DOWAGIAC — The Boy Scouts of America has been a symbol of hope in communities across America for nearly a century. While numbers of Boy Scouts have been on a decline Michael Simons, 17, is optimistic about the group and its message.

Simons, of Troop 624 Saint Joseph, said he has been apart of scouts since he was in first grade.

“I started out as a Tiger Scout which is in Cub Scouts and I worked my way up,” Simons said. “Now, I’m a Life Scout and senior patrol leader for troop 624 in St. Joseph.”

Simons, who is working to earn the ranking of Eagle Scout, was inspired by former scouts to join the historic club, including one former scout in particular.

“My dad definitely,” Simons said. “He’s the one who pushed me to be in the cub scouts and got me to go through the whole thing. He just thought it would be a good activity for me.”

From the time scouts begin as Tiger scouts, they are tasked with a number of projects and activities in order to advance in ranking. Scouts earn merit badges and patches based on the projects they complete — some individually and some with fellow scouts.

To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts must be active in their troop, team crew or ship for a at least six months after receiving the rank of Life Scout, which Simons received.

“I got scared at one point because there’s one part of the task where you have to be a part of the troop and to be a leader for six months,” Simons said of the most difficult part of his project. “That’s right when they sign the page for you to be a Life [Scout]. I was afraid I wasn’t going to get that in time.”

Life Scouts must earn a total of 21 merit badges, including first aid; citizenship in the community; citizenship in the nation; citizenship in the world; communication; cooking; personal fitness; emergency preparedness or lifesaving; environmental science or sustainability; personal management; swimming, hiking or cycling; camping and family life, according to the Boy Scouts of America website.

Life Scouts also work on a project to demonstrate their skills and officially earn the ranking.

Simon’s Eagle Scout project is called a “little free library.”  The concept of the little free library is a dispenser where people can pick up and drop off books at no cost. Simons’ main goal for the project is to get books for kids who can’t afford them or don’t have the time to go to their local library.

One of the dispensers will be located at First United Methodist Church and the other dispenser will be located at Justus Gage Elementary School.

“Hopefully, I will be able to get my project done in the middle of October at the latest,” he said, “I have to have everything done before my 18th birthday which is Dec. 4.”

After he sets up the two dispensers, Simons said that the city has promised that they will send someone to check and if need be, refill them.

He said he believes he has not been through the most difficult part of the task yet because he still has to sign the paperwork to become an Eagle Scout after he builds the dispensers.

“I don’t really don’t see it as a big deal,” Simons said. “The only thing it might hurt is the Girl Scouts because now there’s another organization to compete with it…the Girl Scouts do basically the same thing the Boy Scouts do.”

In May, Boy Scouts of America voted to drop “Boy” from “Boy Scouts of America,” gender neutralizing the organization and including all participants. The decision does not dissolve either the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts — each organization remains its own entity. However, girls may now join what was formerly known as “Boy Scouts of America.”

Simons said he hopes the new ruling will not phase out the Girl Scouts because it is as old as the Boy Scouts organization, but he does not see how a girl’s involvement in Boy Scouts diminishes the Boy Scouts’ role to help the community at all. He said he remembers a girl being in the Gerber Scout camp and a girl staff member who was a part of his troop who helped them out.

Simons said he understands that not many Boy Scouts stick around long enough to earn their Eagle Scout status, so he will take his achievement with great honor.

“I’ve been working my entire Boy Scout career since first grade,” he said. “My brother did it.  A lot of my friends are in Boy Scouts. It’s an example to be the best person you could possibly be.”

Simons said many people should want to take on the difficult task to become an Eagle Scout because it’s a high representation that a person has helped the community. However, he does not condemn people who go through Cub and Boy Scouts, but don’t finish out.

“As long as you go through Boy Scouts and you get the idea of community service and doing a good turn daily, you’re as much as a Boy Scout as the next one,” he said. “Eagle Scout is to say that you want to help the community but you don’t necessarily have to have the Eagle Scout honor to understand the core values.”