Ben Hogan- Age 17

Boy Scout Troop 147- Holland, Pa

Eagle Scout Project to build a Storage Shed for Autism Cares Foundation

At the age of 3 Ben was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and a year later his family found The Autism Cares Foundation. The social activities they provided were an incredible support not only to Ben, but his family. It was great to take Ben to events and outings where he could be himself and it was a resource for his parents to network with other families sharing similar joys, celebrations, concerns and challenges caring for a family member with Autism.

Ben and his family attended many of these events when Ben was a child. Ben feels that events such as music groups, holiday parties, bounce events, etc… were crucial in his development and improving his social skills.

As Ben entered school age, he joined Pack 147 in Holland and advanced through the ranks. He is currently in Boy Scout Troop 147 which has several young men with an Autism Spectrum Diagnosis (ASD) and others have family members who live with ASD. Being a Boy Scout has also helped to improve Ben’s social and communication skills, problem solving, and is helping him develop leadership skills.

He is now in his junior year of High School and is working on completing his Eagle Scout Project.

When Ben started to think about who he wanted the beneficiary to be for his project, there was no hesitation; he wanted to help the foundation that helped him when he was younger- The Autism Cares Foundation (ACF).

ACF provides many activities free of charge for people with Autism and their families. Fundraisers such as the upcoming Race for Resources on April 9th and The ACF Gala are critical to help continue these events for the families they support. There are lots of supplies required to host these events and fundraisers. Currently these supplies are housed on the top floor of the building,

and ACF was in need of additional storage.

This fall Ben and his parents, Joe & Kim Hogan, met with ACF’s Co- Founders, Frank and Linda Kuepper. They discussed the increased storage needs and shared ideas to make the supplies more accessible and easier to transport to events. They came up with the idea to build a storage shed for Ben’s Eagle Scout project.

Part of the process to earn Eagle Scout is for the Boy Scout to raise the funds for their project. Ben will need to raise close to $2,500 to complete the storage shed.

If you would like to help you can donate money to this GoFundMe.

Any amount is greatly appreciated.

Even though Ben had some differences and struggles when he was younger, he is doing amazing and his parents are so proud of him. He recently got his drivers license and is starting to look at colleges. His career goal is to be an aerospace engineer and work for NASA. He has come so far from where he was when he was diagnosed at 3. His family attributes his success to his hard work, the support of his family, teachers and support staff and a variety of therapist and doctors who helped him when he was younger and The Autism Cares Foundation.