Teen dedicates project to Boys & Girls Club

At 15, Brandon Hanks is on the young side to earn his Eagle Scout badge, Scouting’s highest and most coveted honor.

But the Camas High School sophomore had two motivating reasons to do so.

“I really wanted to finish my Eagle Scout project before my Dad is deployed again,” he said. “And my Dad told me I couldn’t get my driver’s license until I finished it.”

Hanks has been going to the Jack, Will and Rob Boys & Girls Club since he was a fourth-grader, so he decided it was a great place to do his Scouting project.

“Dad and I were talking, and he asked what I thought about fixing up the storage room and making it more usable,” Hanks said.

He approached JWR Program Director Mandy Cervantes, who welcomed the idea.

“There wasn’t much room to walk around in there and every time we would clean out the room it wouldn’t stay that way because of not having adequate storage.”

Before starting the project, Hanks had to write a proposal to both Cervantes and his Scout committee chairman, as well as secure donations from local businesses.

“I was really nervous about getting the donations,” Hanks said. “But when people said yes, it was a really good feeling.”

He received a $25 gift card from Home Depot, paint, brushes and rollers from Lowe’s, and plywood from Exterior Wood and All Weather Wood In Washougal.

It took six months to complete the project. Hanks had approximately 19 people to help him throughout the process.

“The final day was the best because the most people showed up to help,” he said.

Cervantes said she was very impressed with all the work Hanks did.

“Not only did Brandon have to go through an intense process of writing proposals, and having it approved by myself and his Scout committee chair, but he also worked hard to get the equipment and materials donated from local businesses,” she said.

Cervantes added that the project made a big difference at the Boys & Girls Club, because inadequate storage is always an issue.

“When I walked in and saw all the shelves, I was in awe,” she said. “It made me feel good and proud of Brandon, because he really did most of this all by himself.”