(On June 25, five Boy Scouts from Troop 118 received their Eagle Award, the highest achievement in scouting. Over the coming weeks, The Local will feature the projects each young man completed. This is the third project to be featured. JK)
When Elijah Barry was ready to consider projects to earn his Eagle Scout award, he consulted with one of his closest resources – his father, who had connections with people at the Walter Hoving Home in Garrison. The shelter, which provides a safe place and a loving community for women in bad relationships who are trying to rebuild their shattered lives, had numerous projects from which to choose.
Looking for an indoor project because the work would be completed in the colder months of late fall, Barry chose to work on one of the dormitories which serves as the primary space for the Walter Hoving Home’s leadership academy.
Barry joined Cub Scouts as a Bobcat. To say he felt a little bit of pressure to join and stick with scouting is an understatement. He comes from a long line of Eagle Scouts which include his great grandfather, grandfather, father, both uncles, and his brother.
“I knew I had to get into scouting eventually because everyone in my family is an Eagle Scout,” said Barry.
Barry’s project was presented to the Boy Scout Council in Nov. 2022 and was approved without any changes. Work started on Nov. 27 and was completed with only three work sessions on Dec. 11.
With about 10 volunteers per work session, Barry renovated the dormitory common space which included a large living room/study space and a laundry room. The volunteers repaired and replaced trim work around doorways and patched and painted walls, ceilings, and cabinets in both rooms.
The project also entailed assembling and installing a new storage cabinet and work surface for the laundry room, as well as the installation of new outlet faceplates and blinds on all the windows.
No fund raising was necessary for the project as a majority of the supplies were provided by Barry’s troop or his parents. He did need to purchase paint, wood for the trim, and some other supplies.
One of the requirements of the project was Barry had to take on a leadership role, which at first he found to be difficult because of nerves, but eventually he was able to settle in and provide instruction where needed. What he found to be most challenging was giving orders to his adult volunteers who weren’t used to taking direction from a younger person.
“I thought it was great,” Barry said of the project after it was completed. “It really helped out the facility. They definitely needed some assistance there.”
Although Barry has achieved the highest rank in scouting, his family’s legacy won’t stop there. He said he plans to donate his time as a leader when his future kids join Cub Scouts.
