A Sign of Youth Taking Action for Community
October 25, 2018
Hunter Cummings, a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 53 of Elgin, wanted his Eagle Scout project to have an impact on his community. “I wanted to find something everyone could benefit from,” said Hunter.
On average, over 3,200 vehicles drive through Clermont every day. Hunter knew he wanted his project to leverage the number of people who passed through Clermont and to put the good things happening in town in front of the passerby’s eyes.
Hunter landed on raising $20,000 to purchase a new sign to be placed in front of the Clermont Opera House. The sign would be utilized by the city to advertise events being held at the Opera House and throughout the community. Out of all the projects Hunter investigated, he knew this one would have the longest-lasting effect, serving the community well into the future.
"I knew that if we had a better quality sign, we could get more attention to help support our community activities. My goal was to increase visitors to our town, to help our community grow and thrive,” said Hunter.
One of the critical pieces to Hunter’s project was fundraising, which taught him much about the value of patience.
In the beginning, I almost settled for a sign I could afford with my initial fundraising simply because I wanted to get the project done. It would have been easier,” said Hunter.
However, when Hunter applied for, and the City of Clermont received the $10,000 grant from the Fayette County Community Foundation, he was encouraged to refocus. With the Community Foundation’s support, Hunter knew he could get more donors on board in order to afford a more valuable, quality sign.
Today, the sign is lighting up downtown Clermont and has been in place for several months. Community members are benefiting from all the sign has to offer.
People are looking to it for information about meetings and events. It’s been beneficial for updates on road construction as well,” said Hunter.
With the project complete, Hunter received his Eagle Scout rank. Now his community and other youth can see a sign of the good that can be accomplished when a vision and passion for one’s community becomes an action that makes a difference.
