Adam Cooklin is now just a few steps away from completing his Eagle Scout merit badge.
Cooklin started his Eagle Scout service project Saturday, Aug. 16, at Cornell College.
“I had been looking for an Eagle Scout project for a while now,” Cooklin said. “My 18th birthday is just around the corner in September, and I need to complete this before then.”
Cornell College facilities had a number of railings around the campus that needed to be sanded and repainted.
Cooklin said that it took him roughly a week and a half to get everything done before tackling the service project.
“I have to say organizing people to be here for the project has probably been the most difficult part of the project,” Cooklin said. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how kind people have been through this progress.”
Cooklin has done the other items for his Eagle Scout badge, including completing a number of merit badges and holding different ranks.
“I really think the hardest merit badge for me was the camping merit badge,” Cooklin said. “We’ve done a lot of our camping as a troop at cabins, which did not offer opportunities to get some of the accomplishments knocked out.”
Cornell College helped pay for the equipment that would be needed for the sanding and repainting the railings around campus. The school had a crunch time for this project to be completed, as first-year college students and their families would be visiting campus Wednesday, Aug. 20.
Sponsors for Cooklin’s project include Mount Vernon Bank and Trust, Hill of a Deal, The Local, Casey’s Pizza and White Tree bakery.
Scouts from Cooklin’s troop, Troop 766 of Cedar Rapids, as well as volunteers from the community of Mount Vernon and surrounding areas helped with the Eagle Scout project.