By Edie Hubler, FOTAS Director
THAT SATURDAY MORNING AS I WALKED MY DOGS MEG AND ZEUS, I COULD FEEL A SLIGHT BREEZE AND NOTICED THE HUMIDITY HAD DROPPED SOMEWHAT. AT MID-MORNING, I ARRIVED AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER, SAW THE GROUP AT WORK, COULD HEAR THEIR PICK-AXES AND SEE THEIR SWEAT. THEY WERE DILIGENT IN THE TASK AT HAND. I WAS GLAD THE WEATHER HAD SOFTENED SOMEWHAT FOR THEM.
THEY WERE CLEARING SOME PATHS IN THE TREES TO BUILD WALKING TRAILSS FOR THE VOLUNTEERS AND ADOPTABLE DOGS – 500 FEET OF TRAILS TO BE EXACT. I KNEW THEY WERE A GOD-SEND. SEVERAL OF THE FOTAS VOLUNTEERS WHO WERE WALKING DOGS COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE SO HAPPY TO SEE THIS FOTAS PLAN COME TO FRUITION.
THE “THEY” IN THIS ARTICLE ARE SOME OF THE BOY SCOUTS FROM TROOP 115 OF ST. MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS CHURCH. ONE OF THEIR MEMBERS, WHIT BABINEAU, IS WORKING TOWARD HIS EAGLE SCOUT DESIGNATION, THE HIGHEST BOY SCOUT ACHIEVEMENT. HE IS 15 YEARS OLD, JUST FINISHED HIS FRESHMAN YEAR AT AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL, AND HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN SCOUTING SINCE HE WAS 5 YEARS OLD. WHIT, SOME OF THE OTHER SCOUTS IN HIS TROOP, HIS DAD (DAVID BABINEAU, THE COMMITTEE CHAIR) AND THE TROOP LEADER (RICK KITCHENS) WERE AMONG THE WORKERS. THERE ARE 12 SCOUTS IN TROOP 115, AND 6 ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TO BECOME EAGLE SCOUTS. THE SCOUT MUST PLAN, ORGANIZE, LEAD AND MANAGE THE PROJECT FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANY RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION, SCHOOL OR THE COMMUNITY — WHICH DEMONSTRATES BOTH LEADERSHIP AND A COMMITMENT TO DUTY. WHIT CHOSE COMMUNITY FOR HIS PROJECT AND THE AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER IS THE RECIPIENT OF HIS EFFORTS. HE CHOSE THE SHELTER BECAUSE HIS FAMILY HAS ALWAYS RESCUED DOGS (THEY CURRENTLY HAVE 4 DOGS), HORSES (THEY CURRENTLY HAVE 4 BUT HAVE HAD AS MANY AS 10), AND A SNAKE, WHOSE NAME IS SLICK. THIS PROJECT IS ONE OF THE LAST THINGS HE NEEDS TO COMPLETE TO BECOME AN EAGLE SCOUT. HE AND HIS SCOUT COMRADES WILL ALSO BE BUILDING A BENCH IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO TO BE PLACED ON THE WALKING TRAILS IN THE TREES (FOTAS WILL BE PROVIDING THE MATERIALS.)
I’VE NO DOUBT THESE EAGLE SCOUT CANDIDATES WILL BE SUCCESSFUL. THE EAGLE SCOUT ACHIEVEMENT BEGAN IN 1911, AND SINCE THAT TIME MANY WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE HAVE ACHIEVED THIS GOAL INCLUDING:
NEIL ARMSTRONG, ASTRONAUT, FIRST MAN ON THE MOON
MICHAEL BLOOMBURG, FORMER MAYOR OF NY
BILL BRADLEY, PRO BASKETBALL STAR & U.S. SENATOR FROM NJ
GERALD FORD, U.S. PRESIDENT (1ST EAGLE TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES)
WILLARD MARRIOTT, JR. (PRESIDENT OF MARRIOTT CORP.)
RICK PERRY (GOVERNOR OF TX)
STEVEN SPIELBERG (MOVIE PRODUCER)
SAM WALTON (FOUNDER OF WAL-MART)
ELMO R. ZUMWALT, JR. (ADMIRAL, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS)
THE BABINEAU FAMILY (WHIT, HIS SISTER BECCA, DAVID, HIS DAD, AND PEGGY, HIS MOM) HAS ALSO BECOME A GREAT SUPPORTER OF FOTAS AND THE COUNTY SHELTER — THEY ARE OUR NEWEST FOSTER FAMILY, AND ARE CURRENTLY FOSTERING BOBBY. DAVID SAYS BOBBY IS SPOILED, BUT IS WELL BEHAVED AND WILL MAKE A GREAT PET FOR SOMEONE.
BACK TO THE WALKING TRAILS … ON THE MONDAY FOLLOWING THEIR COMPLETION, I WAS CONTACTED BY SEVERAL OF THE VOLUNTEERS. THEY COULDN’T SAY ENOUGH POSITIVE COMMENTS ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL THESE TRAILS ARE, HOW MUCH THE DOGS ARE ENJOYING THEM AND ASKED THAT I THANK WHIT AND HIS “ASSISTANTS.”
WELL WHIT, HERE IS A PUBLIC SHOUT OUT TO YOU AND YOUR SCOUT TROOP. THE DOGS THANK YOU, THE VOLUNTEERS THANK YOU, FOTAS THANKS YOU, AND THE AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER THANKS YOU.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL INFO@FOTASAIKEN.ORG OR VISIT WWW.FOTASAIKEN.ORG
FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 333 Wire Road. For more information, contact “info@angelhartlinedesigns.com” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.
HALF PRICE ADOPTION SPECIALS THROUGH JULY 28, 2014
DOGS $35 AND CATS $17
AIKEN COUNTY SHELTER “PETS OF THE WEEK!”
**All adoption fees include: spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.
BEAR LAB RETRIEVER, MALE, 1 YR OLD, 56 LBS. ONLY $35
GARFIELD DOMESTIC SHORT HAIR — MALE — KITTEN ONLY $17
