Scout builds benches for soccer players at park
JEFFERSON TWP — Although Aaron Lauer will soon be moving out of the area where he built his Eagle Scout project — four new benches for soccer players at Laura J. Doerr Memorial Park — he will still have reason to return because of his family connection.
Lauer, of Troop 39 in Herman and a recent graduate of Knoch High School, worked for about four months raising money and building the blue-and-yellow benches on the field. He said he played soccer on the field, and his brother and sister still do, which is one reason he decided to take on this project.
“I was watching my little sister’s soccer game; she was complaining about how these benches were really uncomfortable,” Lauer said. “I knew that I wanted to do something that meant a lot, not just for the community, but for my family, too.”
The new benches in between the soccer fields at the park are longer than the old benches and have adjustable bases, so they can be placed in other places, if necessary.
Lauer placed a donation jar at the concession stand at the park and got a discount from Lowe’s on supplies for the project. And although he is self-admittedly not much of a woodworker, Lauer put the benches together alongside his dad, with help from a few younger Scouts.
Lauer had helped other Scouts finish their projects, but doing his own was a whole new ballgame.
“For this, I was here for all of it; I helped with every single bit,” Lauer said. “We got a lot of the younger kids to help paint and help with assembly, but this is definitely the most work I put into one.”
