Herald Neighbors

Bay Park resident collects over 500 pounds of pet food for Eagle Scout project

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Dean Cooper did not have a normal journey to the Boy Scouts. He began with the Scouts at age 14, a few years later than most members get their start. Nevertheless, he is well on his way to achieving his dream of becoming an Eagle Scout.

Now 16, Dean recently undertook his Eagle Scout project and collected pet food for Pets Of The Homeless, a national organization focused on feeding and providing veterinary care to pets of homeless people. Representing Troop 332 out of East Rockaway, the Bay Park resident collected over 500 pounds of pet food on Feb. 25 and 26.

“I learned that animals are an extremely important aspect of a person’s life,” said Dean, a junior at Kellenberg Memorial High School, when reflecting on his project. “Some of the people on the street only wake up and do something everyday for the sake of their best friend.”

To complete the project, Dean organized a way for St. Raymond’s Parish to raise awareness for the project through flyers and bulletins. He also arranged for the Freeport chapter of Long Island Cares to be a drop-off point for the food he collected. He turned in his donations to LIC on March 16.

Since most Scouts begin their journey in elementary school, Dean had to take an accelerated course to becoming a Boy Scout. This included attending Scout Camp in upstate New York, which he did for three straight summers. There, he learned how to survive in the wilderness and what it was like to be away from home for three weeks with Scouts from other troops who were complete strangers.

Dean came home with 13 merit badges his first year and has since taken on a leadership role in his troop, teaching knot tying classes and taking new recruits under his wing. “I’m very proud of him,” said Dean’s mother, Michaelene Abbott-Cooper. “I really am. I’m proud of him for so many reasons. He really did it.”

Abbott-Cooper said she has noticed a growth and maturity in her son ever since he decided to join the Scouts.

Troop 332 Scoutmaster Frank Honerkamp said he has enjoyed having Dean in the unit and praised his hard work and dedication.

“Dean is very involved in our East Rockaway community, and at Kellenberg High School,” he said. ”… It has been a pleasure to see so many of our young people grow up in our tight and caring community, and I am proud to have Dean in the ranks of our troop to teach a few more Scouts signs to follow on their own path to Eagle Scout.”

Dean will next submit his Eagle Scout project results to the Theodore Roosevelt Council of the Boy Scouts of America, located in Massapequa, and then be called for review. Once the review is complete, his application will be sent to National Boy Scout Headquarters in Irving, Texas as he awaits approval to be recognized as an Eagle Scout.

“Being an Eagle Scout is to be a leader,” Dean said. “An Eagle Scout is, what I believe, the model citizen. To me it represents dedication, loyalty, and respect. It’s a title that demands all of those characteristics. It’s not a title to be tossed around and to be used lightly. It’s significant and I look to it as a great achievement that I’m proud to strive for.”