Boy Scout Takes Leadership Role in Monrovia’s Make a Difference Day
By Sameea Kamal
Published: Monday, November 2nd, 2009
The slogan for the campaign is “A National Day to Help Others.” And this is precisely what local Boy Scout Scott Card set out to do in organizing his group for this year’s Make a Difference Day in Monrovia as part of his Eagle project.
The October 24 event was part of the national Make a Difference Day campaign, which the city of Monrovia has been participating in for the past seventeen years.
The day was kicked off by Mayor Mary Ann Lutz, after which the approximately 350 to 400 volunteers dispersed on any one of 22 need-based projects suggested by the city’s code enforcement, parks and recreation and input from residents.
Card’s fellow Scouts from Troop 143 and community members planted 50 trees, donated by the Air Quality Management District, along Alta Vista Avenue.
According to Card’s mother Bonnie, who serves as the Scout Committee Chairperson, the young leader organized 45 volunteers from the church and community to plant five varieties of native trees.
In order to get a group together, the young Scout sent out letters, e-mails and made calls and announcements in Church. He also coordinated with the city’s public works department to find out what supplies would be provided, and what planting equipment and volunteer supplies would be needed.
So many people came to help out that they finished planting two hours ahead of schedule and dispersed to help with other projects, Bonnie Card said.
The projects by the city are geared towards helping senior citizens and the environment, said Amy Gray, volunteer services coordinator for the city of Monrovia.
“We want to help people truly in need,” she said. “Half of these things wouldn’t get done if we didn’t have the youth coming out.”
Members of the church of Latter Day Saints who participated in the tree planting said they enjoyed taking part in the project. Many of the members have volunteered for Make a Difference Day for the past ten or eleven years, said volunteer Marcy Hoopes.
“We worked in teams of four to five, we dug the holes and planted trees,” Hoopes said.
“We also had little kids helping out by stomping on the mulch,” added her daughter, Haylie Hoopes. “It feels good to do something for the community.”
Volunteers for Make a Difference Day came from many parts of the community, ranging from age 3 to age 90, Bonnie Card said.
The event was sponsored by a number of groups and businesses within the city, including Wendy’s, who donated lunch for the volunteers.
Card, who is a freshmen at Monrovia High School, has been in the Boy Scouts since age 11 and was a Cub Scout before that.
His attendance at Make a Difference Day since he was a child, along with input from family and friends, inspired him to organize a group for this year’s event for his Eagle Project – which, after one more merit, will make him an Eagle Scout.
Card said he thought planting trees would help the community in many ways.
“ The city looks nicer, it helps the environment and gives wildlife places to live,” Card said “It’s been fun.”
Card said he would probably be back next year, too, and said that any other youth looking for volunteer opportunities should look around for flyers at community spots like the library.
The hardest part for the high school freshmen was finding the time to sit down and do everything amidst his workload and other activities.
“I had so much math homework this weekend,” he said.
Card is also training for baseball, which he plans to try out for in the spring.
The Scout said the best part of the event for him was seeing its impact.
“My favorite part was seeing one of the owners come out, and he looked so happy about the tree we planted in their yard,” he said.
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