h/t Doc.
Dominique Claseman built Olivia, Minnesota a veterans memorial for his Eagle Scout project. He finished it before his 17th birthday.
KARE11: OLIVIA, Minn. — When a 15-year-old boy came to the Olivia City Council with plans to build his hometown a veterans memorial, Mayor Jon Hawkinson wondered if the lad had bitten off more than he could chew.
Yet, there was something about Dominique Claseman.
“He had architect drawings, he had the space picked out,” the mayor recalls.
And perhaps most importantly, “He knew there would be people in our community who would want to donate to something like this,” the mayor recalls.
Today, no skeptics remain.
On Memorial Day, several hundred people gathered for the dedication of Olivia’s new veterans memorial, completed by Dominique as his Eagle Scout project a few weeks before his 17th birthday.
Ron Kopacek, who headed up the dedication’s honor guard, was amazed as anyone that Dominique pulled it off. “Fifteen years old, sophomore in high school, he’s going to raise $12,000 to $15,000 we’re thinking, ‘What? Really?’”
Turns out Dominque didn’t just raise his starting goal of $12,000 to $15,000.
He collected more than $77,000.
“I question myself on how I even did it sometimes,” Dominque says with a smile. more
Well done young man. o7
Scouting…… rounds a boy out! Excellent work son….
FJB
About 210 years ago a group of Scotch sailors did something similar. They tithed for qlmost 20 years to build a monument to the greatest Brit Admiral since the Dark Ages – Horatio Nelson. It stands in edinburh, home of some famous writers and GWB’s BFF , the man Maggie accurately said would ruing UK, Tony.
Horatio was very UNPC. The UK govt wanted to “Gaslight” him. Wht the Sotch sailors did embarassed the Anglos. Qbout 20 years after the Scotch monument was done the uk Govt renamed a Naval park Trafalgr Square and starte work on a Nelson monument much bigger and more spectacular than the Scotch one – with taxpayer money!
But the Scotch sailors that killed with/for horatio gve their own wqges to build monument in hi honor!
If you like brilliand, brave men willing to kill and die for their country you loved Horatio. Most of his sailors did. The war like Scotch in particular.
I mentioned here years back I made Christmas presents Of Jimmy’s book BORN FIGHTIN to my kids – to explain why Dad is the way he is. But I clearly relate to the Scotch sailors. BTW. Jimmy, like I, was a 5th Marine who (unlike I) was bold/foolish enough to brag about the ChiCom he killed in a Dem President debate. He did not do well.
Thank you for this feel good piece.
Can’t say enough about this remarkable young man.
That patch sash, though… jeez Louise. He looks like a North Korean general. But he did good work in order to earn them.
Live his idea of having his father put 21 combat boot prints in the wet concrete.
Great job!
And he raised the money the old-fashioned way… knocking on doors and posting flyers. I suppose GoFundMe would have refused him, since it was for good not evil.
Well done, young man!
Dream big, work hard, believe in yourself, and amazing things like this can happen. What an example for others!
Fine young man, there is still hope.