Jack Adkins, a 16-year-old Eagle Scout from Chardon Township, made a difference for his community through a service project to build a new fire pit and benches for the Painesville Assembly of God.
Jack Adkins, a 16-year-old Eagle Scout from Chardon Township, made a difference for his community through a service project to build a new fire pit and benches for the Painesville Assembly of God.
“I learned pretty early on in my Boy Scout career that the biggest and most important requirement to become an Eagle Scout was to plan, develop and lead a service project for some organization,” said Jack. “However, up to about a year before I earned the award, I had no idea what I wanted to do for mine.”
Jack, a member of Chardon Scout Troop 190, knew he wanted to create something meaningful for the community and the organization he would volunteer with. He came up with the idea for his service project through his eight years as a member of the church.
The church holds summer-long events centered around the community gathering near a bonfire to cook food and socialize. Jack noticed community members didn’t have a way to contain the fire they cooked over and there was no place for people to sit while they ate around the bonfire.
“I figured that if I built something new that would solve this problem, it would make these summer events more enjoyable for everyone and provide the church with a better way to build bonfires,” said Jack.
He spent the next several months creating a plan to build the benches and a fire pit, drawing inspiration from his own family’s fire pit. Lowe’s Home Improvement in Mentor helped Jack with his service project by providing him with the materials he needed.
The project was completed in November 2020 and Jack became an Eagle Scout in September 2021. Over the summer, the church was able to use Jack’s new fire pit and seating during their traditional bonfires.
Jack started his journey toward the Eagle Scouts by joining the Boy Scouts at age 11, when a friend invited Jack to join his troop.
“I had never been involved with scouting before, but after I went to my first meeting with Troop 190, I knew right away that this was something I wanted to do,” said Jack.
As someone who considers himself a goal-oriented person, Jack knew after joining the troop he would one day become an Eagle Scout. His Scoutmaster, Brent Grantham, was a huge motivator in helping him work towards his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout, he said, adding his two older cousins’ Eagle Scout service projects influenced his journey, as well.
In his view, Jack’s service project made the already enjoyable summer experience that much better for everyone. Not only were people more protected from the fire, but everyone was able to sit around the fire as they ate their food together, he said.
“The church expressed their sincere thanks to me for building it for them,” said Jack. “I was happy knowing that I had done something to help my community because that was the whole purpose of the project from the very beginning, to provide service.”
Accomplishing his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout while also helping his community was an incredible journey, he said, adding he plans to earn 50 merit badges by the time he ages out of Eagle Scouts at 18.
The project was not about receiving his badge or the other things that come with being an Eagle Scout, he added, but about the memories he was able to create along the way.
“All of these experiences have been important to me in some way and I have a different memory for each of them,” said Jack.
