Eagle Scout Project Provides RENEW with a Garden

August 15, 2007 - Sheridan

“He’s a man outstanding in his field.” So goes the proverbial saying and so it is for 14 year old Alex Welch of Sheridan. Well on his way to earning his Eagle Scout status, Alex chose the horticultural work seen here as his official Eagle Scout project.

The photo of Alex with shovel in hand belies the real work the project entailed. The requisite Eagle Scout paperwork reveals it all: The “sweat equity” included 95 physical hours of work, 15 hours of planning and 19 volunteers assisting Alex. And that’s just the labor.

The “parts” included 10 yards of dirt, 30 railroad ties, specially fabricated sheet metal, lots of rebar, over a hundred feet of hose and a sprinkler system.

Those parts and that labor resulted in a half dozen 3 & 1/2 feet by 15 feet raised beds in an already fenced enclosure at the RENEW Service Center at 1969 S. Sheridan Avenue in Sheridan.

“In the best of circumstances, it would have been nice to have had the garden ready for this growing season but it just wasn’t possible”, Alex laments. Indeed, with typical Wyoming planting in May, it would have meant a springtime project and school prevented that from happening.

And speaking of school, Alex is a freshman at Sheridan High this fall. Between church activities and twice a day football practice, Welch says he found it “somewhat difficult” to dedicate the many hours the project needed. In his words, “it wasn’t always easy finding the right time to get my friends together to help. It was hot too, so we liked to work in the evening.”

The fruits of Alex & friends’ labor will be evident soon enough -- next spring to be exact. The garden will be planted and maintained by RENEW clients enrolled in the IDEAS and the Employment programs. And what might those fertile soils be bearing? Flowers, vegetables? Petunias, pumpkins? This time a year from now, we’ll know for sure.

In the interim, some “thank you’s” are definitely in order. They include City of Sheridan Solid Waste Manager Charles Martineau who gave Alex a big assist with 10 yards of city donated top quality compost and Home Depot Manager Ed Chapman who donated more than $600 worth of railroad ties, rebar, sprinklers and hoses. Additionally, Lee Metal Works of Sheridan provided special pricing for their product and services.

Thank you too, Alex says, to the many friends who helped him including his brother and sister, his dad and members of Boy Scout Troop 110 sponsored by the Sheridan First Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Finally, might we at RENEW express our deepest gratitude to you, Alex Welch. Your thoughtfulness, compassion, vision and hard work are all exemplified in your fine garden -- a garden whose bounty will enrich this RENEW community for many years to come.