Jacob Marx recently received the Eagle Award, the highest award the Boy Scouts of America presents, as a member of Boy Scout Troop 33 in DeKalb.
A 2013 graduate of DeKalb High School, he is the son of David and Dawn Marx.
His journey in scouting began as a Tiger Cub in Pack 131 sponsored by the DeKalb Christian Church, where he earned the Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouts.
In 2006, he joined Boy Scout Troop 33 sponsored by the First Lutheran Church. He enjoyed summer camp many years at Camp Lowden, where he earned many of his 35 merit badges and participated in swimming, canoeing, rifle shooting, archery, handicrafts, nature study and climbing.
He traveled to disaster relief projects which included Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas, and more recently Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York. He also helped deliver memorial gifts to the city of Newtown, Conn., after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Other adventures took him underwater to become a NAUI-certified scuba diver, some exciting winter challenges included dog sledding and snowshoeing along Lake Superior. He enjoyed canoeing in the rugged wilderness beauty of Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota and celebrated the 100th anniversary of Scouting at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree in Virginia, which was attended by more than 50,000 Scouts and leaders. His Jamboree leadership included Patrol Leader and Hometown Correspondent for the Daily Chronicle.
His Eagle service project benefitted Feed’em Soup in DeKalb, a nonprofit organization that provides food and clothing to people in need. His project centered on making a children’s area called Lexi’s Corner, created in memory of Lexi Weber, a core member of Feed’em Soup, who died in a traffic accident in February 2011. The area was transformed from a table with crayons and coloring books, into an experience that inspires kids to learn. With help from the community, he collected more than 2,000 items including shelves, tables, chairs, art supplies, science supplies, games, toys and books. A donated rocking chair for the reading area was painted in Lexi’s memory. Lexi’s Corner provides a fun and educational program for children.
He is a member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s National Honor Society, and has provided leadership in many positions including Junior Assistant Scoutmaster.
He is now a freshman attending Monmouth College.
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