Suburban CEO Boy Scout Eagle Award winner Jeremie Bacon told Scouting America Three Fires Council’s “Gathering of Eagles” attendees that Scout values are foundations for life success during a talk Friday evening.
More than 200 Eagle Scouts and guests returned to Bobak’s Signature Events in Woodridge for the 33rd annual banquet event that honored 263 Eagle recipients from last year.
“Loyal, thrifty, trustworthy are more than (Scout value) words, they are ways to live daily lives” said Bacon, CEO and co-founder of Lemont-based The Forge Adventure Parks, which builds and operates outdoor recreation destinations. He also co-founded The Forge Charitable Adventures, a nonprofit focused on ecological restoration and education. Additionally, Bacon teaches business strategy at the University of Chicago, advises growth-stage companies and serves on the St. Charles-based Three Fires Council board of directors.
The Denver, Colo. native reflected on joining Scouting as a youth and earned his Eagle Award in 1990 after building 15 birdhouses. “Eagle projects take lots of time, energy and passion,” he said, “but they’re so worth it.
“If you hold on to Scout values you have a foundation for success. If someone knows you’re trustworthy, after a project they will say ‘Great. Do another.’”
Ava Dombrowski, an Eagle from Bartlett Troop 2119, spoke for the 2024 class. Since 2019, she has served on a camp staff, as Cub Scout super den chief and lifeguard. A civil engineering major at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she recalled helping a boy earn his swimming merit badge despite fear of diving.
Robert Charles, a 1963 Eagle and council advancement chair, led an alumni recognition and rededication ceremony. A moment of silence was held for Scouters who passed away in 2024.
Oswego Sea Scout and Eagle Matt Mitchell closed the event with a benediction
The St. Charles-based Three Fires Council serves Kane, Kendall, DuPage and Will counties. Boy Scouts of America changed its brand to Scouting America in February.
For more information, visit ThreeFiresCouncil.org.
—Al Benson