DAVENPORT, Iowa — Jill Jensen has known Ethan Smith for several years. Her sons met him in a homeschool co-op class and instantly became friends.
“He’s involved in my sons’ scout troop. That’s how he got involved in scouting. My sons encouraged him to participate," Jensen said.
Smith has been scouting for Troop 243 in the Quad Cities for several years, and now he's working on his Eagle Scout Project. It's a project that scouts must complete to be promoted to Eagle Scout, the highest rank they can achieve.
“This is really an incredible thing. He is going to be completing his Eagle Scout award within two years of scouting, which is really quite a rare accomplishment and takes a lot of dedication," Jensen said.
Jensen knew the money would be used wisely in Smith's hands, and that's why she nominated him for Pay It Forward award, sponsored by Ascentra Credit Union.
Smith is 16 years old, and he has a big heart for helping youth in foster care and people experiencing homelessness. This helped him decide what he wanted to do for his project.
“I found Closet2Closet and Christian Care, and I thought they did amazing work. I actually wanted to volunteer with them a little bit and I just fell in love with their organizations," Smith said.
He has worked with the community, churches, and other organizations to help gather clothes to donate back to Christian Care and Closet2Closet. Smith is planning on hosting two clothing drop-off stations to help get one last push for donations.
“We’re gonna do a sorting right after the February 18th drop off, and we’re going to make sure all of the clothing goes to their separate places. Like all of the kids clothing is going to go to Closet2Closet, 32 and under sizes, and the rest will go to Christian Care," Smith said.
Scouting has taught Smith the importance of leadership and what it means to be a strong leader. This is something he continues to work at everyday.
“Everywhere you go, you’re going to need to show leadership. Whether it’s somebody who needs CPR or whether it’s somebody just holding a book club or something like that. Showing leadership not only helps others, it helps you to grow as a person and to be the best you can be," Smith said.
If you're interested in dropping off gently used items to help out Smith's project, you can visit Closet2Closet on February 17 from 1 to 5 p.m. or Christian Care on February 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. Both facilities are located in Rock Island.
Do you know someone that goes above and beyond for his or her community? News 8 and Ascentra Credit Union would like to help you Pay it Forward to them. Click here to nominate someone you know.
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