Help Eddie Seitz Soar With the Eagles

He’s Eddie Seitz and he’s poised to achieve the highest rank that the Boy Scouts have to offer. This Hometown Boy Scout is on the final leg of his journey to earning his Eagle rank where he’ll be hosting an item drive featuring refreshments, live music and entertainment at Our Lady of Loretto Church, 8925 S. Kostner Ave. in Hometown, from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday. Eddie, 17, who belongs to Troop 682, is collecting toiletries, socks, underwear, sweatshirts and jeans for his Eagle service project. The items will be donated to Pilgrim Faith United Church of Christ’s PADS homeless shelter in Oak Lawn. Patch caught up with Eddie to learn more about the process for becoming an Eagle Scout.

Patch: How long have you been in scouting?

Eddie Seitz: I started in Cub Scouts when I was seven. I realized I wanted to be an Eagle Scout when I was 15. I’m 17 and you have to earn all the badges before your eighteenth birthday, which is why only 2-percent of Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts. The paperwork for these Eagle badges is quite extensive. 

Patch: How many badges do you have?

Eddie: In order to get Eagle, you have to do twelve Eagle-required merit badges and the nine non-Eagle merit badges—that’s 21 badges. I have 27 merit badges. Some are community and citizenship where you speak in front of audiences, learn how to swim and save people from drowning, and a lot of leadership skills that help people in need. I had to learn how to tie knots, cook and start a campfire that builds up to Eagle, which is the final stage when you have to do a service project.

Patch: Why did you choose a project involving the homeless? 

Eddie: I go to Pilgrim Faith United Church of Christ and knew they had a PADS shelter. The pastor’s husband, Michael Montgomery, invited me to the shelter one night where they room 32 people. Until I actually witnessed it, I didn’t have a concept of what a homeless shelter was. There was a mom and a dad, and couple of little kids who were living out of a backpack. It really touched me.

Patch: Tell us about your service project?

Eddie: The project is benefiting the community and I have to organize it all by myself. The goal is to collect as many personal items like soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hand sanitizer and chap stick, as I can for the PADS shelter. I’ve set up drop boxes all over town to get the community involved. Pilgrim Faith PADS goes through 1,000 pairs of socks and underwear a year during the [shelter] season.

Patch: What else do you need?

Eddie: I really need donations of gently-used jeans and sweatshirts. Socks and underwear have to be new.

Patch: What's happening at Our Lady of Loretto on Saturday? 

Eddie: I'll be collecting donations from noon to 2 p.m. this Sunday (Feb. 17) at Our Lady of Loretto Church in Hometown, which charters our troop. I wanted to thank the people who brought in donations, so I’ll be giving out hot chocolate, juice and coffee. There will be a drawing and my friend, Joshua Star, is going to play some of his pop rock singles.

I invited my DJ friend, Nikki, from B96, who's on mid-day weekdays. I met her a few years ago. She’s a Lady GaGa fan and I made her a prop that she could wear to the concert. She started inviting me to all the bashes. She’ll be spinning tunes, helping out with the raffle and be the M.C. She motivates everyone in the room.

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