We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

eagle scout project

Teaching the Next Generation to Protect Our Waterways: Charlotte’s Eagle Scout Project

by

Charlotte, a Scout from Troop 130 in Alexandria, VA, was recently featured by ALXnow (Everything Alexandria) for her Eagle Scout project, which helps teach young people about protecting local waterways and the environment.

Charlotte is an artist and a budding biologist with hopes of a pre-med track in college. As she works toward earning the Eagle Scout rank, she has combined those two interests into her focus for her Eagle Scout project and created an educational resource designed to inspire children to become environmental stewards and understand how their everyday actions can make a difference. Her project reflects the spirit of Scouting by combining leadership, service, and a commitment to making a lasting impact in the community.

Projects like Charlotte’s demonstrate how Scouts identify needs, develop creative solutions, and lead efforts that benefit others. By focusing on environmental education, she is helping empower the next generation to care for the world around them.

Learn more about Charlotte’s project, her inspiration, and the educational resource she created in ALXnow’s feature story.

Read Charlotte’s Full Feature Story: ALXnow

Troop 1831 Scout Leads Cemetery Cleanup Service Project During Juneteenth Weekend

by

Life Scout Lance W. of Troop 1831, Accotink Bay District, recently led the primary service event for his Eagle Scout project at the Dumfries Slave & Free African American Cemetery in Dumfries, Virginia.

Held on Saturday, June 20, during Juneteenth weekend, the cemetery maintenance and cleanup event was conducted in partnership with the Friends of Dumfries Slave Cemetery. Volunteers from Troop 1831 and the surrounding community worked together to clear overgrowth, remove debris, and help restore the grounds of the historic cemetery.

The Dumfries Slave & Free African American Cemetery is the resting place of enslaved and free African Americans. According to Lance, “the timing of the project during Juneteenth weekend made the day especially meaningful”.

The project brought Scouts and community members together in service to help preserve an important historic site while supporting Lance’s journey toward earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

Eagle Scout Project Enhances DC Fire and EMS Engine 24

by

Community service and support for first responders were at the heart of a successful Eagle Scout project completed by Troop 544 in Washington, D.C.

On Saturday, May 30, 2026, Troop 544 member Jaron completed his Eagle Scout project at DC Fire and EMS Engine 24. Located in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C., the station is part of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department and serves the surrounding community.

The day began with Troop 544 officially raising the flag at the fire station.

Explaining the purpose of the project, Jaron said, “I planned this painting and planting event to support neighborhood first responders.”

Jaron’s beautification project focused on improving the appearance of the station for both firefighters and community members. Volunteers repainted the handrails on the station’s ADA-compliant ramp and staircase and planted new flowers and greenery around the property.

When asked why he selected Engine 24 for his Eagle Scout project, Jaron explained, “I chose Engine 24 because it looked like it needed help.”

The project drew strong support from firefighters, Troop 544 members, mentors, and local residents who came together to help complete the work.

Captain Mike Bozarth of Rescue Squad 2 expressed his appreciation for the effort, saying, “We’re really grateful that Jaron thought of us when he was deciding where to do his Eagle Scout project. We’re happy to be involved.”

Kevin Magby, an Eagle Scout and mentor, praised Jaron’s commitment to service and leadership.

“I want to keep Jaron encouraged because he’s doing a great job,” Magby said. “Young men like himself need to be showcased more as doing the right thing. We see a lot of negative things in the media. We want to showcase the positive aspects.”

The completed improvements will provide lasting benefits for the firefighters who work at Engine 24 and Rescue Squad 2, as well as the residents they serve. The success of the project highlights the positive impact that Scouting, community partnerships, and volunteer service can have in strengthening neighborhoods and supporting local first responders.

 

 

Eagle Scout Project enhances George C. Marshall High School’s culinary program

by

Maria with the spiral garden she created as part of her Eagle Scout project.Congratulations to Maria S. for completing her Eagle Scout project.

Maria’s Eagle Scout Project was completed at George C. Marshall High School and was centered on the construction of a spiral herb garden to support the school’s culinary program. In addition, the school’s courtyard received a much-needed enhancement through the weeding of existing garden beds and the restoration of surrounding open space.

Sincere thanks to Fairfax County Public Schools, the dedicated volunteers of George C. Marshall High School (project sponsor), and Troop 1533 – Fairfax, VA (host troop) for their invaluable support in making this project a success.

   

Local Life Scout Mobilized his Community to Save Ukrainian Lives

by

My name is Nicholas Flanigan and I am a Life Scout from Troop 160, located in Chantilly, VA. Soon after the war started, I mobilized our Troop and community to help meet overwhelming needs in medical supplies, baby items, and food for Ukraine.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 0f 2022, one of my close friends shared concerns about his family in Kyiv, Ukraine, and the hardship they had to face to survive from Russian bombing of their homes and neighborhood. I started thinking about how I might be able to help. My research led to a local nonprofit organization, United Help Ukraine (UHU). This charitable organization receives and distributes donations, food, and medical supplies to people of Ukraine affected by Russia’s invasion and families of those wounded or killed for freedom and independence of Ukraine.

