Adirondack Chairs For Veterans Eagle Scout Project For Reston Teen

This article was submitted by JB Bladek-Cafiero.

RESTON, VA — It was about 6 months ago when 13 year old Deklan Cafiero-Bladek began thinking about his Eagle Scout project and wanted to make a difference. There were lots of projects other scouts had done building butterfly sanctuaries, repairing school ground equipment, painting churches and creating care packages for those in need, but Deklan sought to do something that could link his love of working with his carpenter dad and giving something useful to a veteran community. Through his mom, he knew of Falcons Landing where his grandmother was permitted to recuperate from knee surgery many years ago, because her husband, Deklan’s grandfather, had served in WWII.

He wanted to build something useful, that would be enjoyed by many. He called and connected with Falcons Landing representative, M. Kennedy, who said “yes” to the idea of Adirondack chairs for a scenic garden. Deklan saved his money from dog walking to put forth toward the project and his parents agreed to match the funds he had earned. It took about 4 months of planning, meetings, Scout reviews and finally, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Washington D.C. District approval to begin the project. Supplies were ordered which the budget could support & on Nov. 4th, Scouts gathered on-site at Falcon’s Landing to assemble the pre-cut wood for the chairs that had been meticulously planned out.

Several veterans, organized by on-site representative Col. Schue, joined Troop 1313 Scouts who had volunteered to assist in the project and build the chairs. It was an amazing site to see veterans coaching and helping scouts of all ages, work thru to the final build goal of each chair.

One government retiree, Frank noted, “This was really fun!”. Another veteran Bob noted, “These will be utilized for years, thank you”, while another veteran who came upon the project noted, “This is really nice, people forget all the good work Scouts do to help our communities.”

Deklan noted that’s the message coming from this project, “Boys join scouting because it’s fun, but as you grow within the organization you realize the responsibility we have as scouts to serve others, help our communities, and demonstrate honor while being respectful to all. That is what our veterans have done for us and our country and I believe many people might forget this from time to time. This was a small way to note, I appreciate the sacrifice these veterans have made, my grandfather had made and those veterans serving today and who will follow.”