HARRISON SCOUT BUILDS GARDEN AT SENIOR CENTER

BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com

HARRISON TOWNSHIP —

On the road to becoming an Eagle Scout, members of the Boy Scouts of America give back to their communities. For Harrison Township Scout Milan Edwards, giving back came in the form of helping seniors.

On June 10, Edwards and other Scouts from Troop 1407, based in St. Clair Shores, took to the Harrison Township Senior Center and spent the day building amenities for its garden. The group of Scouts built standing flower planters, swivel-back benches, wall planters and a sign for the garden.

“Additionally, thanks to the Central Macomb Optimist Club, we donated a bike rack for them,” said Edwards, 16.

The road to Edwards’ Eagle Scout project began when he joined the Scouts as a fourth grader.

“It looked fun and interesting and just different, I suppose, because there was nothing quite like it around,” Edwards said. “It was also the people there as well, which were really welcoming and fun to be around.”

He kept with the organization through middle school and into high school, finding friendship among those who remained with the troop through camping trips and other activities. One fateful trip took Troop 1407 down to Indiana where everything went terribly wrong.

“It was a disaster from the start,” Edwards said. “A tornado had come in the day before and closed off the road access, so we slept in a church. Throughout the whole week we were there, it was rainy and muddy, but we made the most of it from just having fun, experiencing the merit badges and making our own ways to pass the time and enjoy it. It was still an overall fun camp despite the See EDWARDS on page 11A

The Royal Oak Police Department Honor Guard marches during Royal Oak’s 2023 Memorial Day parade. In accordance with the U.S. flag code, when carried in a procession with other flags, the American flag is carried on the marching right.