Karter Reese’s Eagle Scout project will be a boon for 16 area Head Start programs, said Nicole Batten of the Jefferson-Franklin Community Action Corporation, which oversees those programs.
Reese, 14, is a freshman at Festus High School and a member of Boy Scout Troop 426 based at the Festus-Crystal City Elks Lodge.
For his Eagle Scout project, he oversaw the construction of lending library boxes at the various Head Start programs. Each of the boxes is 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide and is stocked with children’s books that may be checked out.
“I wanted to do a lending-library project because I believe education is very important,” Reese said. “Head Start was looking to get someone to build the lending library boxes. I heard about it through word of mouth.”
Reese said he and a dedicated group of about 12 volunteers built the boxes, altogether spending about 232 hours on the project.
“It was mainly family members and a few friends,” he said. “I did some plywood work. For planning, assembly and installation.”
Batten said she’s grateful to Reese for spearheading the project, which cost about $3,500.
She said JFCAC leaders sought help with improving language and literacy “outcomes” among its clients and its governing board came up with the idea of lending libraries.
“As the associate director of outreach and operations, I reached out to our community for support with this endeavor, and Karter was the first to step up to the challenge of providing these for our 16 structures for our locations,” Batten said. “Through collaborative efforts, funding was donated by the community to provide the materials, and Karter took the lead as the project manager with finding a design to meet our needs, as well as estimated material costs, assigned tasks and shared his time and talents to see the project to completion.”
Batten said the lending library boxes have been placed at the De Soto, Hematite, New Hope, Northwest, Robertsville, Union and Gray Summit Head Start programs, as well as at the JFCAC Merchant Street Office in Hillsboro, the JFCAC St. Clair location and four of the JFCAC partner locations. The remaining ones were distributed to community partners supporting children and families in foster care.
JFCAC Head Start programs serve 487 children through age 5, as well as their families, she said.
“Thanks to Karter’s efforts, we have begun holding dedications at each of our locations to share our libraries with children, families and our community,” Batten said. “At each celebration, children selected books to take home and enjoy, and families received activities to extend learning at home. We continue to accept book donations to share with families at each location.”
Reese said he is working on the final requirements to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.
“I’m at Boy Scout Life rank, almost at Eagle Scout,” he said. “I have to do a little more paperwork and get letters of recommendation to get to Eagle Scout.”
Reese said he is happy with the way the lending library boxes turned out.
“I think they’ll last a long time,” he said.
To donate children’s books for the lending library program, contact Batten at nbatten@jfcac.org. For more information about the JFCAC Early/Head Start Program, go to jfcac.org.