March 29, 2024

On The Path To Eagle: Boy Scouts aim to leave mark on Quarry Springs Park

COLFAX — Every Boy Scout makes it their goal to reach the highest achievement in scouting, the rank of Eagle Scout. For Malachi and Isaiah Jenkins, this dream started eight years ago when they were little Webelos and Wolf Scouts.

Now after years of earning merit badges, bonding with their troop and learning what it means to be a scout, the Newton brothers are both closing in on attaining the ultimate scouting honor.

They hope to reach it by leaving their mark on Jasper County with two projects at Quarry Springs Park.

“This will be a great place for the BSA in general. For my Eagle project to help future scouts, that is a great goal for me,” 17-year-old Malachi said. “I like being outside. I like the outdoors. I like camping ... as a Boy Scout who is about to age out, I want to see a ton of kids in the program.”

The Colfax Park and Auxiliary Board signed off on Malachi and Isaiah Jenkins of Boy Scout Troop 383’s Eagle Scout service project March 7 at its monthly meeting. As a requirement to attain the rank of Eagle Scout, the two will orchestrate two different projects to benefit Quarry Springs Park in the next few weeks.

Malachi’s project will design and install signs around the park, primarily focusing on mile markers on the trail. Isaiah’s project will set up a self-registration station and an information kiosk near the park’s campgrounds.

The scouts said for their projects, the two will organize the volunteers, create schedules, plan the designs and oversee the operation. Although both projects still need to be approved by the Eagle Scout Board, the two said they aim to complete their projects by May, just in time for summer.

“(The boys) can’t lift a finger to work on it,” Rod Jenkins, father of the scouts said. “They are not allowed to hammer and nail, they have to direct how it is going to be done. It is 100 percent leadership.”

According to the scouts, they decided to do their Eagle Scout service project at Quarry Springs Park after they talked with officials about ways they can help the park. With a variety of camping and outdoor activities offered at the park, the two felt this was a perfect opportunity to help the community and the BSA.

“We started talking to Doug (Garrett, auxiliary board president) and he was like, ‘We have projects all over, so if you guys were willing to volunteer,’” 14-year-old Isaiah said. “I thought, ‘Eagle Projects, all day long. Here there are tons of them.’”

Garrett said both of the projects will greatly benefit the park. As both projects were recommended by the board president, he said the tasks have been on the board’s to-do list for a while.

“The focus is getting (Isaiah’s) project done so we can get camping up and running early in the year,” the board president said. “We are pushing to get it done as early in April as possible.”

In previous years, the campgrounds required a staff member to register the campers. Auxiliary board officials said the self-registration will help the board better use the hours of their volunteers while giving them the possibility to open camping during weekdays.

“Someone had to sit out there all day Saturday, all day Sunday in the office to collect the money. Self-registration is really common at campsites,” Rod said. “If you go to Ashton Park, you can fill up a form in an envelope, put $10 in it and put it in the box and you are self-registered.”

According to Garrett, the projects will be funded by the auxiliary board.

The Jasper County homegrown kids said although their projects will require a lot of time and effort, they are simply honored they will be able to leave a legacy in their home for future generations.

“We have a passion for the community,” the scouts’ mother, Michelle Jenkins said. “We have tried to teach them to appreciate the history of the community, what you have in your community and to take care of it. It needs to be there and be preserved.”

For more information on the park, visit colfaxnorthpark.com, call 515-478-6272 or find Quarry Springs Park on Facebook.

For more information about Boy Scout Troop 383, visit troop383altoona.org.

Contact Anthony Victor Reyes at areyes@jaspercountytribune.com