I reached out to the Board members of this organization in March of 2022, inquiring how I could help. After a month of conversations and successful presentations to over 20 Board members of UHU, District Eagle Advisor, and Troop 160 Board, my project was approved for planning and execution. My Eagle Advisor recommended I develop a website that allowed me to promote my project within the local community. Website presence helped me to distribute messages about my project via email, in social channels, and local blogs. Because of the valuable advice from my Eagle Advisor I looked into online presence rather than going down the path of distributing many printed flyers, which allowed me to save total costs.

In my research, I discovered that many tech companies like Google, Microsoft/Bing, and Facebook offer opportunities for people supporting nonprofit-related initiatives to receive credits to run free advertising. I took advantage of those free advertising credits to run ads on these digital networks to get my project known throughout the community. I also used local blogs and platforms, Patch.com and NextDoor, to inform my neighbors about this effort.

My project took many months to plan. I spent over 300 hours developing the site, made digital ads, wrote articles, and reached out to many local organizations and nearby Troops for help. I partnered with a local church, Fairfax Church of Christ, to use their building and parking lot for my donation drive. I also led my Troop to distribute printed flyers in adjacent neighborhoods to amplify my online efforts. Just under 100 people helped me to make this project a success.

My project was completed on 2 weekends. On June 4th, many scouts, volunteers from the church, and parents helped to pack supplies previously donated to the church to support this effort. They packed and loaded over 100 boxes to a truck ready to take everything to an airport in Delaware for air shipment to Ukraine. We packed almost 80 boxes of food, baby items and medical supplies, and collected 70 boxes of diapers. On the same day, almost 20 scout volunteers from Troup 160 distributed over 3,000 flyers to neighborhood houses. On June 11th, we collected donated medical supplies, baby items, and food essentials from the same houses. My goal to collect and pack an additional 40 boxes was exceeded with a total of 55 additional boxes, despite poor weather conditions and heavy rain at collection time.

I am very proud of the work my Troop and I did because of its impact and because it helped to save lives. I want people to know about the work that takes place to support Ukraine and other countries in the same circumstances around the world.

I received many compliments and recognition for our efforts from my Troop, local leaders, the media, and UHU. My project was featured in the National Morning in America episode on May 27th as one of the top feel-good stories across the U.S. and covered in the local Fairfax Times newspaper and by Patch.com.

As a result of my efforts, I received a personalized letter from Chairman McKay from Fairfax County Government. In his letter, Chairman McKey congratulated me on the tremendous success of my project and how impressed he was with my commitment to helping others. He recognized my leadership skills for being able to gather dozens of fellow scouts, friends, and neighbors to help accomplish this goal. Of course it was easier with a helpful Troup backing me up!

“It is true that we all do far better when we work together”, stated Chairman McKay in his letter. “I am encouraged about the future of Fairfax County and our nation when I read what young people like you are doing to heal the breaches in our society.”

I hope to receive my Eagle Rank in October after completing the last Eagle-required merit badge, Scoutmaster conference, and the Eagle Scout Board of Review. I will continue my role in scouting as an ASPL, giving back to my Troop by helping and leading others. I am a proud member of the Order of the Arrow BSA Honor society and participated in 3 high adventure camps. Throughout my scouting career, I earned 77 merit badges, and seven distinguished scout awards. I also volunteered as a Counselor in Training this past summer at Camp Snyder, a BSA camp in Haymarket, VA, and will return to the camp as their trained Counselor next summer.

A Better Pool

by

Ethan T. of Troop 1966 in Fairfax Station, VA, has always been an avid swimmer. In fact, for the past ten years, he has been part of the Sideburn Run Swim Team, which is nearly as long as he had been a Scout. So when Ethan was looking for an Eagle Scout Project, he learned that Sideburn Run’s pool had some overgrown ivy area. While he was inspecting the ivy-covered area, Ethan recalled the times he and his teammates had found the space too small. Ethan began to consider incorporating a way to make the area around the pool more usable while for his teammates while he inspected the ivy. After consulting the board members, he decided he would clean up the ivy and clean up the area so the team could maximize it.

Ethan got to work by writing up a proposal for the pool board. Once they approved his proposal, he created a timeline, yet that timeline got put on hold due to COVID-19. Yet once restrictions were lifted, and Ethan drafted a new plan that followed social distancing rules. Ethan then began to gather the supplies, and he got to work. He found some trouble trying to lead at first. He realized he couldn’t just explain and then do the task to his volunteers; he discovered that he would only do the work. He also felt overwhelmed by the number of questions he would receive, asking if he could assist them. Yet once he figured out how to properly guide his volunteers, Ethan felt like he could handle anything.

After completing this project, Ethan felt he learned a lot about leadership and how to break down a large project into manageable parts. He was proud to have helped his community and later said, “My favorite aspect of this project was seeing all the different tasks coming together. I enjoyed stepping back to see the progress we had made and how all the tasks were coming together. I also enjoyed seeing my plans turn out exactly how I envisioned the project would look in the end. I am looking forward to next season so people can start using the new area. I feel like the swim team can now fully maximize that area during their meets, and members can enjoy the games we made.”