Sean Marsh, member of the Boy Scout Troop 99 in McDonough, will soon be submitting the paperwork for his Eagle Scout rank following the completion of his Eagle Scout project this past December.

  For his Eagle Scout project, Sean decided to make homes and tables for guinea pigs that are up for adoption under the local rescue, Ruff Dog Rescue. He constructed six guinea pig habitats and eight platform tables for the organization.

  “One of the volunteers for Ruff Dog Rescue is fostering guinea pigs. They were having a hard time maintaining the care of the guinea pigs and they needed some tables and houses, so I built those,” said Sean.

  The current foster was overwhelmed, said Andrea Marsh, his mother. They were in great need of equipment to assist in their daily care of the animals.

  This project was months in the making, with Sean sacrificing much of his time afterschool and on the weekends to construct elements of his project. Since September of 2019, Sean has dedicated roughly 30 hours to the project, even going above and beyond to help Ruff Dog Rescue.

  “He cleaned out and painted the guinea pig room, which was not really a part of the Eagle Project. He kind of went above and beyond because he saw a need. He and his friends went in, took everything out of the room, painted it and moved in the tables and the houses,” said Andrea.

  Sean has always had a heart for animal rescue, as his family fosters animals from the program, which is how he heard of the needs of the guinea pigs.

   “I’ve been involved in dog rescue my whole life. I like animals,” said Sean.

  Sean has been in the Boy Scouts since age eight and has continued on in the program because he dreamed of becoming an Eagle Scout one day in the future. This project puts him one step closer to his dream.

  His hard work in the Boy Scouts can be seen not only with his Eagle Scout project but also in the merit badges he has obtained while in the program.

  Over the years, he has earned 109 merit badges of 138 badges in by the Boy Scout program. The Eagle Scouts only require participants to earn a minimum of 24 of the badges during their time in the program.

  The merit badges span a number of topics and skills, allowing the Scouts to expand their understanding of certain topics as well as to try something new.

  “Getting the merit badges is a way to get to know a wide range of things at a basic level,” said Sean. “I got a lot of my merit badges from a summer camp, Camp Thunder, that provided a lot of opportunities to complete merit badges in that one week.”

  Some of the merit badges Sean has achieved include Bugling, Orienteering, Journalism, Oceanography, Plumbing, Welding, Hiking, Canoeing, Birdwatching, Coin Collecting, Veterinary, Disability Awareness, Search and Rescue, Small Boat Sailing, Dog Care and Woodworking, a badge that helped him with his Eagle Scout project.

  During his time in the Boy Scouts program, Sean has also been able to participate in many memorable experiences, from visiting the Greenbank Observatory and the Little White House to sleeping overnight at the Georgia Aquarium.

  “I got to visit college campuses that offer their facilities for Scouts. I also got to go to Porsche for getting my Automotive Maintenance merit badge,” said Sean.

  As his time in the Boy Scouts comes to a close, since he is a senior at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy and will soon age out of the program, Sean hopes to use the techniques and skills he has learned over the years to help decide his path for the future.

  “There were some things I was better at than others, but I still don’t know what I want to do,” said Sean. “But [Boy Scouts] has taught me leadership and everything that comes with being a leader. I can commit to things and finish them better now. I think it is good for a lot of younger people to join [Boy Scouts] because I think it is very opportunistic and gives kids a lot of experience and knowledge.”

  He is able to continue to participate in the Boy Scout program and earn more badges until he turns 18 in August of this year when he will age out of the program.

  Despite his time in the Boy Scouts coming to an end, his family is proud of his  many accomplishments.

  “We are so proud of him getting his Eagle Scout Project done,” said Andrea. “I have really enjoyed seeing him grow in responsibility over these years.”

  Sean will submit his paperwork for the Eagle Scout rank in the coming weeks. He will then sit in front of a board to review his project and his accomplishments in the program.