DAPHNE, Ala.—Ben Flores of Boy Scout Troop 87 in Daphne earned the rank of Eagle Scout on March 19. He is the son of Mario and Linda Flores of Daphne.

Ben started his scouting journey in 1999 as a Tiger Cub in Pack 87.  He moved up the ranks of Cub Scouting to earn his Arrow of Light award in May 2004.   The Arrow of Light award is the highest rank in Cub scouts. 

Ben entered Boy Scouts in Troop 87 under the guidance of Scoutmaster George Glaser. Troop 87 is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. With Glaser’s help—and the assistance of the adult leaders, Chuck Diard and Tom Bertagnolli—Ben earned 33 merit badges from various fields of interest such as first aid, camping, cooking, personal management and canoeing.

Ben has held the positions in his Troop of patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide and chaplain.

Ben is an Ordeal Member of the Order of the Arrow, an honor society within the Boy Scouts of America.

Ben’s Eagle Scout project was to clear trash and hurricane debris from Village Point Park Preserve. Ben and fellow troop members spent many hours clearing refrigerators, bottles and gas cans and recycled bins from the forest floor.   Purportedly, only 4 percent of boys entering scouting complete the journey to Eagle Scout.

Ben is also involved at Christ the King Lightkeepers Youth Program, and sings in the youth choir.

“The scouting program has helped Ben to grow into the person he is today, with strong morals, integrity, helpfulness and leadership qualities,” Linda Flores, his mother, said.

“As Ben’s parents, we are very proud to make this Eagle rank announcement and encourage all parents to think about getting their sons involved in scouting.”