Hunters Creek Stake awarded Outstanding Partner in Education for service project at Cypress Park Elementary

If there's one thing the members of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints  understand, it's service. They believe that serving others is the way to show their love for the Savior and all mankind.

On Friday, May 2, the Hunters Creek and Orlando South Stakes of the church received the Outstanding Partner in Education award for 2013-2014 from the Orange County Public Schools for service projects performed at Palmetto and Cypress Park Elementary schools.

On October 26, 2013 Orange county schools held a day of service for many schools across their district with participants in the Partners in Education program.  The Hunters Creek Stake, which covers southern Orange county and most of Osceola county, organized a service project at Cypress Park Elementary.

In the weeks leading up to the service project, members of the church collected 17 bins of clothing, 18 boxes of books, and put together a teacher supply box for each classroom. On the 26th over 200 people including church members, students, parents, and teachers showed up to the school to beautify the campus.

Participants restored the reading garden by trimming, weeding, planting new plants, laying mulch, and pressure washing the side walks so students could enjoy their reading time in the garden. 

Rocks that covered part of  the parking lot were removed and replaced with pavers and all the lines in the remaining parking lots were repainted.

Lastly, the front of the school and other areas were beautified with new plants, mulch and sod to give the campus a needed restoration.

In the months since the service project the members have continued to build a service relationship with the school and is planning another day of service this summer before the next school year begins.

Click on any of the collages to see the full gallery of pictures from the day of service.

Eagle Scout builds fence for a local church

On December 14, Madsen Senden completed his Eagle Scout Service Project by installing a parking lot fence for Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal Church, on Kentucky Ave in St. Cloud. The project consisted of removing an old and dilapidated fence, cleaning up the grounds, and constructing a new fence to divide the parking lot from the surrounding buildings.

The Eagle Scout Service Project is considered to be the most meaningful requirement to becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest rank. A scout is directed to "plan, develop and give leadership to others" in a service project deemed beneficial to a school, religious institution or community. 

It took over 100 hours for Madsen to plan and organize the project.  He oversaw a crew of about 14 younger scouts. His father and other adults also helped. He was responsible for the construction design, collecting the materials, delegating responsibilities and discarding the old wooden fence. 

When asked what he learned most from doing this project Madsen said, "It was incredible how much can be accomplished when you work together as a team. There was a lot more involved than just putting up a fence, the hours of planning and organizing sure paid off. I would still be there if it was not for the support of Troop 294. We came together as a troop."

Eagle Scout Court of Honor - Pleasant Hill Ward & Poinciana Branch

Friday, August 2, 2013 – Boy Scout Troop 394 of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kissimmee honored the advancement of three of its Scouts to the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank of Boy Scouts of America.



From Left to Right: Cory & Cecilia Andersen with son Brandon, Matt & Tyra McCarl with son Landon,
Mike & Meredith Callaghan with son Benjamin

 

These three exemplary young men, Landon McCarl, Benjamin Callaghan, and Brandon Andersen, began their journey as Cub Scouts nearly a decade ago. They each earned the Arrow of Light award as Webelos scouts, the highest award in Cub Scouting. They then graduated into Boy Scouts when they turned eleven, where they each served in various leadership positions, and each one earned his Duty to God award for his church. All three boys completed the requirements to earn the Eagle Scout rank in 2013.

 

To attain the rank of Eagle Scout, a boy must earn 21 merit badges and successfully complete a community or church-related, leadership-focused service project to earn his Eagle. Landon McCarl chose to replace aging and worn out signs at the Central Florida Family and Youth Camp. Benjamin Callaghan collected and assembled comfort kits for the Orlando Red Cross. Brandon Andersen cleaned and beautified the Greenwood Cemetery in Kissimmee.

 

They join other outstanding American citizens who have become Eagle Scouts, among them Florida Governor Rick Scott, astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, cinematographer Steven Spielberg, and comic strip writer Bill Amend. Only 3-4 % of boys that enter Boy Scouts continue on to earn the rank of Eagle.

 

Boy Scout Troop 394 has over the years done community service projects throughout Kissimmee, including Scouting for Food, Eagle Scout projects in several city parks, for churches, and for environmental organizations through the area.

 

Attached is a photo of the boys that have received their Eagle rank this past Friday. Photo by Lori Rucker. Article by Mike Callaghan.