Local Scout works to become first female Eagle Scout in Livingston County

When Robert Baden-Powell coined the Boy Scout’s motto “Be Prepared” in 1907, he probably contemplated all the young men’s lives it would impact. What he probably didn’t foresee was that over a century later, young women would also be living out his words as they worked their way through the Scout program. But when Boy Scouts of America opened to females in 2019, Jessica Witkowski was prepared already.

With a passion for conservancy and environmental science, Jessica wasted no time in signing up.  The now soon-to-be junior at Hartland High School was drawn to the Scouts because of their strong emphasis on leadership, life skills, and a variety of environmental and nature-related opportunities that meshed well with her own aspirations, among them, becoming an Eagle Scout.

As Jessica has worked her way through the ranks of Scouts, serving her community has been the ultimate goal. This past winter, Jessica’s Life Rank project involved building and installing bluebird houses at Settler’s Park. Much planning and research was put into the project and now the same level of consideration has been exercised as she works toward the Scout’s highest rank of Eagle Scout.

Originally, Jessica had planned to pursue an Eagle Scout project focused on her love of the outdoors, but soon after ideas had been plotted out, the world went on lockdown.  As schools were closed and a pandemic declared, Jessica shifted her focus beyond her initial plans to determine the greatest current need for her community.

And as Jessica learned more about the elderly population right here in Hartland, she had a new vision for her Eagle Scout project. Her goal was to donate 500 fabric facemasks to local senior living facilities in an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus among the most vulnerable demographic.

With a plan in place, Jessica set about the task of plotting out the process to ensure her project would be completed in a timely matter. After her Eagle Project Proposal was presented and approved by her troop committee, the real work could begin. Like many of Jessica’s Scout projects and experiences, she was once again in uncharted waters. Not only was Jessica gearing up to coordinate and lead a group of volunteers, she also needed to learn to sew.

That’s when Jessica knew it was time to look to her community, or at least those she was regularly meeting with via Zoom meetings.

“I would like to give a shout out to Mrs. Lynnette Conner,” says Jessica. “She was the subject matter expert for my Eagle project. Mrs. Conner has been the biggest contributor by making a tutorial video to teach the volunteers how to sew the masks, donating fabric and elastic, sewing a large quantity of masks, and recruiting volunteers from her sewing community. She even made personal masks for each member of my family. I truly appreciate all of Mrs. Conner’s efforts and kindness to help me succeed with this project.”

When Jessica mentioned the plan for her Eagle Scout project on a Zoom call with her English class, other students, some whom she had never talked to or met before, stepped up to the challenge.

“I have been so impressed with the teenagers that volunteered their time and efforts to help create these facemasks,” says Jessica’s mother, Sheila Witkowski. “From cutting fabric and elastic for the materials kits, to actually sewing the facemasks, these teenagers did a great job: Chase Guelette, Marieka Battaglia, Alex Cole, Trevor Hogland, Anna Wieczorek, Andrew Barrett, Faith Schniers, Annah Stang, Erynn Dawson, Logan Dawson,  Meah Schniers, Kasi Waldi, Michaela King, Rachel Bernia, Sarah Bernia, and Rebekah Bernia.”

And with her team of volunteers in place, the coordination of events began. Donations were collected, fabric cut and measured, and sewing commenced. While it would usually be quite a task to distribute fabric kits to a group of volunteers, Jessica had the added pressure of doing so during a pandemic. She sought the advice of medical experts to ensure she was following best practices for sanitation, quarantining materials with each handoff and collection to establish safeguards for herself and volunteers.

In the end, Jessica and her team exceeded the original goal: 600 masks were delivered to local senior citizens amid a global pandemic. The beneficiaries included Village Manor Retirement, Hartland Senior Center, and West Hickory Haven in Milford.  Her whole project was dreamed up, coordinated, and accomplished in under two months’ time.

And as she continues to find new ways to support her community, it’s a safe bet that Jessica Witkowski will have her community supporting her as she applies to be a part of the 1st inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts this September.  

For more information about the all-girl Scout troop that Jessica is involved with, contact Scoutmaster Tami Curtis at sl4scouts@gmail.com.