Boy Scouts among us

There is a community of helpers out there, in the Belleville area. These helpers provide services to others, to us.

Some do it for a salary, whereas others either donate the money they earn back to the organization they represent, or provide the service for free.

Their fundamental drive is to help others. They are angels among us, and act on the same desire to help others that drives organizations like the Boy Scouts.

Would you charge to help an elderly person across the street? Surely not.

They are motivated to do good, and it is often enough for them to recognize that they have helped.

They are, in fact, boy scouts among us, in a manner of speaking. You know the Boy Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

Boy Scouts are everywhere, and numerous. They are young, old, girls, boys, men, women. And they are blessings.

We all know boy scouts. They often become public servants like police or firefighters. Did you know, for example, that Van Buren Township Fire Chief Darwin Loyer is an Eagle Scout?

As the new firefighters in Van Buren Township were welcomed to the community the other evening, I wondered how many of them had been in scouting.

Did you know that Frank Sobecki and George Kennedy of Troop 793 from St. Anthony Parish have been involved in scouting for years, continuing to this day? You saw them recently in the Strawberry Festival Parade, or parking cars behind St. Anthony Parish during the festival.

Or keeping Main Street tidy during the Strawberry Festival, like Assistant Scout Leader David Radecki.

Full disclosure: David is my neighbor. I met him when he was growing up. He is about the same age as my son Matthew, and they were in the scout troop together.

David stayed in the troop long after we left, becoming an Eagle Scout, and continues to play an important role.

He is the troop committee chairman, helping to coordinate plans and fundraising efforts with other troop leaders, and attends weekly troop meetings and camping trips.

Most recently, he patrolled Main Street during the Strawberry Festival, helping to keep the streets clean for the festival’s visitors.

David has lived in the tri-community area for most of his life. His parents are Mike and Cathy Radecki, and siblings are older brother Steven and twin sister Karen.

He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow in scouting, a sort of National Honor Society in scouting, he explains.

He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and is the vice president of the Wayne County Young Republicans.

He continues to participate in scouting, and in fact never left the troop.

He views scouting as a blend of fun and work, whether as a young person working toward merit badges, or as a scout leader.

“It’s so much fun to see the boys grow,” he said, to witness a youngster at 10 years old grow and develop into a young adult.

“Scouting gave so much to me, and I feel I want to give back to scouting,” he added.
The beneficiaries of David’s care, generosity of spirit and commitment are not only the Boy Scouts, but each of us in the community, as boy scouts operate among us each day, enriching our lives.

Thanks to David Radecki and the boy scouts among us.