My Scouting Story – by Jeffrey Hannam

Editor’s Note: Jeffrey Hannam is organizing the first-ever Great Falls Council Scouting America Alumni Event on August 23 at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, NY. Below is his Scouting Story.  

Since joining Cambria Pack 8 as a Wolf Cub in 2009, Scouting has given me countless opportunities for learning, self-growth, and travel. I’ve earned the Rank of Eagle Scout, served in various youth and adult leadership positions, attended several leadership trainings and courses, been inducted into the Order of the Arrow (Scouting’s National Honor Society), and met people from all around the world. All the while I’ve learned life skills, made lasting connections, and expanded my horizons in ways I never could have guessed before.

In 2017, I attended my Council’s National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) course. I had been a Patrol Leader previously, but this course helped me become more effective in areas such as delegation, conflict resolution, and organization. At the end of the course, I was invited to return to help teach the program, an offer I was happy to receive. During the following year, I learned more about presentation and communication skills, even attending the National Leadership Academy in 2018 to help me become a better NYLT staffer. Through this program, I became more comfortable with public speaking and presentation, and honed my leadership skills by teaching them to others.

Jeff at his Eagle Scout ceremony 

In 2019, I earned the Rank of Eagle Scout. I earned 50 Merit Badges as a youth, and had been inducted into the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s National Honor Society. I was the Senior Patrol Leader in my Troop and a Vice Chief in the Lodge, while maintaining my position on the NYLT Staff. By the time I turned 18 and was no longer a youth, I had gained skills that would help shape my life going forward. I joined the Ransomville Volunteer Fire Company and became an EMT, drawing on what I learned in the First Aid, Fire Safety, Search and Rescue, and Emergency Preparedness Merit Badges. I went to the University at Buffalo to become an Engineer, drawing from the Robotics, Electronics, and Scholarship Merit Badges. I even started getting more involved with my hobbies, drawing from the Collections, Model Design and Building, and Railroading Merit Badges.

Reflecting on my time in Scouting so far, I can clearly see how I use the skills I learned through the program in my everyday life. Without these skills, I simply would not be where I am today. Now, as an Assistant Scoutmaster and an Advisor in the Order of the Arrow, it is my turn to help teach these same skills to the next generation of Scouts, in the hopes that they, too, will learn and grow from them.