By Charlie Weirauch, III , Special to The Times
eremy Weirauch
Editor’s Note: The following is a submission from a parent about their son — and while it doesn’t fit traditional journalism, it does fit our new evolving content model of featuring submissions from the community at large on topics of wide ranging interest. If you have a submission, we’d be happy to publish it. Send it to mike@chescotimes.com
There is a feel-good, human interest story about someone amongst us in our community that I would like to share with you. It is about a humble, 17 year old young man in Chester County who is making the right choices and doing the right things in his life.
He would never tout his successes, so that is why I find myself writing to you about him. His character is honorable and he lives his life with integrity every day. He is my son, Jeremy Weirauch. Jeremy is an all-around good guy – a friend to everyone, and as his Dad, I am so very proud of the young man he has become. In a time when we hear how our youth are not “up-to-par” with past generations, here is an example of someone who is giving back selflessly of themselves at an early age, and leading others. Whether it is doing something for his parents or for his friends when they need help. He is there without question. That is Jeremy, but there is more.
Jeremy is a senior this year at Coatesville Senior High School. While in high school, Jeremy has taken on a challenging academic curriculum of AP and honors courses, and has maintained an overall GPA of 4.0, with a 95% cumulative grade point average throughout his high school years. He ranks 68 out of a class size of 470 students and is a member of the National Honor Society. Jeremy is also a student athlete playing LSM/defense for the Coatesville High School Boys Lacrosse Club. He is a member of the ski club, and has been elected this year as President of the German club into his fourth year of a foreign language. His German teacher was so impressed with Jeremy, she nominated him for the Rotary Club Youth Award, where he joined 70 other students from around the school district to participate in a conference. While there, students heard inspiring stories about entrepreneurs who are giving back. They also participated in a community service project were they put together care packages for the homeless. Most recently, Jeremy was one of 12 students selected by the teaching staff of Coatesville Senior High School to participate in a new seminar for future leaders, in which he will spend a day with State Senator, John Rafferty, acting as a Senator and assisting in the debate and development of a new bill.
If doing your homework, maintaining good grades and playing sports isn’t enough to juggle and stress out a teenager, Jeremy has also been immersed in civic and social activities as well which benefit his community and others. He came up through the Cub Scout program and earned his “Arrow of Light” and proceeded on to be an active member of Boy Scout Troop 48 in Doe Run, PA for the past 6 years. In the scouting program, he excelled in leadership positions having served as a patrol leader, and was elected by his scoutmaster to lead the boys of his troop, as a senior patrol leader this past year. He attended a nationally recognized leadership program for youth called NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training), where young adults are taught how to lead and inspire others in working together towards a common goal. He came back from the training with the goal of improving the lacking attendance at the weekly meetings, by stimulating the interest of the younger scouts through incorporating new, different and appealing activities. He was successful as attendance to the weekly meetings increased and remained steady. That has inspired his predecessor to follow suite. Upon serving his time as a senior patrol leader, the Scout Master for troop 48 immediately extended the position of Junior Assistant Scout Master to Jeremy; not a decision lightly considered by a Scout Master.
Over the past year, Jeremy has committed countless hours planning and working towards completing an Eagle Scout project. Jeremy came up with a plan and associated costs, which he then presented to his church, troop and the Chester County Council of the BSA for approval. The actual work on the project began 4th of July weekend and involves the renovation of a 2000 square foot playground into a memorial garden at Our Lady of the Rosary in Caln. Part of the project includes the relocation, clean-up and mounting of a statue from a closed parish in Coatesville, to this new memorial site he is constructing at his church.
In October of 1983, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout and can honestly tell you that I could not have pulled off a project of this scope or magnitude at his age, while simultaneously managing multiple activities going on in his life. It is very impressive to see the work gone into the transformation of what once was an unused playground, to his vision of a memorial garden. Rain or shine, a majority of his summer vacation was dedicated to working on his Eagle project. There was a number of obstacles to overcome, and delays associated with all the rain this year as you can imagine. Jeremy’s high school friends, fellow scouts, adult leaders and troop committee members have all come out to work and help him. It is truly moving to see what is being achieved by a young man of his age while leading others, including adults. The project is now 80% completed and is estimated to be finished by the end of October.
Jeremy also has a deep belief in his faith. As a member of Our Lady of the Rosary parish in Caln, Jeremy has served as an acolyte over the past 4 years for his church. He does this willingly. Not just Sunday’s when it’s his turn, but weekdays too when he couldn’t attend or serve his church because of sports practices or weekend troop outings. He found a way to do both, when others simply would have chosen one over the other. That is Jeremy. He honors his commitments.
As Jeremy works towards completing his Eagle Scout project, he has also been actively seeking a nomination from local Congressman, Lloyd Smucker and US Senators, Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, in hopes of entering the United States Naval Academy in 2019. The application process is very time consuming and challenging. He has managed all the above mentioned, in addition to completing the various requirements and meeting deadlines set by the academy. In May, Jeremy was officially selected as a USNA candidate, and recently received an invitation, and attended a Candidate Visit Weekend at the academy. The stay inspired him even more, and reaffirmed his interest in one day attending the Naval Academy.
Jeremy once told me his goal was to change the world in some way, by inspiring others to do great things. I have no doubt that Jeremy will go on to do just that, and achieve great things in his life, while helping others along the way. It is my sincere hope that you and residents in Chester County get to know Jeremy as I know him. You would be very impressed with this young man who is living humbly amongst us, making the right choices, and doing the right things in his life.
