Keegan Clendenin has been involved with Scouts since the age of eight and always dreamed of getting his Eagle Badge, the highest achievement attainable in Scouts. In order to receive the Eagle Badge, each Scout member must communicate with an organization to help build or remodel a project for them. Once the Scout finishes the project, they write a report and present it to the troop.
When Keegan was considering his Eagle project, he connected with Teresa Smith who owns Living the Doxie Dream in Royse City. He then visited their recently rebuilt pet sanctuary that his mother had conducted a fundraiser for. “When I visited, I noticed that they had a building, but nothing to put inside the building,” Keegan said. “There were just fences for the dogs to stay in and blankets for them to sleep on.” It was then that Keegan decided he would build dog beds for the facility. “I wanted to create something that could be used for years to come. Something substantial!”
For the project, Keegan began with a fundraiser where he shot a video with a green screen and then shared his project. Raising over $1,400, Keegan was able to purchase all the supplies needed. Building the dog beds took place over two weeks. “I spent about twelve hours one weekend measuring, cutting, sanding, and drilling. There was a lot of prep work before the building even started.” The following weekend, Keegan’s current troop and ten other volunteers helped him. In all, Keegan and his volunteers assembled, sanded, stained, and finished 15 beds that are 2.5 ft by 2.5 ft. “All the stains and finishes were natural and nontoxic in case any animals chewed on the wood.”
On March 7, Keegan delivered the 15 dog beds to Living the Doxie Dream and he met with his unit leader that afternoon. The completion of his Eagle project was approved! The board then confirmed all requirements were met on Tuesday, March 23 and he is thrilled to announce the successful completion of the Eagle Scout Badge.
Congratulations, Keegan!