Seven scouts in Westport Troop 3 were recently celebrated with an Eagle Court of Honor.

Shawn Landry, Tyler Resendes, Aidan Morley, Cameron Arruda, David Abgrab, Jacob Hall and Dylan Metivier, each earned Eagle badges on projects that benefit the community, doing their work under trying pandemic coditions. They include:

Shawn Landry:  Shawn has enjoyed music all his life and wanted to find a way to help the Westport Music Boosters. After learning that the Middle High School stored a lot of the band’s equipment in  a shipping container, he organized a group of scouts to paint and preserve the metal container.  By coloring the color of Westport Wildcats, it helped to stop any corrosion, and continued to safely house the band’s instruments and materials. He also stenciled the school’s mascot on the container.  

Tyler Resendes: Tyler partnered with “Soles 4 Souls," an organization that collects gently used shoes and sends them to poor countries in Latin America. Tyler worked with local churches, schools and scouts to collect, clean, package and ship more than 1,500 pairs of shoes.

Aidan Morley:  Aidan has always had a passion for the outdoors and education.  He tied the two together by working with the Westport Land Conservation Trust to develop an audio/visual trail through the Westport Woods. He organized his scouts to research and write scripts, and then they helped dig and set signposts for QR code signs throughout the property.  He recorded videos of himself and those are now stored on YouTube for future scouts, and so Westport Woods visitors can learn more about the area while visiting.

Cameron Arruda:  Cameron has had a passion for helping others. Through his mother’s nursing work he learned of an organization at Hasbro Children’s Hospital that supports pediatric patients going through cancer treatments. After speaking with the IZZY Foundation, Cameron started to collect items that patients and families need, including toiletries, coloring books, crayons, small games and other comfort items to break up the sterility of a hospital room. 

David Abgrab:  As schools were returning to the classroom for the first time since the pandemic broke out, Espirito Santo School on Fall River had specific needs. Items like scissors and pencil sharpeners could not be shared, and there was a huge need for hand sanitizer, masks, gloves and disinfectant.  David conducted a drive so that every student had their own “return to school bag” to support them.

Jacob Hall:  Jacob conducted a pet food drive for the Westport Food Pantry. The pandemic has caused an increasing amount of food insecurity and yet people will feed their pets first. Jacob collected more than 500 pounds of pet food to serve the Westport community, and his efforts helped to provide 1,200 balance servings of food for dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Dylan Metivier:  Dylan reached out to the Westport Food Pantry to find out what volunteers needed. The entrance to their facility was a dirt walkway but under Dylan’s leadership, scouts built a large platform that provided a safe, clean area to accept and distribute food items.  

 The troop's Michele Hall said the seven boys exemplified scouting ideals while earning scouts BSA’s highest achievement. 

"Their hard work and dedication, while persevering through a pandemic and high school, is to be admired. Congratulations to these seven young men who will all go into adulthood with a strong foundation for leadership and community service."

Note: Troop 3, Troop 33 and Pack 3 meet on Tuesdays at the VFW, Post 8502, 843 State Road, Westport, MA.  Visit us on Facebook at Scoutsofwestport.