For years, Grace Sullivan had enjoyed being a Girl Scout, but at age 11, she found herself wanting something more. Her older brother, Jack, excelled as a Boy Scout and had attained Eagle Scout status in 2021.
“Girl Scouts was fun, but it wasn’t what Jack was doing,” said Grace, now a senior at the Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences. “He went to Camp Owasippe for a week every summer and came back with all kinds of stories about all the fun things he got to do.”
Those activities included kayaking, horseback riding, archery, shooting skeet, rappelling, sailing, boating, swimming and camping.
Wanting to experience those same adventures, Grace joined the Boy Scouts of America in 2019, two years after the organization began welcoming girls.
Grace not only earned a merit badge for kayaking. She eventually taught kayaking at Camp Owasippe to other Scouts earning their badges. She also joined the ranks of more than 1,000 young women across the nation who have achieved Eagle Scout status in recent years.
Grace was not the only girl from Troop 637 to be honored as an Eagle Scout in September by Father Perez Knights of Columbus Council 1444 at Queen of Martyrs Parish in Evergreen Park, where the troop meets on Sunday evenings. Her sisters Kaitlin and Molly, both freshman at the Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences, also achieved the BSA’s highest honor, along with Ella Devine, a senior at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School.
The four were the first girls in Troop 637 to become Eagle Scouts.
Like Grace, Molly Sullivan joined the Scouts wanting to participate in archery, water sports and camping. She and her fraternal twin Kaitlin both joined the BSA at age 11 and achieved Eagle Scout status when they were 14.
Becoming Eagle Scouts at such an early age is “unusual,” said Ken McCann, a committee chair with the troop.
“Yes, they really just powered on through,” he said.
To qualify as an Eagle Scout, a candidate must have been involved in scouting for at least six months, have obtained 21 merit badges, and taken on leadership roles in Scouting. They must also complete an Eagle Scout project.
Eagle Scout projects are intended to foster leadership skills. They must benefit the community and engage other members of the troop in bringing about their completion. The projects also frequently require first obtaining approval and cooperation from community organizations and community members.
“A lot of people hold off until they’re 18,” Molly said. “They can do it sooner, they just can’t do it after 18. Plus, a lot of people put it off because they have to do a lot of paperwork.”
On that note, the Sullivan girls’ mother and Scoutmaster, Jessica Sullivan, joked, “We weren’t idle during COVID. We held virtual Scout meetings, and we had campouts in the backyard with YouTube.”
Grace led many of those virtual meetings with the family gathered at the coffee table in the living room. All three girls worked on their merit badges.
Molly’s Eagle Scout project involved organizing and overseeing the sprucing up of two parking lots affiliated with Queen of Martyrs.
“We repainted guard rails, took out overgrown bushes and a huge pile of debris around a light pole,” she said. “It took two days. It taught me how to manage people, but also to meet other people’s needs even though you’re dictating what they do in that moment. It also taught me about time management.”
Kaitlin’s project was to orchestrate the painting of a meeting hall/lunchroom. “We painted it two, three coats, the school colors,” she said, referring to the blue and white walls.
After getting approval from Queen of Martyrs school for the paint colors, and assembling paints and painting materials, Kaitlin went about overseeing other troop members, volunteers and parents in the four-day painting project.
“I felt lots of people were asking me difficult questions, it was very stressful at times,” Kaitlin said. “But it taught me important life lessons.”
She also agreed with Molly’s description of Troop 637 as a supportive “second family,” in helping her.
Grace’s Eagle project involved leveling and repainting paving stones in the church’s memorial courtyard. To do this, she created a master map of the stones so that they could be returned to their rightful places after fellow Scouts and volunteers finished clearing away tree roots, leveling the soil and repainting the stones.
The hardest part of overseeing the project was staying in a supervisory role, Grace said. “I just wanted to get in there and do it.”
Like the Sullivan sisters, Ella Devine was inspired to join the BSA by a brother who was involved. “I like trying new things, going outside of my comfort zone,” she said. “I wanted to have some adventures.”
Ella organized a food drive for Turpin Cares, a nonprofit that provides food, hygiene products and relief items to homeless people and others in need on the South Side. Her efforts included creating collection bags printed with information to inform people living near Queen of Martyrs of the collection, pickup times and items needed.
Fellow Scouts deposited the bags on doorsteps, then retrieved them on the appointed day, taking the donated items to the church for sorting. In all 500 items were collected.
“I just got a sense of joy, knowing I was helping people,” said Ella who is considering a career in hospitality. “It felt good. I also learned how to control people — not in a bad way — but how to manage them, get them to do certain tasks. It was a nice experience, getting to learn to be a leader. I think it would help me in the future.”
Grace also expressed gratitude for the chance to help others.
“You feel like you are helping your community,” Grace said. “Kids at school are not seeing each other in drab surroundings at lunch. It’s much happier and brighter now. The parking lots are cleared. And older parishioners are able to relax in the courtyard with memories of their loved ones, now that there are no tripping hazards. It feels good to have a positive impact on people’s lives.”
Since 2017, the BSA has welcomed more than 160,000 girls into Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, according to the organization’s website. The organization honored 61,353 new Eagle Scouts last year, with Scout members and volunteers collectively completing more than 13 million hours of community service.
Other Troop 637 Eagle Scouts honored in September by Father Perez Knights of Columbus Council 1444 were Rex DeVries, Christian Morales, Patrick Panarese, and Stephen Devine, Ella’s brother.
Susan DeGrane is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
