By Anna Edlund
Following the loss of Joshua Sangiorgio, his Boy Scout troop held a remembrance ceremony to finish his partially completed Eagle Scout project in his memory.
The title of Eagle Scout is the highest achievement that a Boy Scout can earn, and it is achieved through an honorable service act that benefits their community. For Joshua’s project, he strived to create a more inviting entrance to Sadie Park for visitors to enjoy, with new landscaping and native Florida greenery. He was unable to complete this task, as he tragically passed away in late January of this year.
Troop members, families, friends and additional volunteers gathered in Sadie Park on June 17 to finish what Joshua started. Equipped with gardening tools and a goal, they were able to build the beautiful entrance to the park that he had in mind.
“It was wonderful to see the support and willingness of our community to come together. What we thought would take us most of the day, as we are a small troop, only took a couple hours to complete,” said Stephanie Gaskins, Scoutmaster of Joshua’s troop.
Although strongly motivated by a cause, hard work was necessary to dodge obstacles that appeared along the way. Coordinating a date for the event to take place, choosing areas to replant with the park manager and determining which plants would be acceptable to use, all of these are examples of decisions that had to be made.
Technicalities were tackled with the help of each and every person involved. Taking lead was Marcos Bares, troop committee leader, who dedicated himself to making sure that the remembrance went smoothly.
“Marcos Bares really helped coordinate the project. Once Marcos confirmed everything with the county, and through the help of an anonymous donor who donated all of the plants and expertise, it was just a matter of showing up with shovels, safety glasses, rakes and some power tools to get it done,” explained Gaskins.
Joshua’s father, John Sangiorgio, was also a Scout for many years. His heavy involvement in Scouting and extensive help towards community families has made him a mentor to troop members, including Gaskins and Bares.
The generosity of the Sangiorgio family over the years further motivated the community to make the remembrance a beautiful one. The family was presented with the Spirit of the Eagle Scout Award following the completion of the project in honor of their son.
