Boy Scout's Passion for Hiking Leads Him on Money-Making Trail

A Shelby Township Boy Scout has learned early in life that you never give up on your dreams and you do whatever it takes - be it scooping dog poop or returning hundreds of bottles - to make it happen.

"If you make a commitment, keep with it because the benefits will almost always be better than you expected," Zachary Komondy told Patch.

And for this 14-year-old Malow Junior student, the commitment was to raise $2,000 to fund a once in a lifetime trip to stay at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and hike across the Philmont mountains, along with his Boys Scout Troupe 1402 of Fraser, in 2013.

For several months, Komondy has been raising the capital by doing yard work for elderly neighbors, picking up dog poop and returning bottles. But his biggest fundraiser came over the weekend when he held a yard sale at his Shelby Township home.

With the help of his mother, Sherri Komondy, and a few generous donors, Zachary was hoping to raise the remainder of the cash needed to fund his trip. On sale were items ranging from Halloween decorations to home furnishings, antiques, baby clothing and Zachary's old toys.

Zachary said the yard sale took a lot of preparation, hauling and negotiating.

In the process, the 14-year-old told Patch, he's learned some keen bargaining skills, which were beginning to pay off. By the second day of the sale, he had already made more than $500, and was a few hundred dollars from hitting his goal.

"The most fun raising money I had was organizing this yard sale because I got to meet a lot of different people."

Passion Fuel's Scouts Desire

For Komondy, who started as a Cub Scout, learning survival skills and hiking with his troupe has been a great passion.

Over the summer he has already hiked and canoed the Chief Pontiac Trail, the Appalachians in Maryland and Pictured Rocks in the Upper Peninsula.

The feeling Zachary said he gets after completing a hike is "indescribable" and to know that he made it happen through hard work is just a cherry on top.

In the fall, Zachary will be throwing his determination into school. He'll be attending The Utica Center for Science and Industry (UCSI).

When asked what kind of job Zachary wanted to pursue after school he said, " I am not sure. I just know that I will have the kind of job I want after doing this experience."

Zachary is still accepting odd jobs to raise money for the summer trip. For more information, you can email his mother at misssherrie@live.com.