Kauffman Eagle Scout Award to Honor Eagle Scout Lifetime Achievement

Nothing symbolizes Scouting and the Heart of America Council more than the Eagle Scout.  Earning the Eagle Scout badge takes perseverance, strength of character, and a sense of entrepreneurship. Since 1910, our council has had an impressive 44,000 young men earn their Eagle badge.   One Eagle Scout from our council in particular personifies what it means to be an Eagle. He used his talents to their fullest, lived the Scout Oath and Law, and in doing so fundamentally changed the lives of many and made a significant contribution to our community. This Eagle Scout was Ewing M. Kauffman.  To commemorate Mr. Kauffman’s leadership as an Eagle Scout and as an entrepreneur in our community, the Heart of America Council is commemorating Scouting’s 100th Anniversary to establish an award in his honor.  This award will recognize the distinguished lifetime contributions of Eagle Scouts and will be awarded annually.     

Ewing Kauffman, the son of an Eagle Scout, earned his Eagle Badge in 1932, as a member of Boy Scout Troop and Ship 100 at Faxon School in Kansas City, Missouri.  Because of his Eagle Badge and his Sea Scouting experience, he was given the rank of Seaman First Class upon enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He later earned a “deck commission” to the rank of Ensign.  As Mr. Kauffman relayed to the Ewing M. Kauffman Class of Eagle Scouts in 1970, his Boy Scout and Sea Scout experience had much to do with his safe return from three years of active sea duty.

His entrepreneurial spirit enabled him to start his own pharmaceutical company that later grew into an international business. His success allowed him to purchase the Kansas City Royals, developing civic pride and reiterating Kansas City’s place as a “major league” community.  Later in his life, Mr. Kauffman established his most enduring legacy for his community and the world, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Today, the Foundation continues to inspire others through the values that made Mr. K successful: treating others as you want to be treated, sharing life’s rewards with those who make them possible, and giving back to society.

The Heart of America Council, Boy Scouts of America, is honored to have played a role in the formative years of Ewing M. Kauffman- a great businessman, a great Kansas Citian, and a great human being.  The Ewing M. Kauffman Eagle Award will be used to: first, recognize the influence and positive impact that more than 44,000 Eagle Scouts have made on our community, just as Mr. K did throughout his life. Secondly, it provides a symbol that focuses attention on the values and leadership skills, learned through Scouting, which will help a young man or young woman reach their full potential in life.

Nomination materials and guidelines will be available in the near future and posted on the Heart of America Council’s website.