Hi. My name is Audrey Brandmeier. I am
hoping to contact the scout masters of Troop 125, but could only find an email
address for the webmaster. Please pass this on to the appropriate
person(s).
My son, CJ (formally Christopher Brandmeier), first
became active in scouting with Troop 125. We owe SO much to your troop and
have incredibly fond memories. We moved in 2006 to Illinois where CJ
continued scouting with Troop 87 in Milburn, IL. He likes it, but
frequently says, "It's not like Troop 125." What troop is? But
still, he enjoyed finishing up his badges, LOVED traveling to Philmont, and
completed an awesome Eagle project here. And, my thanks to 125 -- he did
it all himself. With the leadership and self-motivation instilled in him
there in Rochester Hills, he insisted that as a scout it's his
responsibility. Thank you to some tough "you-can-do-it" dads who really
set him on his way!
Eagle Scout ceremonies here are pretty much up to
the families. So far we've only selected a date & location -- Sun.
April 25th at Milburn Congregational Church. I am hoping that a few people
from Troop 125 could take a few minutes and write a few words for CJ to receive
on that date. If I were to name names... I think Mr. Burlingame and Mr.
Wilson were particularly effective in shaping CJ as a scout. But, of
course, I'd love to hear from any scouts or leaders who remember CJ. (Mr.
Razzano??)
We are very proud of the man CJ has become.
He is a senior at Carmel Catholic High School, and has been accepted into 6
college engineering programs. It appears he will soon accept an offer from
Penn State University's Honors Program. His Eagle project was a renovation
of the Waukegan Soup Kitchen. He has volunteered there over the past 4
years, and asked them what their needs may be. They wanted a water-damaged
cabinet replaced, and maybe enough money to tile a large food storage
area. He did that and more. He raised enough money, and partnered
with Lowe's Heroes to put in custom cabinetry, tile the floor, repair the
water issue from a homeless shelter above, paint, and reconfigure the space to
better facilitate moving carts completely around shelving. Boy, wasn't
THAT an awesome experience (of successes and small failures) that provided
plenty of college application essay material!
Again, my sincere appreciation to the scout leaders
of 125. You really do have a fantastic troop and you empower the boys to
be better, well-rounded people. Hopefully, some of the scouts CJ knew
stayed involved. We'd love to hear from them & find out what they are
up to now. If anyone would like to send a card or letter to CJ please
do. Send it to Audrey Brandmeier, 36711 Yew Tree Dr., Lake Villa, IL
60046. I will hold them until 4/25, the day of his
ceremony.
Thanks for everything.
- Audrey
Brandmeier