Local Catholic Scout wins service scholarship

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Keegan Benfield

SALT LAKE CITY — Keegan Benfield, a Boy Scout who is a member of St. Ambrose Parish, has received a $2,000 service scholarship. Benfield was just one of seven Scouts from across the nation awarded a scholarship by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting through the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship Fund.

Benfield has had a full career in Scouting, from Bobcat to Venture Crew, including time in the Western Australia Bushranger Cadets, an environmental group, while living in Australia. For his Eagle project, he and members of his troop organized the Winter Warmth Clothing Drive, collecting 2,300 pounds of clothing and delivering it to homeless shelters. He was also a member of the Order of the Arrow, has held numerous troop leadership positions and completed a Philmont Scout Ranch Trek.

A member of the Millcreek Youth Council, Benfield has volunteered with Cottonwood Conservation and worked at food drives, pancake breakfasts and other community projects. Through his church youth group and Scouting, he volunteered with Ronald McDonald House and the Good Samaritan Program House. He was also a volunteer teen counselor for Vacation Bible Camp and was selected to speak about his faith at the Salt Lake City Youth Rally.

From 2017-2018 Benfield participated in a Nepal Service Year through Youthlinc, assisting refugee students and their families to transition to our culture. He then traveled to Nepal and participated in a variety of construction, education, cultural exchange, community health, vocational and business development initiatives.  

“I am committed to living a life of service and will continue to do so throughout all of my years,” he said in a press release from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. “I think it’s unfortunate that so many people choose not to volunteer or help others. Can you imagine what we could do if we all join together to accomplish what the individual could not?”  

Benfield recently graduated from Skyline High School, where he was a Joanie Day Service Scholar, with an international baccalaureate. He will attend the University of Utah this fall.

To be eligible to apply for the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship, the Scout must be Catholic, have earned the Ad Altare Dei and/or Pope Pius XII Awards, and received the Eagle Scout, Summit or Quartermaster Award.