thedrifter
02-04-07, 04:32 AM
Pet shelters bring in Eagle badge
Besides doghouses, Scouts' projects lead to bats, cemeteries -- even chickee huts.
Tammie Wersinger | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted February 4, 2007
Eight dogs will have protection from the weather, and their owners will have the peace of mind of knowing they are complying with the law, thanks to Stevie Schenk.
To earn his coveted Eagle Scout badge, Stevie built doghouses for the SPCA of Central Florida to give to owners who don't have shelters for their pets.
"I love animals, and I wanted to build something," said Stevie, 16, of Oviedo. "I thought it would be great to earn my badge by helping the community, and I get to help dogs on top of that."
Stevie's doghouses are among about 100 that were built by Boy Scouts for the SPCA.
In the past, owners were told to get a doghouse or risk having the animal taken away, said Jake White of the SPCA.
Now, they are offered one of the free shelters, which come in different shapes, sizes and styles.
"The simple act of the Boy Scout building a doghouse does so much good," White said. "He's helping the community by creating a forum for us to educate about animal welfare. He's helping the families by keeping them intact. And, of course, he's helping the animal."
Stevie's project is one of more than 300 that Eagle Scout candidates have completed in the past year to benefit their schools, churches or communities in seven counties that make up the Boy Scouts of America's Central Florida Council.
They follow a list of rules, including making sure their project is completed before the Scout's 18th birthday.
"That's one of the things that makes the Eagle Scout honor so recognizable," said Anthony Berger, director of support services for the local council. "It shows you did this important project at an early age, were able to set goals and accomplish them."
In 2006, local Scouts did everything from ceremonially disposing of 650 American flags and moving 32 computers at a school to landscaping parks and collecting money to buy supplies for Marines in Iraq.
They also repaired and built boardwalks, raised money for school supplies, laid a parking lot, taught bicycle safety and provided Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas presents.
All kinds of work was done around schools and churches, and communities benefited from blood drives, hazardous-waste collections and the building of ramps for the disabled. One rule is that the efforts cannot benefit the Boy Scouts.
Dogs were not the only animals helped. The list runs the gamut, from horses and turtles to cats and birds.
Ryan Deering of Troop 62 in Winter Park built bat boxes so park rangers can track the health of bats. Ryan said his project would benefit the community because "an unhealthy or varied species bat population can serve as an early alert system to the dangers of pollutants or non-indigenous animals to the area."
Plants and foliage have also benefited. Candidates have pulled weeds, planted trees and identified and marked species.
Arthur Littlefield IV of Troop 509 in West Melbourne planted 15 trees to replace ones that were destroyed by the 2004 hurricanes.
Some projects were a little unusual, such as Cory Lane's task of rebuilding two Seminole chickee-hut replicas that were damaged during Hurricane Charley. Cory of Troop 202 in Orlando has his work on display at Orlando Wetlands Park.
George Foley of Troop 785 in Montverde chose to clean 400 headstones at a cemetery. He recorded the inscriptions in a database and submitted information to genealogy Web sites.
And Jacob Adams of Troop 826 of Kissimmee got his badge by helping the Kissimmee Rotary Club organize the Great Florida Shootout. He recruited workers, scheduled volunteers and washed all the towels for the annual prep basketball tourney.
All the hard work not only benefits the community, but it also brings recognition to the Eagle Scout, who receives his badge during a Court of Honor ceremony.
"It's something to be proud of," Stevie said. "I made the promise for my dad that I would make it to Eagle Scout, and it's satisfying to know I made my goal."
Tammie Wersinger can be reached at twersinger@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-5781.
Ellie
Besides doghouses, Scouts' projects lead to bats, cemeteries -- even chickee huts.
Tammie Wersinger | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted February 4, 2007
Eight dogs will have protection from the weather, and their owners will have the peace of mind of knowing they are complying with the law, thanks to Stevie Schenk.
To earn his coveted Eagle Scout badge, Stevie built doghouses for the SPCA of Central Florida to give to owners who don't have shelters for their pets.
"I love animals, and I wanted to build something," said Stevie, 16, of Oviedo. "I thought it would be great to earn my badge by helping the community, and I get to help dogs on top of that."
Stevie's doghouses are among about 100 that were built by Boy Scouts for the SPCA.
In the past, owners were told to get a doghouse or risk having the animal taken away, said Jake White of the SPCA.
Now, they are offered one of the free shelters, which come in different shapes, sizes and styles.
"The simple act of the Boy Scout building a doghouse does so much good," White said. "He's helping the community by creating a forum for us to educate about animal welfare. He's helping the families by keeping them intact. And, of course, he's helping the animal."
Stevie's project is one of more than 300 that Eagle Scout candidates have completed in the past year to benefit their schools, churches or communities in seven counties that make up the Boy Scouts of America's Central Florida Council.
They follow a list of rules, including making sure their project is completed before the Scout's 18th birthday.
"That's one of the things that makes the Eagle Scout honor so recognizable," said Anthony Berger, director of support services for the local council. "It shows you did this important project at an early age, were able to set goals and accomplish them."
In 2006, local Scouts did everything from ceremonially disposing of 650 American flags and moving 32 computers at a school to landscaping parks and collecting money to buy supplies for Marines in Iraq.
They also repaired and built boardwalks, raised money for school supplies, laid a parking lot, taught bicycle safety and provided Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas presents.
All kinds of work was done around schools and churches, and communities benefited from blood drives, hazardous-waste collections and the building of ramps for the disabled. One rule is that the efforts cannot benefit the Boy Scouts.
Dogs were not the only animals helped. The list runs the gamut, from horses and turtles to cats and birds.
Ryan Deering of Troop 62 in Winter Park built bat boxes so park rangers can track the health of bats. Ryan said his project would benefit the community because "an unhealthy or varied species bat population can serve as an early alert system to the dangers of pollutants or non-indigenous animals to the area."
Plants and foliage have also benefited. Candidates have pulled weeds, planted trees and identified and marked species.
Arthur Littlefield IV of Troop 509 in West Melbourne planted 15 trees to replace ones that were destroyed by the 2004 hurricanes.
Some projects were a little unusual, such as Cory Lane's task of rebuilding two Seminole chickee-hut replicas that were damaged during Hurricane Charley. Cory of Troop 202 in Orlando has his work on display at Orlando Wetlands Park.
George Foley of Troop 785 in Montverde chose to clean 400 headstones at a cemetery. He recorded the inscriptions in a database and submitted information to genealogy Web sites.
And Jacob Adams of Troop 826 of Kissimmee got his badge by helping the Kissimmee Rotary Club organize the Great Florida Shootout. He recruited workers, scheduled volunteers and washed all the towels for the annual prep basketball tourney.
All the hard work not only benefits the community, but it also brings recognition to the Eagle Scout, who receives his badge during a Court of Honor ceremony.
"It's something to be proud of," Stevie said. "I made the promise for my dad that I would make it to Eagle Scout, and it's satisfying to know I made my goal."
Tammie Wersinger can be reached at twersinger@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-5781.
Ellie