with the results and hope they are too,” said Colin Edwards.

Noah Cabrera’s Eagle Service Project was also delayed by the pandemic, and was aimed at environmental conservation. His goal was to help the Indiana Bat, a federally endangered species, due to human disturbance of their natural habitat. Over the course of 2 years and 819 hours of work, Noah built 32 “bat boxes” which are basically new habitats for the bats, so they can live comfortably.

“The Indiana Bat is on track to be extinct in 10 years if something isn’t done. I was inspired by William T. Hornaday, founder of the Bronx Zoo, and his contributions to environmental conservation. Most of the bat boxes were donated to local parks in the area. Hopefully this project can make a difference in their population, even if it’s minor, it’s something,” explained Noah Cabrera.

Eagle Service Projects are meant to show leadership, and also benefit the surrounding community. Lia Grammer decided to help out two surrounding communities by making blankets over the winter for hospice care in Sullivan and Orange counties.

“The goal was to provide warmth and care for people in hospice. After all was said and done, 56 blankets were made and donated,” explained Grammer.

Being the first female Eagle Scout in the troop is a “massive accomplishment,” said Lia Grammer.

Throughout the ceremony, scoutmasters gave speeches, parents showed their love, and the new Eagle Scouts radiated proudly in front of the crowd at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Walden. It was a day that the new Eagles and their troop will not forget for a long time.