news-record.com

A family room at the Salvation Army of High Point’s shelter is more warm and inviting after Logan Icenhour, 18, of Greensboro tackled it as an Eagle Scout project last May.

He’ll receive his Eagle award Feb. 27.

Icenhour said he originally planned to fix a fence surrounding the shelter’s backyard.

“They had a wooden fence that was leaning, and people could get in and out, even if it was locked,” he said. The shelter doesn’t have supervision for the area, so officials wanted to make it more secure.

But Icenhour changed the plan after realizing the materials, time and equipment it would take to complete the project. After shelter staff suggested renovating one of five family rooms, Icenhour latched onto that idea.

“This project involved fixing and repairing damaged walls, repairing (an) existing vanity, along with general cleaning and painting throughout,” he wrote in his Eagle Scout application.

“I got some pretty big donations from companies,” Icenhour said. He was able to outfit the room with a queen bed and a bunk bed and some paint on the walls.

With donations of $500, Icenhour bought tools and more paint, linens, curtains and some decor to make the room more pleasing.

Total work time was 96 hours, and most of the repairs were done by Icenhour. “I had a couple of Scout members help move furniture in and out and get everything looking nice and neat,” he said.

“Logan was a delightful young man,” said Salvation Army Capt. Tony Perez. “He came in with a wonderful servant attitude to make a difference in our shelter.

“He flipped the room completely. ... He took the whole room and made it new.”

Perez said Icenhour has given the shelter and families a gift that will keep on giving.

“We’re very thankful for it and grateful for his willingness to help us,” Perez said.

Though Icenhour has influenced the lives of shelter families, the experience also affected him.

“The (staff) there had a big influence on me,” he said. “They were genuine about me helping them out.”

Icenhour said he is pleased to receive his Eagle award. “It’s definitely, probably my proudest accomplishment,” he said. “It means a lot when all your hard work pays off and you realize, through your Eagle project, how much your time and effort can help out your community and those around you.”

Will Icenhour continue volunteering in the future?

“Without a doubt,” he said.

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth.seagraves@news-record.com