Boy Scouts clean up Pearson Park

Local Boy Scout Troop 41 gathered in Pearson Park Tuesday to clean up the area for a service project.

Photo by William 'Bud' Hardy / Neuse News

A Boy Scout is charged with being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. All of these statements show true for Troop 41.

The troop gathered Tuesday evening at Pearson Park to clean it up as part of a community service project. Scouts armed with gloves and trash bags worked together to pick up any trash found in the playground area.

The project allows troop youth leaders to take the lead and help guide the new scouts while also giving them leadership roles. David Phillippe, Senior Patrol Leader, helped organize and lead the event.

“It's my job to make sure everyone is on task,” Phillippe said. “I’m glad we’re doing stuff in town and helping the community.”

Scoutmaster Fernando Escabi Mendez said he got the idea after visiting the park with his family.

“The last few times it's been littered with old bottles and other trash,” he said. “I thought it'd be nice for the scouts to do a good turn and for people to see them at work.”

Escabi Mendez said he hopes the service project will inspire others to join the Scouts or inspire others just to follow suit and clean up their surroundings even if they didn't trash them to start with.

“I want to remind people that Scouts are still around and that we are still something good for the community,” Escabi Mendez said.

Throughout the summer, the troop does a summer program to get the new boys that have just crossed over from the Cub Scout pack used to being Boy Scouts.

“We don't have our regular meetings [during the summer], but we still meet with those young boys and those youth leaders that want to be involved,” Escabi Mendez said. “The cleanup is a service project so that they get used to doing a good turn, hopefully daily, as dictated by our slogan.”