Anthony Haiduk Awarded $2,000 National Scholarship
Anthony Haiduk from Groom, Texas has been awarded the $2,000 Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting® (NCCS). He belongs to Sacred Heart Parish in White Deer, Texas and is a member of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 80, Golden Spread Council. This year nine service scholarships totaling $25,000 were awarded nationwide to recognize scouts for outstanding service and leadership in four areas: Church, Community, School and Scouting.
Haiduk truly embodies the ideals of servant leadership. When asked why volunteering is important to him, he responded, “To me, volunteering is to be looked at as an expectation, not as a chore or requirement. I think of volunteering as more of a way of life rather than a requirement for a rank or checking a box.” He earned the Ad Altare Dei religious emblem offered by the NCCS and serves his local parish as an altar server, lector, religious education teacher and retreat leader.
Haiduk is very enthusiastic about community service. During 2021, he devoted numerous service hours to his local parish and community, most notably to support military veterans and food collection drives for local food banks, and ranch, county and city clean up efforts.
At White Deer High School, Haiduk is President of the Student Council and served as class officer each year. He also served as an officer in the National Honor Society and is an active member of the White Deer High School athletic program. Haiduk was a major contributor as a member of the Science Team of the Agricultural Education program where his efforts enabled the program to advance to the national level in the Agriscience Fair.
In Scouting, Haiduk has served numerous leadership positions, ranging from, Troop Chaplain to Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. He attended National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), BSA’s youth leadership program and was invited to serve on the NYLT staff. For his Eagle Scout Project, Haiduk led efforts to erect a statue of Saint Isidor, the patron saint of farmers. He suggested this project to his pastor noting that their community is a rural and farming community. The statue was placed outside of the church in an enclosed structure designed to protect it from the weather and surrounded by outdoor solar powered LED lighting. Haiduk raised $2400 from donations, and he also involved members of the parish community, such as the Alar Society. The project took 486 hours to complete and involved 51 Scouts and parish volunteers to help make this project possible.
To be eligible to apply for the NCCS Scholarships, the Scout must be Catholic, earned the Ad Altare Dei and/or Pope Pius XII Awards and received either the BSA Eagle Scout Award, Venturing Summit or Sea Scout Quartermaster Award. A complete list of award recipients, eligibility requirements and applications can be found here. NCCS Scholarship recipients are chosen based on their commitment in making a difference for good in the world through service and leadership. Young people, like Anthony Haiduk, are certain to enrich our future.