Eagle Scout Project Approval?

Question

I have three questions. First, can I do my Eagle Scout Project before I have all 21 merit badges? Also, would you approve my idea: I am going to run a toy and food drive. I will send a letter to friends and family that asks for them to bring a non-perishable food item or/and a new toy to a station that I will have set up for two days for about 3-5 hours each day. If you wouldn't approve it why?

Answer 1

You can plan and execute your Eagle service project at any time after you become a Life Scout. You can do your service project before you have earned your first 21 merit badges.
If you were in my Troop and asked for approval of the project as outlined above, I would have to turn it down. As you have described the project, it does not provide what I would consider sufficient interaction with others to allow you to demonstrate your leadership skills. I think your project is a very worthwhile project. I would suggest that you think bigger and enlist the aid of several Scouts from your troop or your friends to help with your project. Many hands, heads and hearts can make this project bigger and reach more people than just one persons' efforts. After all, this is the real goal of the Eagle Service Project. Look at this as starting a small business. You are the CEO. Define the business goal. Seek fellow Scouts and/or friends who will be your workforce. Describe your goal and how you plan to achieve the goal. Ask for their input. They may have contacts and ideas that will take your dream beyond what even you have dreamed. You have laid the groundwork for a great project, you just need to think bigger and make this project be the project that you and your fellow Scouts can be proud of for a very long time.

Answer 2

As long as you have attained Life Rank you can work on your Eagle project, but you have to complete all the required merit badges before the rank is awarded.

As for your project, no I would not approve it. Why? It is a one-time shot deal, it has no lasting value to the community. As a service project for First Class or Life it would work, but your Eagle project needs to have some permanence. A one-time toy/food drive is very nice, great idea, but what does it leave behind? As soon as the drive is over and the collected goods distributed, nothing remains. No permanent change is effected. Granted, many projects do not last forever, but they have more than a one time effect. Now if you worked with a group to start a community garden....

I've been thinking about this question more since noontime and there is a way to incorporate your initial idea into a beneficial project. Hook up with a church or other community group with the space and lasting manpower, and build your project around building a food pantry. Building the space, putting up the shelves and storage area, painting it, arranging a packing area, etc. and THEN doing a food drive to stock it. That's an Eagle project to work towards.

Answer 3

The first answer tells you that yes you can apply for Eagle as soon as you are a LIfe Scout.

I would also deny your project and this is why:
- You project should total about 300 hours and it seems like you're trying to get away with only about 20.
- It doesn't benefit the community nearly enough. You are only enlisting family and friends and need to broaden your impact area.
- There is nothing note-worthy about running a food and toy drive. This activity is happening on any given day at any area foodbank or charity or church. Choose somethingn that will have a lasting impact on your community or the world.

Good luck!!!

Answer 4

yes you can plan, ask for approval, and execute your Eagle Scout Service Project before you have completed all the requirements of Eagle scout including merit badges.

That depends on the size of your troop(availability of help--lots of scouts ready to volunteer=get a bigger, harder project), and the need for toys and food for shelters and food pantries. BUT, i would definitley say no to a "station" manned 3-5 hours for 2 days--that's pathetic. I would suggest a drive(if needed) that would span about a month or two and have collection boxes in public places like schools or a church. AND, for extra hours, pack and sort everything yourself(w/ the help of other scouts of course) and send it over to the shelter/food pantry yourself.

A few notes about this:

there is no official "minimum of hours"(tho your troop may have a minimum, you should ask)

if you don't get it approved, ask why, and if they don't tell you why, don't ask here. Why do I say that? because getting to Eagle is a learning process and you learn ALOT when you plan and do your project.

next time its probably best to ask an older scout, or an adult leader about this....not on the internet where people who have very wrong answers, like Kristy(no offense, but if you don't know what your talking about, don't talk!), or someone may mislead you.

what other service projects do u have in mind? if this is the first one, think of a few other possibilities. that being said, think it over.....bcus i chose the first one that came to me and i had a hard time getting it done; that being said, i also learned ALOT more

and be sure to write down all who participated and try to invite all you can who helped that are not in your troop to your Court of Honor.

TAKE PICTURES

btw, http://www.nesa.org/trail/18-927.pdf

have fun and don't quit
feel free to contact me

Answer 5

You would need to check with your troop committee or scoutmaster informally. Some scout troops allow this type of activity for eagle projects and some do not. There is some discretion from Council to Council or District to District on this type of thing. Our Council did not allow straight fundraising for Eagle projects but I have seen them approved in other places such as for a rural volunteer fire department to have defibrolators.

You can work on and/or complete your project before all your required 21 badges are completed. You just need to make sure that it is approved by all parties before you do it.

Good luck with your quest and I hope this helped.
(I am a former scouter and the mother of an Eagle Scout)

Answer 6

My Eagle Scout project involved every member of my troup and members of the community. We repainted a publicly run convelescent home. I sent letters to local business to ask for money to buy paint and supplies. I sent my scout mates to various locations to pass out flyers telling people of the event. I posted bill boards at local community centers and schools. We had over 100 people show up. You would be surprised, the community at large loves to support an eagle scout. Scouting isn't as popular as it was thirty years ago, but it isn't unheard of. Be a proud scout, involve members of the community at large and they will support you all the way.
BTW-> A food and toy drive is very unoriginal and I would turn it down without a thought. Why don't you have a health fare or something at the local free clinic? We did one with my fraturnity in college. We had five hundred people turn out. Another idea, pet adoption !!One of my friends did a pet adoption at the local department of animal control where there are too many pets left to die.

Good luck and G-d bless !!