Troop 6 Eagles

For my Eagle Project, I led my fellow scouts of Troop 6, as well as other scouts from across the Spirit of Adventure Council, in the rehabilitation of the Monarch Butterfly species throughout Quincy, Milton, and even Connecticut. We grew over 150 milkweed plants including Common Milkweed, Purple Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, and Swamp Milkweed. These were then planted at several locations such as Nut Island, New England Base Camp, Houghs Neck Congregation Church, and June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation, as well as in many Quincy residents' yards. Additionally, we tackled the invasion of Black Swallow Wort, the Monarch Butterfly's biggest threat.  Our efforts totaled 300 service hours and involved over 40 volunteers!

For my Eagle Project, I led my volunteers in interviewing 40 local veterans, from a 97 year old female marine who fought in WWII, to a 22 year old national guardsman. We preserved the stories of their lives and experiences in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. 

You can listen to them here:

 https://archive.storycorps.org/account/communities/

 For my Eagle Project, I led a restoration and transformation of the Houghs Neck Congregational Church Garden into a pollinating garden. We repaved the pathways with new stone dust, replaced the rotting wooden edging on the garden beds with new still trim, and installed an irrigation system to keeps the plants hydrated. On top of all this work, we had to remove tree stumps and hundreds of pounds of weeds to make room for the new pollinator plants for the Houghs Neck community to enjoy. 

For my Eagle Scout project, I led a team at the Black Feather Horse Rescue in Plymouth where we constructed and installed a new gable to keep the horse feed, clean, and dry and installed hundreds of feet of new fencing. My team also helped with several other repairs and upkeep tasks that were greatly appreciated by the team running the Rescue organization.

For my Eagle project, I rebuilt the Fort Square Veterans' Memorial with Troop 6 and the American Legion Post 294 over the course of Spring 2019. The entire traffic island had to be rebuilt from (under) the ground up. Before, the island's flags were placed in a general area, without much organization. This resulted in frequent loss of flag holders, as well as a few other issues. After we finished, there was a standardized grid, even piping, better drainage, and a much cleaner and more respectful memorial to those who have gone before us.

 For my Eagle Scout project, we collected backpacks from Quincy Public Schools children who no longer needed them at the end of the school year. I led a team of volunteers in filling 159 backpacks with 4,333 items donated that the homeless needed during the winter months.  The backpacks were filled with: a pair of socks, hand warmers, a can opener, a small first aid kit, a fleece blanket, deodorant, soap, a gift card to McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts, a hat, gloves, a space blanket, and other items that were donated by local businesses. In total the 159 backpacks were valued at $9,844, or approximately $62 each. The backpacks were handed out on Martin Luther King Day, January 15, 2017 at the Monday lunch program for the homeless at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Boston. 

For my Eagle Scout project, I led an effort to transform an overgrown garden at my church. We cut down a tree and installed a Rosary path where parishioners can pray. We also moved a statue, laid down new mulch, and planted fresh flowers. The parishioners were happy with the changes, and some of them visit the garden to pray.

 For my Eagle Scout project, I led a team in building an outdoor seating area and classroom for the kids at the Monatiquot Kindergarten School in Braintree. The majority of materials for the project were donated and help from the community made light work of the many tasks to do. 

 For my Eagle Scout project, I led a group of nearly 60 volunteers in packaging over 14,000 ready to cook meals that were subsequently donated to multiple Quincy food pantries for local families in need. These meals were very nutritious and easy to package and prepare. In order to pay for the ingredients and materials needed, I held a fundraiser dinner at the Hough’s Neck Congregational Church. I was inspired by, and had a lot of help from, my former pastor/family friend Matthew Martin who is now the head of “End Hunger New England”. Their goal this year (2023) is to feed 5,000,000 hungry New Englanders. You can donate, volunteer, or find out more info by visiting https://www.endhungerne.org 

For my Eagle Scout Project, we built a permanent vegetable garden behind the Houghs Neck Congregational Church. All of the harvest was donated to Interfaith Social Services and distributed to low-income families. The garden grew at least 100 pounds of vegetables. The project took about 150 man-hours to complete, and all funds for the project were raised through a dinner fundraiser hosted at the church.

