My name is Kennett “Ken” Nowlin, and I am a 17-year-old Life Scout with Scouting America Troop 189 in Montclair, Virginia. I am working toward the rank of Eagle Scout, and for my Eagle Scout Service Project I have chosen to support an organization whose mission means a great deal to me and my family: SFC Virginia Animal Rescue in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

SFC Virginia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue credited with saving more than 13,000 lives. Its volunteers rescue dogs and cats in need, provide care and foster placement, and work to give them another chance at finding permanent, loving homes.

The Road to Eagle

Eagle Scout is the highest rank in Scouting, and only a small percentage of Scouts ultimately complete the journey.

Reaching Eagle represents years of commitment—not just earning merit badges and learning outdoor skills, but developing leadership, character, citizenship, personal responsibility, and a commitment to serving others.

The Eagle Scout Service Project is the culmination of that journey. As a Life Scout, I am responsible for identifying a real need in my community, developing a plan to address it, raising and managing the resources needed, and—most importantly—leading other people in turning that plan into something that will serve the community long after the project is finished.

For me, earning Eagle isn't just about receiving a rank. It's about demonstrating that I can take what Scouting has taught me and use it to make a meaningful difference for others.

That's why I chose SFC Virginia Animal Rescue for my project.

Why a Walking Trail Matters

For a rescue dog, a walk is much more than exercise.

Dogs spending time at SFC need opportunities to get outside, stretch their legs, burn energy, experience new sights and smells, and spend individual time with volunteers.

Time outside provides both physical exercise and important mental enrichment. It gives dogs a break from the kennel environment and an opportunity to simply enjoy being outside.

The trail can also play an important role in helping these dogs find homes.

Prospective adopters can walk with a dog away from the noise and excitement of the kennel environment. That quiet time together gives a family an opportunity to see more of a dog's personality, interact naturally, and perhaps begin making the connection that leads to a forever home.

SFC Virginia already has an approximately ¼-mile walking trail on its property. My Eagle project will make that trail safer, more comfortable, cleaner, and more useful for the dogs, volunteers, and prospective families who use it.

What We're Building

With the help of volunteers I recruit, organize, and lead, we plan to construct and install:

3 permanent outdoor benches

Each bench will sit on its own 4-by-6-foot paver patio, creating comfortable places for volunteers and prospective adopters to stop, rest, and spend quiet time with a dog.

3 solar-powered LED streetlights

Approximately 13-foot poles permanently set in concrete will provide improved visibility and safety at key locations along the trail.

1 dog-waste station

A permanent station with bags and waste collection will help volunteers keep the trail and surrounding property clean.

The work will include site layout, excavation, preparing and compacting the bases for the paver patios, installing pavers and edging, assembling and installing benches, digging foundations, mixing and placing concrete, setting the light poles, installing the waste station, landscaping, and final cleanup.

The project is planned around two major volunteer workdays, during which I will organize and lead Scouts, adult volunteers, friends, family, and members of our community.

Our Goal: $3,000

Our current estimated cost to complete the project is approximately $2,700.

That includes the benches, pavers and base materials, three solar LED streetlights and their foundations, the dog-waste station, concrete, hardware and other construction materials, as well as food, water and logistical support for volunteers during two project workdays.

We have established a $3,000 fundraising goal to provide a modest contingency for unexpected expenses while completing the project.

Your Donation Builds Something Real

Whether you give $10, $25, $50, $100, or more, your contribution becomes part of a permanent improvement at SFC Virginia.

It helps build a place where a tired volunteer can sit beside a rescue dog.

It helps light the trail when the days get shorter.

It helps keep the property clean.

And it helps create a better environment where a prospective adopter can spend quiet time with a dog and perhaps decide:

“This is the one.”

We Want You to See What You Helped Build

Everyone who supports this project deserves to see what their contribution accomplished.

Throughout the project, I will post photographs and updates showing our progress—from the trail before construction, to materials arriving, to our volunteer workdays, to the completed benches, lights, and trail improvements.

When the project is complete, I will also provide an accounting of how project funds were used so our supporters can see where their donations went.

If donations exceed the amount necessary to complete the approved Eagle Scout project and cover its expenses, all remaining project funds will be donated to SFC Virginia Animal Rescue to support its lifesaving mission.

Help Me Leave Something Behind

My goal isn't simply to complete an Eagle Scout requirement.

I want to leave SFC Virginia with something that lasts.

Long after my Eagle project is finished, volunteers will still walk this trail. Families will still come here hoping to meet their next companion. And rescue dogs who have already experienced uncertainty will have a place to get outside, explore, exercise, spend time with people—and simply be dogs.

Somewhere along this trail, a future family may meet the dog they will take home.

If you can donate, thank you.

If you can't donate, sharing this fundraiser with friends, family, coworkers, businesses, animal lovers, Scouts, or anyone who believes in giving rescue animals another chance can help just as much.

Thank you for supporting my journey to Eagle, Troop 189, SFC Virginia Animal Rescue, its volunteers, and—most importantly—the animals waiting for their next chapter.

Kennett “Ken” Nowlin

Life Scout | Troop 189

Montclair, Virginia