Boy Scouts of America Troop 86 Eagle Court of Honor

BSA Troop 86 Eagle Court of Honor for Jackson and Evan Anderson- Making a difference for a church community

On June 10th, 2018, Boy Scouts of America, Troop 86 of Marlboro awarded its highest honors of Eagle Rank to Jackson C. Anderson and Evan C. Anderson. Attaining Eagle Rank requires great deal of dedication, commitment, hard work and sacrifices.

Jackson and Evan, 18 year old twin brothers, are graduates of Marlboro High School and Freehold Borough High School respectively. Jackson and Evan were introduced into Boy Scouting by their older brother, Roy Anderson, who also has earned Eagle Rank. However, their success in achieving eagle rank in boys scout , is due to their devotion to community service,and fondness to outdoors. Hence, it would be fitting that the boys focused on community service for their Eagle Projects.

Since The Trinity Episcopal Church in Matawan New Jersey, is an important and integral part of their lives, the boys focused on betterment of their church. Upon confirmation from church officials, Jackson honed in on the renovations of church basement which was in dire need of repair due to neglect. Despite, the mounting stress of teenage years, school, marching band, orchestra, extracurricular activities, job, and boys scouting, Jackson took on a large Eagle project. To successfully complete Eagle project, a scout requires to take multi-step approach. Firstly, a written requests, detailed plans along with presentation is submitted to church, and BSA officials. Secondly, coordinating donations (monetary and supplies) to fund the project. Thirdly, coordinating volunteer help and managing a precise time table to complete the project.
The project included; removal of all contents, power washing, repairing and painting of the entire church basement. He also, thoroughly cleaned and repaired floor drains to prevent future flooding. In addition, to prevent debris from falling into the basement, he repaired and installed slots into the chain-linked fence on the basement entrance.
He also placed garbage and recycling receptacles on the church grounds and secured them by building a fence around them. This project was a testament to his management skills where he mindfully coordinated, members of BSA Troop 86, church and friends who volunteered to see the project to fruition. "I had to make sure I was effectively managing volunteer time and my time along with managing supplies and donations. It required me to be very organized", states Jackson enthusiastically. He is very proud of his work. "There was also an added challenge of coordinating time to help my brother's project which was being carried out simultaneously", adds Jackson. "As much as me giving back to our church, this project also gave me many valuable skills like leadership skills, gained from leading a team, it also taught me the real meaning of giving back and community service which was displayed by every single one of the volunteers. These are paramount life skills and lessons that I will carry with me throughout my life", commented Jackson.
Jackson intends to maintain his involvement with BSA Troop 86 and aspires to attain a degree in Electrical Engineering from Brookdale College in a program partnered with JCP&L. When asked what he would advise other young scouts. Jackson states,"My best advise to young scouts would be to take full advantage of the outings, the resources, and leadership training offered by BSA Troop 86, to help sharpen your skills and to better yourselves".

Jackson's twin brother Evan had equally demanding Eagle Scout project. Despite facing the challenges of a learning disability, Evan is a Freehold Borough High School graduate, and a local fire department volunteer. Currently, he is studying Building Services at Monmouth County Vocational School where he has earned the student of the year award.
For the Eagle project Evan had decided to fix the dilapidated storage shed on the property of Trinity Episcopal Church. However, after the project was initiated, Evan was faced with a massive setback. He was informed by a volunteer, who is in construction, that the shed was beyond repair, and needed to be torn down. Evan was left with no choice but to discard and re-plan the entire project. He discovered a concrete slab on the premises and decided to build a shed from the ground up on it. He dismantled the old shed very carefully since he had decided to reuse the good wood and studs for the new shed. Volunteers form the church and boy scouts pulled out nails and cleaned the old wood that was to be reused in the new shed. "Evan is so grateful for the volunteers who donated money, time, work, expertise and materials. Stores like Lowe's donated wood and siding towards Evan's project", mentions Roy Anderson, Evan's father. "He approached the right individuals for help", states Roy. Evan's Hard work, dedication and grit helped him finish his project and now the church has a brand new shed for storage that will be used for many years to come. This was only possible due to a young boy's willingness to make a positive change in his community.

The lessons both the boys want everyone to take away form their Eagle projects are having tenacity to persevere through challenges and valuing service to your community. Jackson and Evan are a proud representation of BSA Troop 86 morals and a wonderful role-model for all the youths of Marlboro.

By Kunjan Bhatt