A Boy Scout working towards his Eagle wants to refurbish 29 wooden visitor benches used by family members at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
After nine years in the scouts, fifteen-year-old Christopher Jones, of Newark’s Troop 255, knows exactly what his Eagle Project will be.
While volunteering with “Wreaths Across America” at the cemetery last year, Jones realized that the benches were in rough shape. Realizing that the benches needed to be repaired, he decided that he should fix them for his Eagle project. He wanted to give people a nice place to sit while visiting their loved ones, said Chris Jones, his dad.
When Christopher approached cemetery officials to discuss the project they told him that they appreciated that someone was stepping up to help them out, said dad.
To help pay for some of the cost of his project, Christopher has set up a GofundMe Page. Members of the community can join him in restoring the benches by donating towards the needed materials.
Jones is hoping to raise $2800 for the project, which will include adding one additional cast iron powder coated bench. Any extra money that Christopher raises will go directly to the cemetery.
Doing the fundraising is the first step. Once that’s in place, Christopher plans to purchase the materials for the project. When things warm up in the Spring, he and some volunteers will spend a couple of weekends putting the new benches together.
The Eagle Project is the opportunity for a Boy Scout to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of his community. This is the culmination of the Scout’s leadership training, and it requires a significant effort on his part. The project must benefit an organization other than the scout organization, and it cannot be performed for an individual or a business or be commercial in nature. Completing an Eagle Project is a requirement in order for Boy Scouts to attain the Eagle Scout rank.
Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,400 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad. This year’s ceremonies will be held on Saturday, December 15, 2018. to learn more visit https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.