My name is Ivan Mercado, I am the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) of Troop 275 in Indian Land, SC. My scouting journey began when I moved down to Indian Land in 2nd Grade. I started as a Wolf in Cub Scouts in 2014 & crossed-over to Scouts BSA in March of 2018. Since then, I have been working diligently on my Eagle Scout & now I'm a Life Scout with all 21 merit badges needed for Eagle Scout. This is the last step in my 6.5 year journey in Scouting.

I enjoy scouting because it gives me new learning opportunities that I wouldn't be able to learn anywhere else such as metalworking, fire building, cooking & shooting sports. I also enjoy it because it's a great way to meet people, make friends & make memories that will last me a lifetime. Scouting also offers unique experiences to visit places that are hard to get to any other way such as visiting a NASA space station, a US battleship & spelunking into caves. These are just some of the few reasons why I love scouting.

To many being an Eagle Scout is simply a means of putting it on a job or college application so you have a higher means of being accepted or hired. To me being an Eagle Scout is showing everyone that I am a capable leader in today's society. It's a way for me to prove myself to others that I'm someone who will set the right example & help lead the future. This project is important to me because it lets me create a better educational environment for the next generations.

My project will consist of 8 picnic tables, 2 stands to hold up water trays for kids to play in & a three-way water trough station which will create a water flow for kids to play in & understand the flow of water. All of this is for the Anne Springs Close Greenway Nature-Based Preschool. You can check out what each of the three stations will look like in the gallery at the top of the page which I hope I can provide to the preschool with your support. In the end I am looking to provide a sustainable classroom setting for the preschool that will last a long time and be good for the environment.

My goal is to complete the fundraising by the Spring of 2024 so I could certainly use all the support and help possible to accomplish this. Any donation amount, no matter how big or small would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all so much for supporting me on this project & throughout my journey!