Boardman Scout drawn to scouting by fire

BOARDMAN

For most of us, starting a fire in the fireplace represents little more than a routine attempt to keep warm on a cold winter morning.

For 16-year-old Ben Burkey, however, the simple act was an epiphany.

“When I was 12 or 13, I got up early one morning and built a fire and my scoutmaster asked, ‘Why are you up so early?’

“So I [went back to sleep and] woke up a second time around 7 a.m. and realized many adults were sitting around the fire I made,” recalled Burkey, a member of Boardman-based Boy Scout Troop 60.

That experience was a catalyst for solidifying his interest in Scouting, Burkey explained. It also clearly demonstrated to the teen that one’s actions – regardless of how small – can have far-reaching, positive effects on others, which ties in to some of the character traits such as leadership and service that Scouting tries to instill in its members.

Burkey shared his recollections and discussed some of his experiences as a Boy Scout during Tuesday morning’s 11th annual Celebration of Scouting breakfast at the Boardman Holiday Inn, 7410 South Ave.

Read more about the event in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.