thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

One very special Boy Scout is proving how high a willing spirit can soar.

Jonathan McGee, 21, will receive his Eagle Scout rank on Sunday during a 2 p.m. ceremony at the First United Methodist Church in Maryville. He will join an elite few that only 2 percent of Boy Scouts ever reach.

What makes the William Blount High School student even more special are the challenges he overcame to achieve that honor.

Jonathan has Down Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes delayed mental and social development. His mother, Kathy McGee, is understandably proud of his accomplishment.

"We are so proud of him because he didn't say he couldn't do it," she said. "(Jonathan) didn't object to doing it, he was always game for trying it."

A member of Troop 81, Jonathan said he really enjoys being a Boy Scout. "My favorite part is camping," he said. "Camping and eating."

Jonathan's Eagle Scout project was to reorganize and disburse medical equipment for the Shriners at their Alcoa facility. Under the supervision of Bob Landers of the Blount County Shrine Club, McGee led a group of Boy Scouts who moved out old or broken medical equipment. The equipment was hauled away and sold for scrap metal. Kathy McGee said her son wanted to give back to the Shriners after having three major hip surgeries at the Shriners Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. "With each (surgery), it's a good six months until he's vertical and walking and getting recovered," she said. "He had to learn how to walk three times. ... You have to retrain the muscles. He went through a lot of physical therapy."

Jonathan is an altar server at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Seymour. He participates in the Area 15 Special Olympics and competes in track and field, basketball and bowling. He is graduating from William Blount High School in 2010.