Eagle Scout hopeful helps veterans

When 16-year-old Thomas Walsh started thinking about possible Eagle Scout projects, many ideas went through his mind. He considered building benches outside of South High School, where is a 10th-grade student. Eventually, he settled on helping people, specifically veterans.

Walsh, a Boy Scout with Valley Stream Troop 109, is leading a collection drive for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Northport. This weekend, he will be collecting donations at Holy Name of Mary Church after each mass.

Two years ago, Walsh became a Life Scout, and that is when he started thinking about earning his Eagle rank, which requires a community service project. Last September, he began his paperwork for the project, and by spring the collection was in full swing.

Already, Walsh’s basement is filled with boxes of donations. The hospital provided him with a whole list of needed items including toiletries, T-shirts, hair accessories, laundry detergent, postage stamps and more. He has filled 30 boxes already and collected about $800.

Last month, Walsh and fellow scouts handed out fliers around his neighborhood, covering all homes between Mill Road and Rockaway Avenue, south of Sunrise Highway and north of Dubois Avenue. Residents were asked to leave donations on their doorstep one Saturday morning, and Walsh and his volunteers went around to collect the items. “I’m happy with how many people donated,” he said.

He also contacted the local schools. Walsh received more donations from South High’s National Honor Society and staff members at District 24’s elementary schools. There was also a collection bin outside his house. But that still wasn’t enough. He had an announcement placed in the church bulletin asking parishioners at Holy Name to bring donations to any of the six masses this coming weekend. Walsh, his fellow scouts, troop leaders and volunteers will be at each exit to collect the items.

With five exits to the church, Walsh had a lot of planning to do. He had to find at least a dozen volunteers per mass and create a schedule. Then, he will have to sort all of the donations.

Before he started working on his project, Walsh visited the hospital, got a tour of the facility and met several veterans, including a Marine who served in Vietnam. “I thought it was pretty interesting,” he said. “They told me a couple of their stories.”

Walsh said that the veterans are thrilled with the work he is doing on their behalf. “They welcomed this project like it was the first time they’ve ever had Christmas,” he said.

His goal is to have the project finished by the end of the month. He said that the hospital will send a truck to his house to pick up all the donations.

After his project is done, Walsh will fill out his application to become and Eagle Scout and appear before an Eagle Board of Review. He has already earned 25 merit badges, four more than required.

Walsh joined the Boy Scouts in fifth grade. He will work this summer as a camp counselor at Barrett Park and plans to take driver’s education.

Inspired by his doctor to help veterans for his Eagle project, Walsh said he has continued to receive encouragement along the way. Many people have mailed donation checks to his home, along with personal notes thanking him for helping veterans. “It feels good,” he said. “It feeds the fire for me to just keep going.”

His father, Tom Walsh, said he is proud of his son for taking on a leadership role and leading a very successful project. “He’s doing it,” Tom Walsh said of Thomas’s leadership abilities, “but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it.”