How an Eagle Scout Project Benefits the Whole Community

Photo: Building the Shaded Bench for the Dog Park. Photo courtesy of the Gallagher family

Jack Gallagher, a Senior at Saline High School, recently added a new feature to the Curtiss Dog Park – a shaded bench for dog owners. And although his Eagle Scout project took only two days to complete, the idea took a bit longer to take shape.

Jack admits that “for the longest time I was lost on what my Eagle Project would be. Many Scouts choose their Eagle Project because of a personal connection to their project. For example, one scout built a few little free libraries because he struggled with literacy issues at a young age.”

Not All Eagle Projects Are Created Equal

“But not all Eagle Projects are created equal, and the majority of Eagle Projects are simpler than the project I took on. In fact, many Eagle Projects are not even permanent structures. Some recent examples from my troop include large donations of either books or blankets to Mott Children’s Hospital and even to a hospital in Kenya. In the end, Eagle Projects are more about making a meaningful impact.”

So what finally inspired Jack’s idea for an Eagle Project? It was when he went to the grand opening of Saline’s Salt Springs Park. It was then that he decided to help improve Saline with a park project.

Jack Gets Buy-In from the Community

Jack came up with two ideas, and one was “adding benches to the Curtiss Park Dog Park. I emailed Parks and Recreation Director Sunshine Lambert, introduced myself, and then explained my ideas. I asked for her thoughts, and she replied that she was all-in for the seating area for the dog park. It was an unmet need and would be very much welcomed by the community. And so we went from there.”

Jack also happily learned he had buy-in from the community, as “many other people were supportive of the idea, from my boss on the Live Video Crew at the high school to Mayor Marl, all active users of the dog park. When the GoFundMe page went up, donations were just pouring in from the community.”

Paving the Way for Future Improvements

Jack had a dual aim for this project. “My goals were to not only improve the quality of the dog park, but to pave the way for future improvements to this beloved amenity.”  He noted that “I actually changed the project up to accommodate space for a drinking fountain that the city is planning to add at a future point.”

This Project Was a Rewarding Challenge

For Jack, this project was a rewarding challenge, allowing him to develop and hone his leadership, project management, and communication skills. He feels that “this project has done so much for me in terms of self-improvement and motivating myself and working on stuff outside of school and pushing to get it done. This is probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me in terms of that.”

Ultimately, he sums up his experience by saying, “When it comes to my future, leadership is a big part of what I am planning to enter— Public Policy/Administration, Politics, and something where I hope to have a positive influence on the world and make it a better place.”

It looks like Jack is off to a good start –  he has already made Saline a better place.

For Information on the Eagle Scout Workbook, go to:  www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/EagleProjectWorkbook2023a.pdf

For Ideas for an Eagle Scout Project:  https://nesa.org/resources/trail-to-eagle/project-idea-generator/