Ian Huebner is a history buff and loves helping people, so creating a historical marker and revitalizing the landscaping of Immaculate Conception Church in Madonnaville seemed like the perfect fit for the 16-year-old’s Eagle Scout project.

While helping fellow Waterloo scout Sam Thomas with his Eagle Scout project – which included placing bronze markers at each World War I soldier’s grave at Waterloo City Cemetery – Ian talked with Waterloo Mayor Tom Smith. 

This encounter catalyzed what would become Ian’s own project, one of the many steps to become an Eagle Scout.

“I was thinking about projects that I wanted to do, and then I remembered that our town’s mayor said he had projects for me to do at another Eagle Scout project I was at,” Ian said. “I wanted to do one of the ones he (suggested) because I knew it would be beneficial to the community, so I asked him and he gave me (the idea of) making the sign for the Immaculate Conception Church. I was excited to do that because I like history and I have family buried at the cemetery there, so it was personal for me and it’s personal to the surrounding area.”

Ian’s project included gathering historical information on the church – which Ian said the church greatly helped with – and writing and designing the informative sign. 

The church provided funding for the sign, which was constructed by Laux Grafix. Ian also added landscaping such as adding timbers and rock. His uncle, who is in the landscaping business, donated materials and Ian and a team of volunteers did the labor.

Even though the parish closed in 2014 and no longer hosts regular services, it is still far from forgotten in the community’s mind. 

This, Ian and his mother Jenese said, makes his project even more meaningful.

“We still have a lot of people in the community who are very connected to that church, so it means a lot to people that are still around,” Jenese said.

Not only was the church a site of worship, it also hosted several weddings and funerals throughout the years. Its cemetery houses over 1,700 graves, some of which belong to Ian’s ancestors, including his grandfather.

While working on his project, Ian said he learned of yet another relative buried in the cemetery.

“My great aunt actually came out and was talking to us on the day of the project. She drove out there and she was talking to me about the project and we saw a gravestone and we weren’t sure who it was, so we asked her and she told us it was … I never met them, but I was related to them,” Ian said.

He and his mother also discovered yet another family connection to the project – the date Ian and his team landscaped and set up the sign itself wielded great significance.

“We didn’t know this when we planned the day, but we found out later that his great-grandma’s birthday was the actual day of the project,” Ian said. “So on July 24, when he was out there doing the project, that was actually a family member’s birthday. Everything was all very neatly connected and really cool.”

Fewer than 4 percent of Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts, which is the highest rank a boy scout can achieve. Considering the list of requirements to achieve this rank, it is not surprising so few reach the honor.

Having seen many older boys from his troop become Eagle Scouts, Ian said he knew it not only was possible, but that he wanted to achieve the honor.

“Our troop has been really good about getting the Eagle Scout rank. One year alone, I think we got four or five Eagle Scouts. I just wanted to be like the older scouts. I saw what (being an Eagle Scout) offered them and how it helped out the community,” Ian said.

In addition to the inspiration and other help his fellow scouts gave him, Ian also acknowledged his parents and other family members played a big role in the project. 

He thanked the church as well, as they helped him compile history and were patient with him as parts of the project kept getting pushed back because of the pandemic.

The project’s proposal was approved in September 2020, and Ian planned on getting the sign put up by Christmas by the latest. However, it wasn’t until May 2021, when COVID restrictions started being lifted, that he could actually meet with groups of volunteers in-person.

“In the beginning it was very difficult, because it was in the middle of the COVID quarantine so I was not able to do any meetings for the longest time and I wasn’t able to talk with anyone to get volunteers, so that put it on hold for a long time,” Ian said. “Once restrictions started lifting, I was able to do the meetings and get the volunteers because for a couple of months, we weren’t even able to do meetings in person, it was all virtual on Zoom.”

Ian is now on the homestretch on the road to becoming an Eagle Scout. He’s just a few signatures away from sending his project report for final approval.

“It feels very good,” Ian said of being so close to meeting his ultimate goal.