Scout Leads Team to Create 54 Knotted Fleece Blankets for Macomb Charity

Several Macomb County homeless children will have a fleece blanket to call their own thanks to the efforts of soon-to-be Eagle Scout Michael Pezok, 17. 

The Sterling Heights teen, along with the help of 16 volunteers, created 54 knotted fleece blankets for the Macomb Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit based in Macomb Township. Pezok, of Troop 210 in Sterling Heights, made the blankets as his Eagle Scout project, the highest rank a Boy Scout can achieve. 

Making the blankets wasn’t cheap. It cost $720 for the materials, which Pezok raised through a can and bottle drive. He also received cash donations as well as donated fleece. In total, he earned $770 and donated the extra $50 to the MCF. 

“We visit with families who are homeless all the time," said Shelly Penzien of the Macomb Charitable Foundation. "Often times, we encounter children in motel rooms who are sharing beds. Two, three and sometimes four children to a bed. We are excited to be able to gift these children with a soft, warm blanket they can claim as their own.

"We appreciate Mike's efforts on our behalf and acknowledge the amount of time he put into this project to benefit children he will never meet. His community can be proud of him.”

Pezok came up with the idea of fleece blankets after watching his sisters create a few for fun. He heard of the MCF through his mom, who has attended fundraisers in the past. Creating the blankets seemed like a good match for his Eagle Scout project. He said he will officially receive the Eagle Scout rank within a month. 

“I'm very excited that all my hard work is going to pay off and proud that I was able to apply myself to scouts and do something good for the community,” Pezok said. 

Pezok is in the 11th grade at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights.