Is this a good eagle project

[SueB]

Is organ donation a good eagle project? My son wanted to work with our state organization that "spreads the word" about the value of organ donation. He would set up tables at fairs, the driver's license facility and hand out brochures promoting organ donation, etc. He would then raise money to plant a "memory tree" in honor of those who donated their organs. We don't have a personal story to tell so we don't have the "sympathy factor" working in our favor - this is just a project that he wants to do (he earned the organ donor awareness patch as a cubscout). Is this project viable as is or can you recommend something else to add to this?. Most importantly, does this project show leadership (his troop's committee chairman didn't think so).

[SueM]

Coincidentally...I have a boy in my unit who came up with a similar proposal for his Eagle project. He has not started to seriously work on it yet, but I did take a brief look at it. I'm not sure about it myself, but what we have always done is to send it to the District Eagle coordinator and if he signs it, then we don't have a problem. What I would/will do though is before doing that, I'll sit down and review the whole thing with the scout and get a better feel for his thought process in doing the project and how he feels this shows leadership, etc.

 

sue m.

[ScoutNut]

Check with your council to see if they have a list of Eagle Mentors. The Mentor can help your son with with his Eagle Project and anything else Eagle related.

 

Also, he should use the Eagle Project Workbook below. As he fills in the questions on his Project, he might get a better feel for what he needs to do.

 

http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/eagleproject/dload.html

 

BTW - Nowhere in the BSA's "Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook" does it say ANYTHING about leaving any kind of "legacy".

 

 

[DonM]

It sounds like it could be a good Eagle project. The key question, as raised by your CC, is leadership.

 

The Eagle project is all about leadership - the Boy Scout planning a service project, coordinating others to prepare for the project, organizing funding and materials, and leading others in the successful completion of the project. He doesn't do the work. he leads others in getting it done.

 

Your post mentions things he would do. It should be more about how he would lead a team of Scouts and adults in setting up and manning booths and planting trees. I suspect if he makes this the focus, he will receive a better reception.

 

Good luck to him.

 

Don M

[John-in-KC]

What both SueM and Don said.

 

Lots of Eagle Leadership Service Projects are "designe, resource, and build object X for non-profit agency Y, so that people Z can enjoy activity A."

 

The lasting value is the object itself and its relationship to the facility or piece of Nature in question.

 

For cerebral projects such as "plan an organ donor information and sign-up campaign", more thought is needed: How will the information get out? Who will he furnish copies of organ donor forms to? Who will be the receiving agency for completed forms?

 

I strongly recommend your SM/Advisor talking off-line to the District Advancement Chair; he'll help provide "what will get this over the top" info.

 

My son has a cerebral project; my brainstorming with the Advancement Chair on the front end saved my son two or three trips back to Roundtable on getting his project ready to go.

[purcelce]

If your CC says if won't fly then look for something else. CC is one of the signatures that your kid must have before he can even go in front of the District Review guys.

 

I've had to send quite a few kids back to get signatures from Scoutmasters, Committee Chairmen, and project benefactors.

 

(This message has been edited by purcelce)

[frankj]

It sounds fine to me and creative. If carried out with the leadership aspect being met, it could have more lasting value than other projects. Our district has an unofficial list of possible Eagle projects. Most of these are donate/build or clean-up type of projects. Lasting value? Yeah, some, maybe. Lasting potential value of the organ donor awareness project? Could be limitless, couldn't it?