Eagle Scout Leads a Donation Drive for Project Honduras

A northern Virginia Eagle Scout candidate has chosen Global Playground’s Project Honduras as the beneficiary of his Eagle Scout Leadership Project.

The Boy Scouts of America’s highest honor is the rank of Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout candidate Steven Dellibove is a member of Troop 295, sponsored by Old Bridge United Methodist Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. A ninth grader at South County Secondary School in Lorton, Virginia, Mr. Dellibove has worked to help Global Playground raise funds and gather supplies for the construction of its technology center in El Progreso, Honduras.

The Eagle Scout Leadership Project is an opportunity for Eagle candidates to supervise the completion of a project, while fellow scouts perform the legwork. Mr. Dellibove explained, "Scouting is based on service, leadership and knowledge….This project was a great way to get away from the 'normal' Eagle project. Most people believe that an Eagle project should be building something. I wanted to be different." Primarily, this Eagle project entailed collecting school supplies to be sent to Honduras; however, some people were so moved by the scout's efforts they donated money for the purchase of supplies or made a donation through the Global Playground website.

Mr. Dellibove was connected to Global Playground through his eighth-grade English teacher, Mariaelena DiBenigno, who is now Global Playground's Director of Cross-Cultural Initiatives. Last year, Ms. DiBenigno's students worked on a "Books of Hope" project; these youth wrote books that were shared with students.

Projects like Mr. Dellibove's continue to inspire and support Global Playground's mission. Doug Bunch, Chairman of Global Playground, said "Steven is yet another example of people who are doing extraordinary things on behalf of Global Playground, and on behalf of children halfway around the world."