A Columbia Boy Scout was recently awarded with the organization’s highest honor and is still in the process of capping off his scouting career through helping out the county’s no-kill animal shelter.

Jack Roider of Boy Scout Troop 357 recently claimed the title of Eagle Scout, following in the footsteps of his older brothers.

As he explained, Roider joined the organization as a Tiger Scout – the rank for the youngest scouts at the time – given his exposure to scouting through his brothers and his mother, who served for a time as the den leader for his and his brothers’ Cub Scout group.

Seeing his brothers participate as Boy Scouts piqued Roider’s interest, and watching them ascend through the ranks all the way up to Eagle Scout gave him the drive to do the same.

“Basically my whole life, I’ve had some sort of connection with scouts in my family, and I got to see every cool thing that they got to do,” Roider said. “Getting exposed to that, I think, really helped me to actually decide to join the scouts and decide that I wanted to go for Eagle Scout like my brothers.”

Roider spoke to the memories he’s made throughout his time with his troop.

He particularly recounted a Klondike camping trip he and his fellow scouts enjoyed at Camp Vandeventer shortly before it was sold and stopped operating as a scout camp.

With several inches of snow having fallen on top of the camp’s central hill at the time, the scouts strove to keep warm but also kept busy trying to build an igloo, though one igloo turned into two, and the group eventually found themselves clambering through a tunnel they’d made for themselves out of snow.

Roider also spoke about some of the experiences and personal growth he’s enjoyed during his time as a scout, noting some of the leadership training, particularly one conference where he found himself amid a group of total strangers tasked with working together throughout the event.

“That has definitely helped me not only in my scouting but in my day-to-day confidence and ability to just kind of appease other people while still feeling like I can get stuff done,” Roider said.

Roider also spoke about his favorite aspect of scouting, that being the many experiences and learning opportunities young people are exposed to through the organization.

He emphasized how every summer camp or other major scout gathering was an opportunity to get new merit badges and try something new.

For Roider, an experience at Mizzou – making use of the university’s many resources and facilities – was especially meaningful, as there he got to learn about veterinary medicine from a dean at the school.

This experience is a big reason for his interest in studying veterinary medicine following his upcoming graduation.

It’s also part of the reason for his interest in working with Helping Strays to complete the service project aspect of his Eagle Scout award, though his family also has a fair amount of history with Monroe County’s chief animal shelter.

“My family has a lot of personal connections to them because we actually foster dogs through Helping Strays,” Roider said. “They always are looking for different fosters… While I was working on my project, we hit the mark of over 40 pets that we fostered and have gotten adopted. Unfortunately, we do have a foster fail that is now a permanent resident in our household.”

Roider further discussed his appreciation for Helping Strays and the work that the organization does in the area, making sure pets find a long-term home and receive the love that many of them haven’t enjoyed.

“It’s heartwarming to get those dogs that have been neglected their whole lives and every time you take a step toward them they whimper, or they cower in fear, and then seeing them a week later just from our household, jumping around excited, will run to you when you come through the door,” Roider said. “It’s just really great to see, especially in puppies, how much of a difference affection makes in these animals.”

It’s little wonder, then, that Roider was drawn to the nonprofit as he began organizing perhaps the biggest element of the Eagle Scout award.

In working with leadership at Helping Strays, he ultimately decided to build a brick patio and walkway for the building, and though it’s fairly simple at the moment, he plans to have it serve as a sort of memorial with some finishing touches to come in the next few months.

“Currently it’s just a normal brick patio in front of Helping Strays where they said they wanted it, but we have ordered multiple engraved bricks with kinda mementos to past pets from Helping Strays and also a couple past contributors and thank-yous to Helping Strays,” Roider said. “Once those come in, I am going to go back out and actually put those back in so it becomes more of a memorial patio.”

Roider discussed the many aspects of the project as he lead the endeavor, recalling having to keep every detail organized in a workbook and ultimately putting what he estimated to be north of 1,500 hours into the effort as a whole.

He also spoke about how the Columbia American Legion reached out offering to make a donation to the project on the condition that Roider visit the Columbia Police Department and hear about one of the department’s service dogs who passed away. He noted that a brick was made for the patio engraved in honor of the dog.

Further effort for the project has gone toward various fundraising efforts – the engraved bricks for the patio are themselves a fundraising effort for Helping Strays – and Roider pointed out that there was also plenty of time put into each merit badge and other scouting experiences over the years.

When it comes to the project, Helping Strays Executive Manager Trisha Hoagland had high praise for Roider, his peers who helped him and the substantial work they put in.

“He did a great job,” Hoagland said. “He worked when it was so cold and so rainy. He and his team were so dedicated to get it done, and we’re really proud of it, and we’re really proud of him for doing a project like that.”

Hoagland further said that Roider and his family have long been a major part of Helping Strays as one of their more active foster families.

Having recently earned the title of Eagle Scout, Roider said that the reality of the honor hasn’t quite hit him yet given how he’s long been working toward it.

“I’m not really sure if it’s set in with me yet,” Roider said. “It’s great to finally know that I’ve done this because my entire scouting career I have actually planned and thought of myself as ‘I’m going to go for my Eagle,’ but it’s kind of unreal now that I actually have it.”

Roider’s troop leader, Mike Sodsgill, offered praise for him, having known Roider for many years at this point.

“I know he is a very, very good scout,” Sodsgill said. “He’s trained many new scouts and helped them along their way.”

Roider’s mother, Kerri, likewise spoke highly of her son and the tremendous work that he’s put into both the Helping Strays project and scouting in general.

She emphasized his leadership skills and kindness, also noting how he likes to keep things light and entertain those around him.

“I always knew he would get it,” Kerri said. “He’s always wanted it. Jack is the kindest kid you’ll ever meet. His leadership is getting better every day, and he leads a lot of times with laughter. He will make a friend of you, and he will teach you something before you even realize you’re being taught.”

She also noted that he will soon be hosting his junior scouts for what’s known as Scat School, educating on a subject of tremendous interest for many young scouts.

Roider also offered some advice for those younger scouts in the community, urging them to push themselves and reach scouting’s highest honor.

“Truthfully, I would say, if anybody’s in scouts, they should reach for it,” Roider said. “It really is not only a great honor but also just a great learning experience to have.”

Roider and Hoagland also said that engraved bricks for the patio are still available for $250 each. Those interested can contact Helping Strays at 618-939-7389.