CLARKSVILLE, TN – Brayden Yonkers, a senior at Montgomery Central High School, has completed his Eagle Scout project at Rotary Park and is in the process of earning the rank of Eagle with Troop 365. Yonkers’s inspiration for this project was due to having friends in the Clarksville Association for Down Syndrome.
An Eagle Project is the opportunity for a Scout to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of their community.
Brayden Yonkers’ service project idea of creating a sensory trail came about due to his family’s involvement with the Clarksville Association for Down Syndrome. His mother serves on the board and have become close friends with families the organization serves.
Yonkers chose Rotary Park as the location because it was a place his family loved coming to since he was little. “I am thankful that [Clarksville] Parks & Recreation approved for my project to be created in a park that I have played, hiked and made so many fun memories in,” Brayden said. When planning the project, he learned that many individuals with disabilities have sensory issues.
A sensory trail is a series of experiences designed to engage the five senses and promote a multi-sensory journey. The trail Brayden designed is located near the ADA trail which makes it easily accessible for those with disabilities. The trail consists of different textures and will hopefully encourage hikers to explore more of Rotary Park’s wooded treasure.
Hikers will get to experience a mulch box of shredded bark, brightly colored smooth pipes, the handprints of volunteers and members of the Clarksville Association for Down Syndrome, smooth patterned wooden tiles, smooth stones, rubbery mat, bumpy edging stones, earth-colored course turf, brightly smooth colored billiard balls to encourage counting and color identification, a cushioned mat with holes and a bed of porous lava rocks.
“The concrete pad with handprints is probably my favorite and is what made all the hard work worth it. This pad is made of the hands and feet prints of our friends with Down syndrome along with a few of the volunteers that helped construct the trail. This pad allowed them to leave their mark in nature and made them feel important and included in a meaningful way. I hope it will encourage them to come back to the park with their families and enjoy all that Rotary Park has to offer,” Brayden said.
“An Eagle Project is meant to teach leadership skills and to hopefully make something that will make a difference in my community. I feel this project has been successful in teaching me what it takes to plan a project from the ground up, taught me new skills like working with concrete, the importance of having contacts to help make a project run smoothly, what the heart of a volunteer looks like and most importantly how good it feels to do something meaningful for my community and for others with different abilities than me.”