Library Landscaping Transformation Thanks to Local Eagle Scout Project

The Town of Wellington Library is a staple of our community, located in the Leeper Center, a building completed in the 1960's. With budget constraints and a desire to improve the offerings inside the Library, the outside has remained unchanged for years. Until Carter Larsen decided to focus his Eagle Scout project on this very place.

We asked Carter a few questions about the experience, here is what he had to say: 

Why did you choose to support the Wellington Library as your Eagle Scout Project? 

• " I have always gone to school in Wellington, and with that I spent three years at Wellington Middle School. During my years there I always had so much fun getting to take trips and science adventures to the Wellington Public Library and being able to get out in the fresh air and have a change from the classroom. During my years at WMS, I also learned about a Supreme Court Justice that was born and raised in Wellington, Colorado through an English paper I was writing. Through more research, I learned about the amazing life of Supreme Court Justice Byron White and his story about coming from a small town that nobody had heard of, to becoming one of the highest honors you can in the United States. Therefore, when it came time to decide what I was going to do for my Eagle Scout Project, I wanted to combine one of the spaces I loved most growing up with one of the people that inspired me to dream as big as I can and showed me that you can do anything when you put your mind to it. Through this, it led to the combination of an outdoor learning area that also pays tribute to Byron White and his family, who have inspired so many people over the course of history."

What is something you wish everyone knew about getting involved in their community? 

• "Looking back on the course of this project, there are many positive things that I did not expect because of my actions. First, I did not realize how many friends I would make along the way and all of the relationships that grew strong through the development and execution of my Project. I also did not expect people to be so caring, nice, kind, and generous as they were. Over the course of the past year, I learned how amazing people truly are and also discovered that society sometimes paints the world as a dark place, when in truth the world is full of amazing people who will do anything to help strengthen and grow their community. Lastly, I also want people to know that getting involved in their community does not have to be a huge project like this one. You do not have to plan for a year and spend hours trying to work with multiple donors. I want people to know that getting involved can just be participating in a town-wide clean up day, picking up trash along the street, or volunteering at the local school. Overall, there are many different ways to get involved, and there is not one right way, anything you do helps many people in ways you cannot see." 

Throughout the project, what are you most proud of? 

• "Over the course of planning and executing this project, I would say there is one thing that I am most proud of over all else. I would say that is the positive impact I have left on the community. Sure, I am proud that I fundraised 25+ thousand dollars and organized a team of volunteers to execute this project. But all of that is in the past; what will live on forever is the impact it had and will have on the Town of Wellington. My goal is to take my children, and grandchildren to this project and continue to see how it is affecting people in the community. Overall, all of the work paid off when I stepped back after this project was finished and saw this amazing accomplishment that I provided for the town of Wellington that will be there forever and will continue to spread a positive impact on the community."

Thank you to Carter and Troop 96 for the wonderful improvements to Wellington Public Library!