Special to the Reporter

Eagle Scout rank represents years of hard work culminated in a cherished award that only a small percentage of Scouts ever achieve. Vander Garr, 16, received his Eagle Scout rank with an Eagle project that gave back to the community by building a flag collection box at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). The box helps the community by offering a convenient drop-off place where people can ensure their retired flags are properly cared for and disposed of by the VFW.

“I wanted to help out an organization local to Mercer Island, and I thought that it would be a practical and appreciated addition to the VFW,” said Garr about his choice of a project. Mercer Island is fortunate to have so many local Scouts helping to make improvements in the local community.

Charlene Crawford from the VFW stated, “The flag box looks great. I was just on an email with Mercer Island Parks that have recently traded out their flags and I was able to proudly tell them we have a red, white and blue flag box that they can drop them in so we can do a flag ceremony.”

The box is a 1.5’ x 1.5’ x 3.5’ collection box, painted in patriotic colors.

None of this would be possible without the dedication of the Eagle Scouts parents, the beneficiaries/sponsors of the projects, Scout and Assistant ScoutMasters, and all the Troop 647 volunteers who helped out with the project, including Andrew Zaborski, ScoutMaster of Troop 647.