A local boy scout and his troop live by their motto in helping others at all times.
Jason Lukowich, a 18-year old Country Club resident, served as the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 182 and lead a community service project with his troop to revitalize the Sisters, Servants of Mary’s overgrown garden as part of his Eagle Scout service project.
After completing this extensive service project, Lukowich is hoping he can prove he has what it takes to be considered an Eagle Scout.
According to Marlon Guerrero, committee chairman for Troop 182, Lukowich is currently a candidate for the conveted Eagle Scout and completed this service project as part of the rank’s requirement and will go before a board of review Wednesday, September 23 at St. Helena Church to explain how he qualifies.
Lukowich pitched the idea of aiding the Sisters, Servants of Mary as his Eagle Scout service project before the troop’s scoutmaster, committee chairman, council representatives and beneficaries of the project after learning they needed help maintaining their garden.
“I went there and saw that a lot needed to be done, and I felt it was extremely necessary for us to help them,” said Lukowich.
All parties involved agreed and the troop began work this past July 7 and completed the project on Thursday, September 3.
Lukowich explained that he and his team removed dense bamboo and poison ivy from the garden located alonside the 3305 Country Club Road convent’s driveway which he described as being difficult, yet rewarding work.
“Throughout this whole project I learned how to become more patient and learned how to effectively organize everyone,” he said.
After clearing the garden, Lukowich and his team sprayed weedkiller before covering the dirt with a tarp.
Lukowich and his team proceeded to build four wooden garden boxes which took about two and a half hours and filled them with soil and mums.
Throughout the entire project, the Sisters, Servants of Mary expressed their gratitude for Lukowich and his team’s work by providing them with sandwhiches, pizza and refreshments.
Guerrero explained that in addition to providing service and fulfilling part of the Scout Oath “to help other people at all times,” one of the primary purposes of this project is for participants to learn leadership skills or improve and demostrate leadership skills thses young men already possess.
He added that important lessons in project management and taking responsibilty for a significant accomplishment are applied to this service project.
Guerrero said the Boy Scouts of America has conferred the Eagle Scout ranking to 50 Troop 182 scouts throughout the years.
“Troop 182’s mission is to work towards the leadership development of its scouts helping them grow into responsible and successful members of our society and I’m very impressed with Jason’s project,” said Guerrero. “I was also very pleased to see how the troop rallied together with Jason to help accomplish it and he’s learned to become more independent and grow as a leader.”
“They did a great job removing all of the bamboo from our garden and we are very grateful for all of their hardwork,” said Sister Germana Contreras, mother superior. “This was actually a project we wanted to do for a long time and we were so happy that Jason and his troop came to help us.”
According to Guerrero and Sister Contreras, Alex Morales, a senior patrol leader of the troop and Eagle Scout candidate, plans to help build a gazebo for the Sisters next year.
