Troop 79 Eagle project update
Only 4 out of every 100 youth members achieve Scouting’s highest rank. One reason the badge is such an accomplishment is the service project that must be planned, led and completed before a Scout turns 18. Spring 2018 has been a very productive season for Troop 79’s Scouts on the path to Eagle.
What is the Eagle Scout Service Project?
While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your unit leader and unit committee, and the council or district before you start.
With the guidance of Mr. Barich, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Z and others, here’s what the six young men pursuing Eagle have achieved this spring:
March 21 With the manpower of over 20 scouts as well as the encouragement and wisdom of troop advisors, my parents, and the South Loop School after-school art teacher, Troop 79 conquered the first of many Eagle Scout projects this spring! Bringing the mural to fruition proved challenging, but the finished piece is fantastic. (still no invitations to the Art Institute masterpiece gallery though. Hmm…) Upon completion, the valiant scouts who sacrificed their evening feasted on Jimmy John’s sandwiches for their efforts. —Elijah
April 21 We did some landscaping cleanup, built and painted a bench and cubbies, and painted the high school room at St. Pauls UCC. (a pretty lengthy to do list…) Lunch was provided and this definitely counted towards rank advancement or high school service hours! —Jake
April 29 We met at the Holy Angels Catholic School Main Entrance at 750 E 40th St. From there, we headed to our workspace just down the block to build planter boxes and install/arrange them. This project helped create an afterschool program for the students to learn about urban farming and provide fresh vegetables for their community! In addition, pizza and drinks were provided for everyone! —Hayden
May 5 Scouts worked with Adaptive Adventures, an organization that helps people with physical disabilities gain access to adventures similar to those in scouting: kayaking, camping, and even skiing! At the project, scouts built multiple types of shelves and painted the entire storage container, resulting in a more useful and brightly colored space for Adaptive Adventures! —Michael
May 12 We worked at Patchwork Farms, 2825 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, from 9 am until 2 pm, and food was provided! We built a rat-proof lid for a compost box, which was formerly a shipping container (20 feet by 8 feet!) In addition, we performed some minor repairs for the farm, as well as helped them get ready for the planting season. —Otto
May 26 The art installation at the Lincoln Park Community Services shelter took the cooperation of 20 Scouts and the use of the Lane Tech maker lab’s milling machine. The project incorporated additional shelving in their community kitchen, which was custom fit to the cabinet. The art pieces that came out of this displayed “Loyal”, “Helpful”, and “Friendly”; parts of the Scout law and images inspired by the city. —Edward
[PHOTOS] Elijah G,, Michael Y, @boylesfour