Starkville Boy Scout makes difference through community service project

A local teenager is one step away from earning his Eagle Rank and hopes to be an eagle scout in a month.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Becoming an Eagle Scout is not easy. It takes a lot of time, work, and dedication.

A local teenager is one step away from earning his Eagle Rank and hopes to be an Eagle Scout in a month.

Davis Banzhaf was looking for the perfect project to complete his eagle rank.

“Originally, I had been working on another project, and I stumbled upon Catch-a-Dream as a local organization that I could try and help,” Davis Banzhaf said.

During his initial project, Davis Banzhaf had a brainstorm. The group has a wall at their headquarters where they display pictures of children they’ve helped over the year. Davis Banzhaf wanted to make it less cluttered.

“I had taken in the storyboards and what they meant,” Davis Banzhaf said. “Each one was a family they had helped. Because of that, they have done it for so many families, and I thought, ‘This is where I want to complete my project.'”

Catch-a-Dream gives once-in-a-lifetime hunting and fishing experiences to children 18 and younger who have a life-threatening illness. Their storyboards capture the memories of the trip.

“When I noticed they had rubber bands around the storyboards just so they don’t fall off every night, I realized, ‘This is something that needs to get done,'” Davis Banzhaf said.

After raising the money for the project, and putting in hours of work, gathering lumber, and staining it, Davis Banzhaf saw his project come to life.

His father George Banzhaf said completing an eagle comes with many challenges. Watching his son overcome all the obstacles made him proud.

“When we started talking about Eagle Scout projects he said there was no other place but this one that he wanted to do,” George Banzhaf said. “He was inspired by Catch a Dream. I look at not only what he gave to them but this organization has touched him in ways that I hope last his entire life”

Marty Brunson at Catch-a-Dream said these storyboards help document the memories these families create.

“As you look at these storyboards, you see real children, real moms, and dads from across the country, from 47 different states and two provinces in Canada, you look at these children from all walks of life with very bleak prognosis medically,” Brunson said. “Now everyone who comes to this facility can see storyboards and the proof of this Eagle Scout project. It’s a win for everyone involved.”

Davis Banzhaf has now set a goal to sponsor a child and become a dream-maker by funding a trip for one of the children.

“Helping them means a lot to me after learning what it’s all about,” Davis Banzhaf said.

The fundraising is not done, and Davis Banzhaf wants to help as many children as possible. To learn more, text “EagleScout” to 71777.

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