Troop 3 Westport celebrated the Eagle Court of Honor for seven of its scouts. These scouts worked toward their Eagle Rank and completed their requirements and Eagle Projects from 2020 to 2022 during the pandemic and under some difficult conditions. Most of these scouts had to incorporate virtual communications with their beneficiary organizations, take temperatures of helpers, and remain 6 feet apart while working on plans and projects.
The scouts are Shawn Landry, Tyler Resendes, Aidan Morley, Cameron Arruda, David Abgrab, Jacob Hall, and Dylan Metivier.
Shawn Landry’s Eagle Project: Shawn enjoyed music all his life and wanted to find a way to help the Westport Music Boosters. He found out that the High/Middle School stored a lot of the band’s equipment in a shipping container. Shawn organized a group of scouts to paint and preserve the metal container. The group colored it the color of Westport Wildcats in order to stop any corrosion and continue to safely house the band’s instruments and materials. He even stenciled the school’s mascot on the container.
Tyler Resendes' Eagle Project: Tyler partnered with an organization called “Soles 4 Souls” that collected gently used shoes, and sent them to poor countries in Latin America. Tyler worked with local churches, schools, and scouts to collect, clean, package, and ship over 1,500 pairs of shoes. He exceeded all expectations for the project and helped numerous other people.
Aidan Morley's Eagle Project: Aidan had always had a passion for the outdoors and education. He tied his two passions by working with the Westport Land Conservation Trust to develop an audio/visual trail through the Westport Woods. He organized his scouts to research and write scripts and then they helped dig and set signposts for QR code signs throughout the property. He recorded videos of himself and those are now stored on a YouTube site for future scouts, and Westport Woods visitors to learn about the area around them.
Cameron Arruda’s Eagle Project: Cameron has a passion for helping others. Through his mother’s nursing career he learned of an organization at Hasbro Children’s Hospital that supported pediatric patients going through cancer treatments. After speaking with the IZZY Foundation, Cameron started to collect items that patients and families needed. These donations such as toiletries, coloring books, crayons, and small games are comfort items to break up the sterility of a hospital room. Cameron touched so many lives at the hospital and is going to do so much more in the future.
David Abgrab’s Eagle Project: As schools were returning to the classroom for the first time since the pandemic broke out, Espirito Santo School in Fall River had specific needs. Many items like scissors and pencil sharpeners could not be shared, and there was a huge need for hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, and disinfectant. David conducted a drive so that every student had their own “return to school bag” to support them.
Jacob Hall’s Eagle Project: Jacob conducted a pet food drive for the Westport Food Pantry. The pandemic has caused an increasing amount of food insecurity and yet people will feed their pets first. Jacob collected over 500 pounds of pet food to serve the Westport community. His efforts helped to provide 1,200 balance servings of pet food for dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs.
Dylan Metivier’s Eagle Project: Dylan reached out to the Westport Food Pantry to find out what they needed. The Pantry came into existence during the pandemic and is housed in the Westport Grange Building. The entrance to their facility was a dirt walkway into the building. Under Dylan’s leadership, the scouts built a large platform that provided a safe, clean area to accept and distribute food items.
These seven boys exemplify the scouting ideals while earning scouts BSA’s highest achievement. They now join the ranks of 6 percent of all scouts in the elite group of Eagles across America. Their hard work and dedication, while persevering through a pandemic and high school, is to be admired.