Eagle Scout candidate Ike O'Neill landscapes around the St. Therese Grotto

Troop 152 Scout Ike O'Neill reached out to the Saint Joseph Retreat & Conference Center in 2019 to inquire about an Eagle Scout Project.

Having worked for several summers for a landscaping company in Hamilton County, Ike was interested in a project of that nature.

Despite some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ike, along with help from scouts from Troop 152 at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Westfield, completed landscaping around the St. Therese Grotto in September of 2021.

"The new landscaping features boxwoods that, as they grow, will create the feeling of a room around the grotto," said Father David Huemmer, Chaplain & Spiritual Director at SJRCC. "It brings balance to the grotto area and complements benches built by Ike's brother as his Eagle Scout project in May of 2021." 

With his project complete, Ike will submit the project binder to the Crossroads of America Council of the Boy Scouts of America for the Board of Review this fall.

Ike is a graduate of St. Maria Goretti Catholic School and is a junior at Westfield High School.

Click HERE to see pictures and details about other Eagle Scout Projects at SJRCC!