 My Eagle Project consisted of 4 main components to improve the overall appearance of the Manet Health Center and Houghs Neck Community Center. First was to put up new wooden guard rails around the perimeter on Sea St. and Macy St. Second was to restore the picnic table on the Macy St side. Third was to level out the entire front yard with dirt. Last, but not least, we got a new stainless steel cable for the flag pole out front to replace the one that had snapped. All of these items were purchased with money donated by the community both private and corporate. None of this work could have been completed without the help of my personal mentors Brian Laroche, Robert Gordon, and Adam Pavidis, along with an amazing showing of local and other troop participants. 

For my Eagle project, I raised money, purchased supplies, and conscripted the talents of accomplished local architects, constructors, and builders (the best in Houghs Neck) to create an ADA compliant and accessible ramp for the parsonage of the Houghs Neck Congregational Church. The construction of the ramp wouldn't have been possible if not for the efforts of the team, the community, and most notably Troop 6.

Inspired by local environmental groups working to rejuvenate our coastal ecosystem after years of neglect, I decided my Eagle Scout Project would be building an osprey tower in one of the salt marshes of Houghs Neck. Pollutants and habitat loss had decimated the local osprey population, and even after environmental protections were enacted, the South Shore still struggled to attract ospreys back to the area. Hoping to maximize the chance of success, we endeavored to build on an ideal but remote site, situated between two tidal creeks near the Rock Island Cove Salt Marsh. The funding was completed somewhat accidentally. I spoke to a community group about my project and after I left, they raised, completely unsolicited, almost the full expense of the tower that very night. As for the difficult logistics of the site, I wish I could boast some clever planning on my part, but in the end, it was a lot of scouts spending two chilly spring weekends getting very wet and very, very muddy erecting the tower.  Our efforts were worth it, however, as not only was the tower occupied by a pair that June, but two chicks soon followed. According to locals who like to keep tabs on the nest, since then, every Fall several juveniles can be seen taking their first flights. Conservatively speaking, the tower has been home to at least 60 osprey chicks as of 2023. In 2018, after almost two decades, a strong winter storm destroyed the original osprey tower only a few weeks before the ospreys would return. I feared we’d lose the pair to another location. But to my great gratitude and pride, Troop 6 rose to meet the challenge and we constructed a new tower before the pair arrived. So far, the new tower has proven as successful as the first (plus, it sports a flashy number 6 on the base). In addition to Troop 6 and their dedicated Scout Masters, I would like to thank my family and PJ Foley for all the advice, support, and encouragement. Footage of the second tower construction can be found 

For my Eagle project, I restored the Chapel Street Park (McKinnon Playground) in Hough’s Neck. With the help of Troop 6 Scouts, family, friends, and the City of Quincy Parks Department, I cleaned the park of trash and broken glass and replaced parts of the wooden play structure that had been burned out. The playground is still in use, minus the play structure, and remains a popular spot to hang-out.

Way back in the very early 1990’s, my friends and I loved to take our boats out to Slate Island and camp there. 

So for my Eagle project, I helped make the island more friendly for visitors. I organized a big trash clean up on the island with the scouts, the Camp Fire Girls, and some friends and family. Then we opened up trails, cut a few new ones, and opened up a camping area on top of the cliffs facing Grape Island. Lastly, through a generous gift from the Houghs Neck Community Council, I was able to buy material and build 3 picnic tables. These tables were then donated to the Department of Environmental Management that ran the island, with their promise that they would get them out to the island for the public to use.

For my Eagle Scout project, we captured the information on services available at the then, brand new, Manet Health Center and the Serposs Dental clinic (located in the basement of Atherton Hough). Once I had all the information, I created a prototype pamphlet. Being a 'thrifty' Scout, I was able to convince the Quincy Vo-Tech graphic arts department to type, set, and print out hundreds of these pamphlets.

The final step was to have scouts distribute the pamphlets to Houghs Neck residents, which was done over a period of several weekends.

 In 1968, Marty Gordon and I set upon our Eagle Scout Projects - we received permission to repaint the north and south wings of the Hough's Neck Congregational Church Fellowship Hall.

With the mentorship of our Scoutmaster, 'Jack' Morris, we proceed with the work and completed it in short order.  We also should offer our thanks to "Pete" Little, a member of our Scout Committee and strong supporter of our Troop, for donating the use of scaffolding and planks to assist us in the painting of the ceilings and upper portions of the walls in the wings.