Daniel and Matthew Shaefer
Eagle Scouts

Brothers, Daniel and Matthew Shaefer, were awarded the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank of Eagle Scout in a Court of Honor on April 7, 2005.

Daniel and Matthew are the sons of Mark and Kristy Shaefer of Cary.  Both boys are members of  Boy Scout Troop 216, which meets at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary.

Daniel became a Scout in 1995 when he joined Cub Scout Pack 316 as a Tiger.  He advanced through ranks of Bobcat, Wolf, Bear and Weblos and was awarded the Arrow of Light.  While in Cub Scouts Daniel also earned his Light of Christ and Parvuli Dei religious awards. In 2000 he joined Boy Scout Troop 216. Daniel has served as Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Troop Guide and Quartermaster.  He also earned the Catholic religious award, Ad Altari Dei.  Daniel has been active in troop activities and has attended summer camp each year since joining scouts. Last summer he completed a trek at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and earned the Boy Scouts of America 50 miler award.

For his Eagle service project, Daniel and a number of volunteers reconditioned, realigned and created new footpaths across parking lot borders in the St. Andrews Catholic Church parking lot. Daniel and his team of scouts, friends and adult volunteers contributed more than 150 hours of labor to recondition 22 existing paths by placing landscape film, leveling stepping stones and finishing the paths with decorative stones.  In addition a new path was constructed in an area where many people cut across the median that was without a walkway.

Matthew became a Scout in 1996 when he joined Cub Scout Pack 316 as a Tiger. He followed in his brothers footsteps and successively earned the ranks of Bobcat, Wolf, Bear and Weblos and was awarded the Arrow of Light.  He also earned the Catholic Cub Scout religious awards of Light of Christ and Parvuli Dei. In 2001 he joined Troop 216. Matthew has served as Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Den Chief, Troop Guide and is currently the Senior Patrol Leader for the troop.  He also earned the Ad Altari Dei Catholic religious award.  Matthew has attended summer camp each year and has participated in a number of other troop activities.  He was also part of the trip last summer to the Philmont Scout Ranch and earned his 50 miler award.

For his Eagle service project, Matthew planned and executed two soccer clinics for young players ages 6-10. Matthew called on fellow scouts, coaches and teammates from his JV CASL Select soccer teams to help with this project.  He worked with Charlie Slagle, CEO of CASL, on his plan and was allowed to use CASL fields to conduct the clinics.    More than 110 youth players participated in the two 90 minute clinics on a Saturday morning and afternoon in March.  The project involved over 150 hours of service from the volunteers.  In addition, participants at the clinic were asked to bring a donation of food or used soccer equipment. The soccer equipment was donated to a local Inner-city Soccer league run through CASL. The food and monetary contributions were donated to a ministry for the poor in Clinton, North Carolina.

In attendance at the Eagle Court of Honor were Troop 216 Scouts, family and friends including the boys Grandmother from San Diego, CA and Grandparents from Omaha, NE.  The master of ceremonies for the ceremony was Eagle Scout, Andrew Walters.  Other participants were Scoutmaster David Walters,  Assistant Scoutmaster Brad Beauchamp, Committee member Theresa Smit, and Michael Harpham, Daniels Eagle Advisor. Members of the Honor Guard were Eagle Scouts Michael Kennedy and Scott Barnes. Fr. David Fitzgerald, SA, Pastor of St. Andrews Catholic Church provided the invocation and benediction for the ceremony.  Daniel and Matthew were presented with a plaque and American Flag by Charles Fossett and Bob Connick of the Cary-Apex Elks Lodge 2798.  They were presented with a certificate and engraved pen and pencil sets from the sponsor organization for the troop by Rick Scherer of Knights of Columbus Council 6650. In addition committee member Curt Kennedy read proclamations for each boy from the Town of Cary signed by Mayor McAlister.

Daniel and Matthew attend Cardinal Gibbons High School.  Daniel is a sophomore and plays on the JV Football and Baseball Teams. Matthew is a freshman and in addition to playing soccer for the U89 CASL Premiere team he plays for the Gibbons JV team.