Tinley Park’s Lily Bonovich has joined a list that includes some famous people from a variety of backgrounds.
After completing an Eagle Scout project, the Lincoln-Way East junior has achieved a designation also reached by former President Gerald Ford, astronaut Neil Armstrong, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and movie director and producer Steven Spielberg.
Also earning Eagle Scout designations were surly former baseball slugger Albert Belle and Dick Beyer, who older professional wrestling fans may remember as the masked grappler Dr. X.
What’s missing from the list of famous Eagle Scouts are females.
Scouting America estimates more than 2.5 million boys have achieved the lofty rank since 1912.
Since females were allowed into the Boy Scouts organization in 2019, approximately 6,000 have earned the Eagle Scout rank.
Bonovich, a member of Scouting America Troop 732, is not taking this rare honor lightly.
“I definitely feel very accomplished,” she said. “A very small percentage of females get Eagle and I’m proud of that.
“Just being a part of that small, small percentage shows the girls can do it too. Hopefully that number will grow.”
She admits that a few years ago, she was enjoying participating in Scouting, but had no ambitions of reaching Eagle status.
Last year, she said, her troop hit a “rough patch” and she and her troop wanted to recruit more people and generate more interest in Scouting.
“I stepped up a little bit and I realized that I loved doing this. I love leading,” Bonovich said. “I’ve seen some of my friends get Eagle and saw all of the accomplishments they made. I wanted those accomplishments. They were my role models. And with all of the new girls, I want to be their role model, too.”
Her project consisted of providing an outdoor classroom area in the courtyard of the Dr. Julian Rogus school in Frankfort.
Bonovich and her team constructed benches and 12 mushroom stools.
“I wanted to go for more of a nature setting,” she said. “About 25 students at a time can use it and there is a teacher’s desk.”
When she attended Rogus, Bonovich was a Girl Scout, but the idea of ever reaching an Eagle Scout rank with what was then known as Boy Scouts was not on her radar.
Still, her project idea was formed as a student there, because she wasn’t a fan of outdoor classes being held on hot blacktop, concrete or grass.
The project was completed in August just as the new school year was in session.
“Lily’s Eagle Scout project has had an immediate impact on the usability of our outdoor green space,” Rogus Principal Colin Bradley said in a Summit Hill School District news release. “Classes have already enjoyed outdoor instruction with her functional tables and seating.
“This was a wonderful idea and the culmination of it far exceeded our expectations.”
With the support of her parents, Earle and Anne Bonovich and friends, the project went smoothly, Lily said.
“I enjoyed it because I did it with my friends,” she said. “I was with my friends painting and sanding. I did make it fun. I was watching TV shows while I was doing some stuff. It wasn’t tiring but it was a long process.”
Aside from scouting, Bonovich volunteers with East’s Interactive Club, which includes helping out at charity running events and sending holiday cards to veterans.
Her ultimate goal is to be involved in event planning and is looking for colleges that offer majors in hospitality and tourism. Through scouting, she is getting a taste of that profession.
In mid-October, she planned a three-day camp event in Morris for 120 people.
“Definitely, in the moment it was hard and challenging,” Bonovich said. “But once it was all done and I heard all of the feedback from everyone who participated, and people who congratulated me, it was definitely a relief.
“In the moment, I thought everything was going wrong but in the end, people said, ‘you did amazing.’’’
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
