Jamie Myers, a junior at Union County High School, has become one of America’s first female Eagle scouts. Myers, along with others who earned the rank between Oct. 1 and Feb. 8, has joined a historic group of young women making up the National Inaugural class.
Each will have Feb. 8, 2021 marked on their official record and Eagle Scout certificate as the day they completed the rank. That date coincides with the 111th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America. Only 6% of Scouts achieve Eagle status, the program's highest rank, which requires 21 merit badges that cover skills and topics ranging from first aid, scuba diving, rock climbing and shooting sports, to civics and conservation of the environment.
Myers says her favorite part is being able to mentor the younger scouts and being someone they can look up to.
“My Eagle Scout title has never been about being one of the first females, but is something I simply love doing.”
Jamie’s idea was to promote literacy throughout Union County. She then found a way to accomplish it by becoming a library steward. Little Free Library® (LFL) are found worldwide and number over 100,000. They are located in 120 countries and on seven continents, the most recent one opened at the south pole research station. Myers found ideas on their website and came up with a set of plans with the help of a local builder and her dad.
Jamie planned and carried out her leadership project, then wanted to take it county-wide. She led a team to build five Little Free Library book boxes, then installed and stocked them with donated books. It took two months and several volunteers to complete the project.
“The hardest part was working around COVID restrictions and ensuring we did everything safely,” said Myers.
The committee at Little Free Library awarded Jamie five charter number plates that she will register on the website map. Prior to her project, there were none located in Union County. The new libraries are at; Wilson Park, Big Ridge State Park, Luttrell City Park, Sharps Chapel ball fields and the Union County Health Department.
“These Little Free Libraries belong to the whole county,” said Scoutmaster Linda Myers. “It’s like finding a surprise each time you open the door. Our hope is that these Little Free Libraries will bring joy, connection, and promote literacy in a new and fun way.”
For scout information contact Linda Myers at 865-992-3277 or visit https://www.easttnscouts.org/