Children from Boy Scout Troop 1372 planted a Japanese cherry blossom tree and bushes in front of Woodlawn Chapel Saturday.
Aaron Towne, 15, a troop member, organized the entire project as the culmination of his Eagle Scout aspirations. Eagle Scout is the highest rank within the Boy Scouts of America program. The Scouts also planted an assortment of flowers, including tulips and daffodils, outside the chapel as part of the project. About 17 people helped out.
"The main idea for this project was that we wanted to create a beautiful place for everyone in the Belvoir community to worship," Aaron said.
The Scouting program is designed to help young people build character, learn citizenship and develop personal fitness. Scouts also participate in fishing, biking, swimming and camping trips. Boy Scout Troop 1372 meets in the Manassas Park, Va. area.
The four significant donors for the project were Meadow Farms Nursery, American Lawn Brothers, Lowe's and Home Depot.
Chaplain (Col.) Phillip Hill, former Fort Belvoir garrison command chaplain, said Aaron did a great job organizing the project. Aaron came to Hill for ideas for an Eagle Scout project and Hill suggested beautifying Woodlawn Chapel.
"I think it is a great opportunity to learn leadership in an organization and to realize that a project which seems simple on the outside, when you finally get down to all the details, is a lot more complicated than you think," Hill said. "That is a lesson in life."
The Towne Family attends service at Woodlawn Chapel, according to Agnes Towne, Aaron's mother. Hill always talked about beautifying the pile of mud that used to sit in front of the chapel. The project has been Aaron's dream come true.
"Aaron has been looking forward to doing this, excited but nervous," Agnes Towne said. "Aaron is very well aware of what a wounded warrior goes through, as my husband is a disabled veteran. I'm very supportive of my son doing this."
Charles Thornton of Manassas Park helped out with the project, along with his son, Charles Jr., 13, a member of the troop. He said it was an honor to support Aaron and help beautify Fort Belvoir.
"This is the big project and it has been a real pleasure watching him come along and get to this point," Thornton said.
Charles Jr. said that Aaron has showed a lot of leadership when he was organizing the project. He said that working on the project was fun and exciting.
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