Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2021 ASKS | FROM PAGE 3 A: Eagle is one of them, obviously, but also attending a National Jamboree and being part of a camp staff at T.L. Storer campground in Barnstead, N.H. Those are two big accomplishments. I was really out of my comfort zone when I went to the National Jamboree in West Virginia. I just never liked camping that much. And it was for two weeks, away from home, camping with a lot of people I didn’t know. The whole experience kind of made me stop disliking camping. And after it was all over, it was like “Wow! It’s not that bad, and it’s kind of fun.” And then after that, my first year on camp staff gave me an experience I never had before. I enjoyed it so much, I did it again. Q: So, what does earning the Eagle badge mean to you? A: I really don’t look at it as attaining the rank of Eagle as the accomplishment. It really is about the journey to me. I remember sitting at a Scout meeting in 2014 and staring into a book and looking at all of the ranks and merit badges. And six years later, I had done everything along the way, except the Eagle Scout public service project. As I look back, I think about every little camping trip I did with the troop – all of the different experiences and the people I got to know, the things I learned, about leadership and personal growth. To me, the Eagle Scout badge represents all of that. Q: When you first looked into that book and saw all the ranks and merit badges, did you think it was attainable back then? A: Maybe, but I really didn’t really think to myself, “Yeah, I’m going to get that [Eagle badge].” I thought it might be cool, but I wasn’t really sure until I actually got it. It was a journey, and everything along the way culminated in earning Eagle Scout, because without all the other stuff, I don’t know how you are going to get there. Q: Was there anyone who was an inspiration for your journey? A: I wouldn’t say I ever had anyone who was an inspiration for me to get Eagle. I got help from a lot of people along the way. Q: Anything you want to say www.eight10barandgrille.com We Have Reopened for Dine-In and Outside Seating every day beginning at 4 PM WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 STAY SAFE! to the kids of scouting age? Was it worth it? A: Absolutely, but I think it’s unfair that scouting in the twenty-first century is getting such a bad rap. It’s understandable, with all of the things going on, but it’s unfair. Back in the day, every kid joined scouting. What I would say to the kids out there today who are unsure because they hear that “scouting is just for nerds” – do it. If you end up getting something out of it, it’s worth it. Scouting is a lot more than what people think it is – like the stereotype out there that scouting is rubbing two sticks together to start a fire and eating a can of beans. There’s so much more SAND BOX BEFORE: Here’s what it looked like at Camp Denison playground in Georgetown, Mass., before David Woodworth’s Eagle Scout project got underway. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) to it than that. And it’s unfortunate that people think kids who are in scouting are weird, and the stereotype of kids going into the program is what keeps people away. There are these people who don’t realize how much good the program is really doing. Q: If you get married and have children, is this something you would get your kids involved in? A: Yes. Definitely. Q: So, please tell me about your Eagle Scout public service project. A: Our troop has been going to Camp Denison in Georgetown for about four years. We’ve gone camping there so many times and have had fun doing it. Q: So, you apparently have some kind of connection to the camp in Georgetown. A: Yeah, Mike Bonia, a troop leader of 61, lives there. The first time we went there, we were pretty skeptical. But the ranger, Don Anderson, let us do all kinds of stuff, so we kept going up there. Then, last February, we went up for Winter Fest at Camp Denison. I told the ranger I was looking for an Eagle Scout project. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a project, but I knew I wanted to do it at that camp. And I decided to fix up the playground, and that’s how it got going. Q: How did the project turn out? A: It actually got delayed for five months because of the pandemic [COVID-19]. We were on target to start in April but had to shut down. With COVID, the delay from the initial date of April really just turned everything into a waiting game. Things had begun to calm down by August, so I went back to Denison and got a new project date from Don, the ranger. From there on I resumed planning, gathering donations, help and materials for the project. I started to get the ball rolling around early August. We finally did the project on the weekend of Sept. 11-13 and had everything done in one day. I had a maximum of 21 peoASKS | SEE PAGE 21 Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma
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