Scout leads team in riverfront cleanup

Cleaning up acres littered with mattresses, toilets, boats and thousands of oil cans in blistering heat was not exactly summer fun for Ben Macuch. But the chance to serve his community and earn a coveted Eagle Scout badge while doing so made it all worthwhile for the 18-year-old.

Mr. Macuch hopes to become an Eagle Scout after getting a crew of friends and family together to clean up a dump site near the Savannah River.

Only 5 percent of Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts, according to the Boy Scouts of America National Council. Mr. Macuch wants to join the list of more than 1.7 million young men who have attached the Eagle Scout badge to their uniforms.

"To be a Boy Scout, you have to be real outgoing, love the outdoors and have leadership skills; that's the most important thing," he said. "I know that's going to help me in my adult life."

The Augusta State University freshman cleared two acres on the riverfront, which will get the area one step closer to becoming a disc golf course, said Frank Carl, the executive director of the Savannah Riverkeeper, a water quality advocacy group.

"He took the initiative, and none of this would have gotten started without him," Dr. Carl said. "It was a great Eagle project, and the start of something great for the river."

The weeks of work were his way of paying back his community and the Boy Scouts, Mr. Macuch said.

At age 7, his parents put him in Cub Scouts. He didn't advance to Boy Scout status, but his former scoutmaster David Lentz persuaded him when he was 12 to do so.

"I had a lot of fun before, so I decided to do it," Mr. Macuch said.

Mr. Lentz, now assistant scoutmaster of Mr. Macuch's Troop 45, said the youngster always showed signs of being dependable, dedicated and up to the challenge of being a Boy Scout.

Mr. Macuch began the traditional path toward becoming an Eagle Scout, but he took an unconventional route to college.

He started at Richmond Academy and moved on to Augusta Preparatory School in his junior year before being home schooled. He earned his GED in June.

"I wasn't applying myself in school, and I really didn't like the high school drama," Mr. Macuch said. "I know a lot of people frown on the GED, but I'm confident I'm going to be successful."

By July, he was ready to move on to another chapter.

He worked with other Scouts on their Eagle Scout projects and earned most of the 21 badges required to become an Eagle Scout, which include citizenship in the nation, communications, environmental science and camping.

He approached Mayor Deke Copenhaver about doing a community service project, one of the final steps before earning the badge. Mr. Macuch selected the most challenging project Mr. Copenhaver suggested, Mr. Lentz said.

"I think Ben was seeking a challenge," he said. "His desire to do something for the whole community is an ideal the Boy Scouts uphold."

The three-week project began July 26, and Mr. Macuch and his team of about 13 people cleared hundreds of pounds of filth and junk for as many as five hours several days a week, he said.

"Some days it didn't even look like we did much," Mr. Macuch said. "People aren't as motivated when it feels like 150 degrees outside, but we did it."

Mr. Macuch and his crew cleaned up two of the 10 acres that would be used for the disc golf course, said Tonya Bonitatibus, the development director for Savannah Riverkeeper.

She and her staff will get other volunteers to finish the cleanup, she said.

Mr. Macuch said he will balance his schedule during his first year at ASU as a business major so he can help. He hopes to use his love of the outdoors in a career as an environmental lawyer, he said.

The Eagle Scout badge will put him one step closer to his dreams, said his father, Bill Macuch.

"It was an ambitious thing to do, but, of course, that's my son. He's always been ambitious," he said. "This will be another feather in his cap. I'm proud of him. I know he'll continue to be successful."

Reach Stephanie Toone at (706) 823-3215 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.