Not Your Traditional Members Of La Grange-Area Scouts

LA GRANGE HIGHLANDS, IL — The La Grange area has four new Eagle Scouts. And they are different from their predecessors: They're girls.

Boy Scouts of America started allowing girls into its Scouts BSA program in February 2019. Troop 216G in La Grange Highlands is designated for girls.

The four new Eagle Scouts:

• Kristina and Madison Findley, whose parents are John and Sheri Findley
• Emma Fudacz, whose parents are Allison and Bryan Fudacz
• Sofia LoSavio, whose parents are Phil and Angie LoSavio

More than 400 girls are participating in Scouts BSA troops in the district that covers a large part of Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana, according to the organization. In recent months, 14 of these girls, including the four from the La Grange Highlands troop, have completed the requirements to be Eagle Scouts.

Scouts BSA is careful not to refer to its female members as "girl Scouts" because of the trademark held by Girl Scouts of the USA. Rather, it prefers to use terms such as "female Scouts."

Patch caught up with the local Eagle Scouts about their experiences in the group. They also have belonged to Girl Scouts, saying they can see the advantages of both organizations. They also have brothers in Boy Scouts.

In an interview, Fudacz, a Downers Grove resident who joined the La Grange-area troop in March 2019, said she had to gain a bunch of merit badges to become an Eagle Scout. Those badges include such things as management of money, citizenship in the community and understanding of local government.

To become an Eagle Scout, a member must undertake some type of project. For Fudacz, it was a butterfly garden and habitat at Darien's Mark DeLay Elementary School, where she once attended. She got help from the Findleys.

Fudacz, a Downers Grove South sophomore, said she likes the Girl Scouts for the opportunity to travel to places such as California, Alabama and Colorado. And she said selling Girl Scouts cookies is fun, too.

As for Boy Scouts, Fudacz said she likes the focus on the outdoors. And she said the boys' reaction to girls among their ranks has been good.

"They thought boys wouldn't be open to the idea, but the boys' side of our troop has been very welcoming," Fudacz said.

Twins Kristina and Madison Findley are freshmen at Lyons Township High School. Kristina's project was collecting school supplies for the St. Cletus pantry in La Grange, while Madison's involved improvements to the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center in Willow Springs.

They said they do more campouts with Boy Scouts and more crafts with Girl Scouts. As for the boys in Scouts BSA, Kristina said, "They accepted us in the program. They were welcoming and nice."

Madison agreed.

"It's really fun, and we have learned a lot of new things and met a lot of new friends," she said.

LoSavio, an eighth grader at La Grange Highlands Middle School, is among the youngest of Eagle Scouts. She said she was on a mission — to become a part of the inaugural group of female Eagle Scouts. So she did all the work to get that designation in a short time.

Her Eagle Scout project was volunteering with the Chicago-based Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation to help families affected by violence.

"The boys' part of the organization has been very welcoming from the start," LoSavio told Patch. "Even at the beginning, they were very open to having us in the troop."