Jaiden R. completed her Eagle Scout rank in September after creating three little libraries for her synagogue as her Eagle Scout Project to improve literacy and accessibility to books.
As a member Troop 987G, Jaiden has participated in Scouting for three and a half years. She achieved her Eagle this past summer and has also participated as a Senior Patrol Leader for two terms. One of the first female Eagle Scouts in the country was a founding member of her Troop, showing the possibilities for girls in Scouting.
“She joined as soon as it was possible,” Jaiden said. “First wave, first day possible.”
Jaiden pu
t her three libraries in a variety of areas around Vienna for her synagogue, Temple Rodef Shalom. She spent 52 hours on the project, but with the participation of her father as the project advisor and her Troop, it was around 300 cumulative hours.
Staff from Jaiden’s Troop came in two sessions to cut, paint and build the structure. On her own, she installed the doors, touched up the paint and put the boxes on the post at all the locations.
“It really livens up the community and I wanted to do that for my synagogue because it’s also a very community-centric place,” Jaiden said. “I thought a lot of people could benefit from that.”
Jaiden planned to only make one little library but ended up raising more than her initial goal. With only one beneficiary lined up, she got the experience of reaching out to government organizations to find more beneficiaries. Despite this challenge, Jaiden had friends that helped her reach her goals and found a community for her project.
Jaiden decided to create these libraries because of her love for reading. She hoped to encourage literacy for kids and made sure the locations were accessible for them, placing them near a path by the elementary school.
“A lot of people can access it, and it can really help enrich people’s lives,” Jaiden said.
With this project, Jaiden was able to learn and improve skills such as carpentry, reaching out to different organizations and working towards a goal. The libraries also allow her to help others by providing kids with the opportunity to learn new skills.
“Whatever I’m doing today, it won’t be necessary for anyone to do it tomorrow,” Jaiden said.
Jaiden’s mom, Melissa R., acknowledged Jaiden’s accomplishments that she achieved very quickly. Jaiden joined Scouting after the pandemic and after only one year of Scouting, she rose to leadership positions and became a Senior Patrol Leader. Because of Scouting, Jaiden’s leadership and public speaking skills have grown significantly.
