Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, January 12,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
FROM 1B
Scouts
candidates, Friends of
Lake Lanier has been
able to install these sta
tions at several of the
USACE parks in the area.
Most recently, two of
Dawson County’s own
Eagle Scout candidates,
Dale Padgett and Nathan
Muncy from Troop 109
out of Bethel United
Methodist Church, part
nered together with
Friends of Lake Lanier to
build several of these sta
tions.
“Each Boy Scout as
part of an eagle project
has to do two Life Jacket
Loaner Stations,” Baker
said. “We give them the
blueprints and a sheet
saying who’s responsible
for what; to make it hap
pen they need to get the
specs and the materials
listed and figure out how
to build it.”
Padgett completed sta
tions at Van Pugh and
Burton Mill Day Use
Parks on Lake Lanier, and
Muncy completed sta
tions at Keith Bridge and
Longhollow Day Use
Parks on Lake Lanier.
Each scout spent about 82
hours on the project and
had about 10 volunteers
assisting them.
According to Baker, the
USACE helps with drill
ing the holes for the
posts, and Friends of
Lake Lanier helps with
the first $200 of the proj
ect’s funding. The scouts
are responsible for raising
the rest of the funding
needed to build the sta
tions, which Baker said is
a huge help for Friends of
Lake Lanier.
“What those Eagle
Scouts do is huge because
the total cost of a single
LLS is about $800,”
Baker said. "We will help
them with $200 of that
$800 and then they have
to look for funding to
fund the rest.”
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Photos courtesy of Connie Howell
(left to right) Dawson County Eagle Scout candidates Dale Padgett and Nathan Muncy stand with Ranger Ernest Noe in front of
one of their recently completed Life Jacket Loaner Stations.
Padgett and Muncy worked together with non
profit organization Friends of Lake Lanier to build
two new Life Jacket Loaner Stations each as part
of their Eagle Scout projects.
The labor that the
scouts put into the project
also saves a lot of money
for Friends of Lake
Lanier, Baker said.
“It would be a much
more costly project if it
involved professionals,”
Baker said. “It would be
much more expensive
than $800 per station.”
Friends of Lake Lanier
collects donated life jack
ets to refill the Life Jacket
Loaner Stations, which
need between 250 and
300 each year. Baker
added that the stations are
used by dozens of people
in the parks each year,
making them a very use
ful project for the organi
zation and Eagle Scout
candidates to pour their
resources into.
“It is amazing how
many people actually use
those life jackets,” Baker
said. “It’s a view to walk
out and see how many are
actually being used by
folks.”
In addition to the instal
lation of Life Jacket
Loaner stations with the
help of scouts like Muncy
and Padgett, Friends of
Lake Lanier works to col
lect funding to install
soap dispensers at
USACE campgrounds,
pollinator gardens at the
parks, contactless pay
ment options with QR
codes and cash boxes at
the campgrounds, volun
teer uniforms for those
working in the day use
parks and around the
lake, ranger shirts and
drink machines in the day
use parks.
The organization sells
firewood, ice and laundry
services in the USACE
campgrounds to help
raise funds to run their
projects, and collects
donations from people in
the community who want
to help out monetarily.
According to Baker,
Friends of Lake Lanier is
run completely by volun
teers and is therefore
always in need of new
volunteers to help out.
Volunteering opportuni
ties include supporting
the organization’s proj
ects, supporting opera
tions in ways like collect
ing lifejackets and work
ing on signage, graphic
and technical support and
fundraising. Baker said
that volunteering only
takes about three to five
hours a week.
For more information
about Friends of Lake
Lanier and how to support
their mission in the com
munity, go to the organiza-
tion’s website at
FriendsofLakeLanier.org,
visit their Facebook page at
https ://www.facebook.com/
friendsoflakelanier or email
FriendsofLakeLanier@
gmail.com.