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Scout's project sends bikes beyond borders
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by DARWIN WEIGEL
Boy Scout John Standard, 16, of Huntingtown organized a "Bikes for the World" collection Saturday for his Eagle Scout project. He, with the help of Huntingtown Troop 903, hoped to collect 100 used bicycles to ship to poor nations that need them for transportation.
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The Calvert community came through again, donating bikes and money for a Boy Scout's Eagle Scout badge, and, in turn, will reach across the globe with its generosity.
Before noon on Saturday, a pile of bikes laid up against a moving van waiting to be transferred to "Bikes for the World" headquarters. "Bikes for the World" is a nonprofit that collects used bikes around the country and ships them to third world countries.
The planning stages began last May, when John Standard of Huntingtown and Boy Scout Troop 903, sponsored by the Huntingtown United Methodist Church, worked on his idea researching and writing down all the detailed steps of the project. The business-type proposal had to be written up for his project of collecting bikes for "Bikes for the World," which then had to be approved by the Boy Scout's district office. The district office made modifications to Standard's plan and he added the adaptations to his plan, he said.
"Every single thing that's going to happen, I had to write down," Standard said while flipping through the pages of his project's workbook.
After the approval, Standard started to ask businesses and individuals for money or in-kind donations.
A Huntingtown High School senior, Standard recorded his work hours, the contributors and the action plan for Saturday, saying, "It was a lot more work than I thought it would be."
Standard, whose father and mother graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, hopes to receive an appointment to the academy and join his brother, who is in the class of 2012.
"It's kind of like a legacy," he said.
Troop 903 Scout Master Bob Simmons said the Eagle Scout project is a test to demonstrate leadership skills.
"These are the skills they'll use throughout their lives," Simmons said. "This is a real worthwhile project. All of the projects are designed to give back to the community."
Simmons pointed out that Standard's project had a fringe benefit saying, "It helps people clean up their garages, too."
Prior to Saturday's bike collecting, Standard collected $800 from individuals and businesses using fundraising techniques from flyers to Facebook and sending out an e-mail letter about his project to friends and family, soliciting money. He linked the e-mail to PayPal and provided a snail mail address as well, and the donations rolled in. Both Sneade's Ace Home Center and Giant grocery store gave him in-kind donations and Patuxent Adventure Center in Solomons agreed to provide store discounts to people who donated their bikes.
