Eagle Scout Inspires a Community

This entry in the My Christmas List contest comes from Mandy, the mom of a prospective Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout project, Aiden's goal was to send thirty care packages to the troops. But his project inspired a community to do so much more.

Aiden brought the Tiger Cubs on board
to make cards for the troops

I want to share briefly what my 15-year-old son did this Christmas. He was collecting items to create 30 care packages for our troops stationed abroad this holiday season. It was a project with a lot of moving parts, and he was responsible for all parts--from the planning, collecting, sorting, packing, and then mailing.

Thanks to many others in the community, he was able to pack 40 care packages for U.S. soldiers stationed all over the world in the military. That was over 472 lbs. of holiday cheer to active duty soldiers.

I'm really proud of him for this. But here’s the biggest thing that made my heart sing. I wanted him to write up a note to put in each box explaining his project. He told me, “Mom, it’s a better blessing to do something nice, but not to get credit for it.”

Aiden with FORTY boxes,
packed and ready to go

Wow! He’s right. Still, I did tell him we needed to share a note so maybe we can hear back from them (and that helps us know they arrived). He did it, but I’m glad his first response was simple humility. 

Aiden's project even made the paper! Read more about it here. Thank you, Aiden, for being a selfless, serving teenager--a species believed to be extinct until now!