Eagle Scout Project Gives Lilburn Co-Op a Helping Hand on MLK Day (Video)

It was a fitting day for the work that Alex Sullivan had in mind for his Eagle Scout project.

With help from fellow Boy Scouts and their parents, Alex spent most of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday making a difference in his community.

The 14-year-old Parkview High School freshman led a project at the Lilburn Cooperative Ministry on Five Forks-Trickum Road that brought a fresh coat of paint and new carpeting to the office area in the back of the facility.

Alex, a member of Troop 580, which is based at the Lucerne Baptist Church in Lilburn, planned and implemented the project, including raising money, getting dozens of his Troop mates and many of their parents to volunteer their time, and lining up donated materials from the nearby Lowe’s. The project took two days to complete.

“It came together and I’m really happy it got done,” said Alex, who lacks only two merit badges to earn the Eagle rank. “I live right down the street and it really meant a lot to me to help the community in a way that was so close.”

An Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project is a requirement to achieve scouting’s highest rank. A project must be pre-approved, and be challenging as well as beneficial to the community. It must show such skills as managing, scheduling, leadership and financial planning. Once the work is completed, a report must be written and presented for final approval. Alex’s project was assisted by his patrol leader Alan Harp, who was the boy’s den leader in Cub Scouts.

While planning his Eagle Scout project, Alex called Lilburn Co-Op director Kay Whithear about six months ago to see what needed to be done. She pointed out the work-station area, where much of the work is done when the Co-Op coordinates food and financial assistance for families in need.

Alex’s crew painted the work station, pulled up old carpet that had been glued to the concrete floor and installed new carpet squares.

“The old carpet was disgustingly nasty,” Whithear said. Whithear says the Co-Op has benefitted from Eagle Scout projects many times in the past. The fencing around the parking lot and shelves in the food pantry are two examples.

“This was all Alex. He lined up everything. It’s his project,” she said. “I’m very impressed.”

So was mom, Cara Sullivan. “I think Boy Scouts is a wonderful organization. It teaches them a lot about life skills and they’re exposed to them early,” she said. “He’s done all of the meetings, phone calls and talked to Kay. He worked with Lowe’s. He planned it all … I’m very, very proud of him.”