Philip GeLinas completes his Eagle Scout Project

Eagle Scout Project by Philip ( copied this from Richelle's "The Good Witch and Goodrich News" with a few deletions and additions.

Philip prepares to pass along his donations to the hospital.

Philip's Eagle Scout Project - Nov/Dec 2012

It started out with a call to the hospital.  Philip spoke with Bonnie Dirks, contact person over volunteers and donations at the local Samaritan Hospital.  She listed off a number of items that they stood in need of, donations like blankets, new stuffed animals, newborn baby clothes, and socks.  Philip decided to put together a sock drive, an idea that Bonnie supported.

The next step was to get approval from his local boy scout leaders, including the area council.  After scheduling a meeting where Philip presented his idea before a board of four members, he was approved to go ahead with the project.

Philip called a number of local stores to ask permission for a few scouts in uniform to stand outside their doors on two separate Saturdays and collect socks.  Walmart was the only store that agreed to allow this.  The management signed him up for December 1st and the 15th from noon - 4pm on each day.

Philip then went to the local paper, the Columbia Basin Daily Herald, and asked if they would donate an ad informing the community about his Eagle Scout Sock Drive for the hospital.  They were happy to do it, and ran a colored add on five separate days!

Philip asked his brother, mother, and grandmother to decorate boxes to collect the socks in.  His step-dad also helped design a large box when it became apparent another would be needed.

Alexander wraps two large boxes
in wrapping paper.

Grandma Starr painted a box for collecting socks.

Alexander and Mom decorate a box for the
Samaritan Hospital Sock Drive

Philip announced his Eagle Project to the other scouts in his troop and passed around a sign up sheet for boys and leaders to volunteer two-hour shifts at the front doors of Walmart on either Satruday, Dec 1st or Dec 15th.  When there were too few signed up, Philip made phone calls to personally request more help.  Eventually he managed to fill the spaces with scouts, family members, and adult leaders.

Philip's mom designed simple ads to hand out at the front doors, informing shoppers that the scouts were seeking new socks for the hospital.  Laserlite and Evergreen Implement donated over 3,000 copies which were cut out and used on both Saturdays.  Mom also designed a flyer advertising the sock drive.  Copies were but in windows of agreeable merchants around the city.

The boy scouts stood outside Walmart in uniform four hours each Saturday and took in hundreds of socks!  It was overwhelming how well the community responded to the drive, donating approximately $1700 worth of socks!

Ad created by Mom
Put up in windows around the city
to advertise the sock drive

Philip takes a sit down break, requesting sock donations from Walmart shoppers

Calvin Woods and Philip work
together at one entrance.

Two boxes filled with sock donations after only one Saturday!
(Boxes designed by Mom and Alexander)

One box filled with sock donations!

Three boxes filled with socks after the second Saturday!
(Biggest box designed by Larry Goodrich)

 It was later determined that some of the socks were not acceptable for the hospital, a fact that at first was discouraging.  Philip went the extra mile by talking to Walmart management who agreed to exchange the unusable socks for ones the hospital needed.  It took awhile to complete the exchange, but the effort was well worth it in the end when Philip delivered all socks the hospital could use for its patients!

Philip hands over the sock donations to Bonnie Dirks.

An Eagle Scout Job well done!

Congratulations Grandson,  Completing your Eagle Scout Project is no easy job.  Not many young men can say that they have.  You know that Gary earned his Eagle Scout Project.  When you are at the Seminary building next time take a look behind the building at the BBQ cement pit.  Gary and his Dad, with the help of others worked

for many days on that project.  And the nice thing about it is the fact that he got to use it eventually.  You can be proud of yourself, although I don't quite think you

have realize the significance of it, and probably won't until later on in your life.

LOL Grandma and Grandpa Starr