Originally published: 2025-02-26T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.
Nicholas Straber, a Boy Scout and a senior at Triton Central High School, is following in his family’s tradition by undertaking a community service project aimed at aiding homeless Veterans in Indianapolis by partnering with Indianapolis VA.
Straber and his fellow Troop 104 members planned and executed a donation drive to acquire needed personal supplies for homeless Veterans. This drive began with Straber’s personal desire to give back, inspired by his family’s tradition and previous volunteer work with the Wheeler Mission in Virginia, where his family assisted the homeless.
The donation was made to the Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE) section. “Our goal is to enhance Veteran care, and homelessness is one of the areas we assist with,” said Kiyaanna Anderson, CDCE. “We work with donors to provide products to Veterans in need.”
The project brought together five teams of scouts who worked for months to organize logistics for the donation drive. “The operation involved canvassing three neighborhoods numbering around 420 houses and interacting with about 30% of residents,” Nicholas explained. “We distributed grocery bags with lists of items needed for the Veterans and included a contact number for pick-up.”
Over 200 thank you cards for Veterans
The scouts gathered enough personal care items and snacks to construct over 200 kits and included over 200 handwritten thank you cards for Veterans, offering words of encouragement. The estimated value of the collected donations was $4,000.
Straber views the project as an opportunity for self-growth and hopes that the experience motivates other scouts to initiate similar community service projects.
If successful in completing this endeavor, he stands to be awarded the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout, a distinction achieved by less than 4% of Boy Scouts since the organization’s inception in 1911.
Volunteers are an important asset for the success of the VA mission. The Indianapolis VA Medical Center is always seeking caring individuals to volunteer.
Learn how you can volunteer your time or make donations.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.
