Scouts recognized for work in Madison

Scouts recognized for work in Madison

Posted

MADISON — Max Sanders said he and his fellow Scouts in Troop 15 had a blast hopping in their canoes and cleaning up Brashear Creek.

“It was fun and challenging at times since we had to make our way into little corners and crevices in the creek to get some of the trash,” Sanders said. “It felt good to clean the creek up and it looks a lot better now.”

Scout uniforms and merit badges filled the Justice Complex Courtroom Tuesday night as scouts received certificates for helping keep Madison beautiful from Mayor Mary-Hawkins Butler. 

The mayor kicked off the board meeting by asking the Boy Scouts to lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer.

In December 2021, Scouts from Troop 15 participated in cleaning up Brashear Creek, which runs through Liberty Park and along Grandview Blvd., and planted flowers in the botanical garden in front of the Montgomery House on Main Street.

“People have not been kind to the Brashear Creek area in the past, as there was a lot of litter around there,” Hawkins-Butler said. “We are very thankful to all of you for doing that. The botanical garden is also something people will come far and wide to see.”

“I always tell the little ones that the sky is not the limit and you be who you want to be,” Hawkins-Butler said. “We live in a great county, great state, and great town, and I appreciate all of you wanting to be involved in it.”

Scoutmaster Matthew Thompson said Troop 15 had several Life Scouts about to achieve their Eagle rank and needed to work on an Eagle Scout project, one of them being the Brashear Creek cleanup.

“This was a conservation project that involved cleaning up the park and the walking path, clearing out the creak, and building a park bench by the foot bridge,” Thompson said. “It started as an Eagle Scout project, but it grew into something that addressed specific needs the city had.”

Thompson said the park cleanup took around half a day and building the bench also took half a day. He said getting the project itself set up took several weeks since the scouts needed permission from the city and the Andrew Jackson Council to move forward with plans.

“I feel this is going to start a tradition of conservation-oriented service projects in the city,” Thompson said. “The city recently reached out asking us to do a project at the Natchez Trace Funeral Home. The kids have a desire to help the community. We’re proud of our scouts and the young men who have earned their Eagle rank. If they’re an Eagle Scout, they earned it.”

Tenderfoot Scout Jacob Caudell said helping and cleaning up Madison will hopefully teach people not to litter as much and keep the city clean.

“There was a ton of trash in a tunnel that the creek ran through, and we had to maneuver our canoes through there to get it,” Caudell said. “It felt good after we cleaned because it looked so much better. I recommend scouting, it teaches you good discipline.”

Eagle Scout Nicolas LaFluer said projects like these always impact the community positively.

“A lot of people are busy every day, so to have a group of people willing to help the community is a blessing to those community members,” LaFluer said. “Brashear Creek looks so much better. I always saw trash when I drove to school each day and after this project, and it’s so much better now.” 






Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions