Sam Balfanz has been a boy scout since he was quite young, but he was recently granted with his biggest achievement in the scouts yet: an Eagle Scout Award. Balfanz has dedicated a lot of time and effort to the scouts and his family and his girlfriend seems very pleased with the direction in which Sam’s scouting career is taking him.

The award Balfanz has achieved shows that he is capable of demonstrating immense discipline and caring for the entire community that he is involved in. Balfanz is not the only member in his family to have received an Eagle Scout Award and he is extremely proud to be in the same ranks as his father who also received the award.

Kevin Balfanz, Sam’s father, is still involved with the Boy Scout program and he has been registered with the local scout council for over 38 years. He is currently registered as a youth, camp staff member, council volunteer or local unit leader. Sam being an Eagle Scout has helped him and his father build an even stronger relationship than either one of them could have imagined.

“We have come closer as a family through our involvement in the scouting activities,” said Balfanz. He also explained, “The scouting curriculum and resources have been good vehicles to help support and teach the values we hold to our children.”

Kevin had an excellent experience with the scouts that eventually led to him working his current career as he explained when he said, “I found the field to be very intriguing and went on to earn my Master’s degree in Industrial Safety. I have been employed as a certified Safety Professional for the past 20 years.”

Besides being so heavily involved in the scouts, Kevin also earned the Eagle Scout Award when he was a teenager.

The Eagle Scout Award is something that takes copious amounts of time and effort working with the community in order to be earned. Sam has worked very hard to earn this award, “It represents leadership abilities and commitment to the community,” said Balfanz when referring to the meaning of the award.

Balfanz enjoys being a scout and working with the community to make the city a better place for everyone who lives here but “being able to go camping and just being outdoors” are his favorite aspects of being an Eagle Scout. Besides being in the scouts, Sam’s other commitments include his long-time girlfriend, Alex Holmberg.

Alex Holmberg and Sam Balfanz have been dating since junior high school, but Balfanz has been a boy scout since their relationship began. Holmberg said, “The scouts have had a very positive effect on our relationship since we have been dating.”

Holmberg is very proud of Sam for earning the Eagle Scout Award and she knows how much it means to him but overall she does not believe this award has changed anything in their relationship. The only noticeable change Holmberg has identified with Sam since they have began dating is an increased involvement in the community.

Balfanz has demonstrated his intense advocacy for the betterment of the community and his perseverance for a positive change in the world around him and thus has earned a well deserved Eagle Scout Award for his endearing actions. This award and Sam’s overall involvement in the boy scouts has led to a deeper understanding of the community and what it means to be an active member of something you really care about. The boy scouts have brought Sam and his family closer together along with continuing a tradition that has lasted throughout multiple generations.