September 2023
Alex Kolpien’s family has a long history in Scouting. “It started with my grandpa; he was an Eagle Scout. And my father was in Scouting in high school and middle school, and my older brother started in Cub Scouts. He was enjoying it, so I also started Cub Scouts. And we both went into Scouts after getting our Arrow of Light,” he said.
Once in Scouts, Alex had plenty of leadership opportunities, such as Senior Patrol Leader and Planning Leader Committee. This is a youth-led, adult-supported group that plans all the activities for the Troop such as camping, ski trips and more. One special activity they planned was a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, one of four High Adventure Bases run by Scouting America, which included both Alex and his older brother. “You have a say in what you do. It’s not like someone’s telling you what you can and can’t do this year,” Alex said.
Alex wanted to pursue his Eagle Scout rank as a natural continuation of his development within the Troop in areas of accountability, ownership, and perseverance. In addition to earning the required number of Merit Badges, Scouts must plan, fund, complete, and write a reflection on a community service project. For his project, Alex wanted to do something personally meaningful and tie it to his life-long interest in sports, especially baseball and hockey. He approached Alex Hamilton, the City of Corning Parks and Recreation director, about fixing up the warm-up room at the Nassar Civic Center Skating Rink. “The floor tiles there were probably older than me! And I knew I could make it look better and help out the community,” he said.
Alex Hamilton, Corning City Parks and Recreation Director, said, ”Alex’s Eagle Scout Project at the Nasser Civic Center Ice Rink gave the facility a much needed face lift for the members of our community to share for years to come. Once I began working with him, it was evident that this young man had a love for Scouting that I believe contributed to the success of his project. Throughout the project, Alex was very professional, a great communicator, and project manager. These characteristics I believe are a direct result of Alex being a dedicated scout and fulfilling the requirement to become an Eagle Scout. I am very excited I was able to be a part of such an impactful project that so many community members will see over the years.”
The project planning started in late June of 2022, with the physical work starting in August. The project was fully completed and dedicated by November. With the help of his Scout Troop plus friends and family, Alex removed the old rubber tiles, scrubbed down the floor, repainted the walls, and laid new tile. The City of Corning paid for part of the tiles, Stevens Paint and Blinds provided the paint free of charge, Top’s Friendly Markets donated some food for the workers, and the remainder was funded by a GoFundMe page. “The floor under the old tiles was really dirty. We power washed it and then used a floor scrubber to try to get it clean. We also had to cut the new tiles to fit and had some issues with that, but we ordered extra to account for stuff like that. I chose a warm blue for the wall color, and also added some decals to the wall – a hockey player and a figure skater,” he said.
Given his involvement in youth sports and Scouting, Alex has an appreciation for both. He points out that “Scouting is more inclusive than sports. For younger kids in sports, if they’re not average or above average, they kind of get discouraged. In Scouting, you can be better at some things than others, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to be included in everything.” He also appreciates the wide range of skills and activities included in Scouting. “You definitely learn things that you wouldn’t learn anywhere else. You learn valuable skills and you do have fun throughout them,” he said.
To learn more about becoming an Eagle Scout or finding a unit in your area, visit Scouts BSA.