Eagle Scout project to warm hearts at Hospice

By Bonnie Kay Baldwin
Lake Mills Graphic
One of many organizations that is active in the Lake Mills area, is the Boy Scouts of America. Their  oath reads, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
The BSA accomplishes this through helping young boys and men learn good morals and life skills. The Scout Law has them strive to be: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
A young man in the community is busy working on his Eagle Scout project now, which needs to be completed by his 18th birthday. LMCS senior, Jareth Cross, almost has his requirements completed. These are active participation, Scout spirit, merit badges, position of responsibility, service project, and unit leader conference.
“There are many things the scouts get to do over the years,” said Jareth’s mom, Ona VanHeiden. “They go camping, learning how to set up camp, complete survival skills, learn how to tie knots, apply first aid and participate in community service, just to name only a very few things.”
The highest honor a scout can receive over years of scouting is the Eagle Scout rank. Only four percent of all scouts are able to attain this award. And once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout—for the rest of their adult lives. It is considered, “a state of being.”
Aaron Mannes, local troop leader commented, “Jareth sets a good example for the other scouts. He is good at working with the younger ones and likes to help out.”
“I was brainstorming with my mom about what to do for my project. I got the idea from watching my mom and the Girl Scouts making tied blankets,” said Jareth. “And we made them for After Prom.”
Jareth, with  his mother’s assistance, chose to make tied lap blankets for Hospice patients. They are being made out of two layers of 1-1/2 yards of fleece, from all sorts of patterns and colors, printed with images of horses, dogs, cats, mermaids, fox, camouflage and solid colors.
First, Jareth had to decide on a goal (20 blankets) and figure out how much fabric he would need. Second, he decided he would donate them to ­Hospice Albert Lea Mayo Clinic Health System—because that is where his grandmother and two aunts had been before they passed. Third, he calculated that he would need about $350 to reach his goal. After he raised the money, he and his family went shopping at a fabric store.
Jareth, and his friends and family who volunteered to help, met a number of times to cut and tie the fleece.
At the time of the printing of this article, he had only three blankets left to finish.
“I would like to deliver them personally. After that, I have to fill out a packet, writing down the steps it took to fulfill the project, taking pictures of every step along the way. After logging everything and completing one more merit badge, I will turn in my packet and send it in to Waterloo,” he said.
“I hope they will enjoy the blankets and will be able to use them as much as they can. I really want them to enjoy comfort and calmness,” said Jareth.

Lake Mills Graphic

204 N. Mill Street
Lake Mills, IA 50450

Office Number: (641) 592-4222
Fax Number: (641) 592-6397

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