5 Ahwatukee Boy Scouts to receive Eagle Award

The five new Eagle Scouts in Ahwatukee Boy Scout Troop 14 are, from left: Rafael Mather Alvear, Collin Bridge, Garrett Giannantonio, Evan Fear and Luke Tafoya. (Pamela Bridge/AFN Contributor)

Ahwatukee Boy Scout Troop 14 will make history this Saturday when five members receive Scouting’s highest honor, the Eagle Award.

The Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Rafael Mather Alvear, Collin Bridge, Garrett Giannantonio, Evan Fear and Luke Tafoya will be on August 12 at Esperanza Lutheran.

In over a century since a New York Boy Scout earned the nation’s first Eagle Award, over two million young men have achieved the honor, which requires a Scout to organize and execute a project that not only benefits the community but also tests their organizational and leadership skills.

The five new Ahwatukee Eagles contributed a combined total of over 600 volunteer hours to their projects.

Troop 14 formed in 1994 and has matriculated 97 Eagle Scouts.

The troop meets at Esperanza Lutheran Church at 2601 E. Thunderhill Place, Ahwatukee, on select Wednesdays from 7-8:30 p.m.

People interested in learning more can go to bsatroop14.us or email Scoutmaster Phil Mather at [email protected] or Michael Fortunato at [email protected].

Here’s a rundown on the new Troop 14 Eagle Scouts:

Rafael Mather Alvear

Rafael, a 15-year-old sophomore at Desert Vista High, said, “Originally, I wanted to do something either for heat mitigation, dogs, or the homeless as my Eagle Scout service project.”

He learned they were not mutually exclusive.

“As I learned more about the homeless, I discovered how dogs can be an integral support for people who are struggling to even get by,” he said. “The Human Services Campus, a 9-acre facility containing multiple services for the homeless, was the perfect organization to carry out the project.”

He planned, raised money and with fellow troop members built a dog park at Human Services campus. While the planning and fundraising took seven months, building the camp took a couple of days and 88 volunteer hours.

“I’d like to thank Lowe’s and ACE Hardware very much, as they donated the vast majority of our supplies and materials for the project,” he added. “Overall, I believe the project taught me how to be a better leader and lead others for better efficiency at any task. I am tremendously thankful for this great opportunity to do something to support the disadvantaged in our community.”

Collin Bridge

A member of the Desert Vista Class of 2023, Collin, 18, is on his way to Los Angeles to study filmmaking.

Amid all his other senior year activities last school year, Collin created a job application center for the unhoused where they could go and have easy access to computers and resume resources.

“Many churches in the Valley work together to host unhoused individuals several days a week,” he explained, noting he worked to set up a job center at Lakeview United Methodist Church.

He raised enough money to buy two chrome books, a printer and storage equipment and created a manual for church volunteers explaining how to use them, write resumes, look for jobs and find resources.

All that work plus training took about 90 hours, Collin said, adding “I learned how to better work and help organize with peers in order to achieve a goal efficiently and productively.

He said he was “inspired by their weekly generosity of people who need shelter.”

Collin’s dad, David Bridge, was the Troop 14 leader and just retired from that position.

“I have learned a great deal about leadership from my dad,” Collin said. “He treats everyone he meets with respect and dignity. He constantly gives his time and energy to help everyone around him.”

Garrett Giannantonio

A junior at Desert Vista, Garrett, 16, built a half wall around the Esperanza playground for his Eagle badge to prevent sand from spilling out of the sand box and tripping on the sidewalk.

Evan Fear

A senior at Horizon Honors Secondary School, Evan worked with the nonprofit Project C.U.R.E. supporting their Kits for Kids Program.

It sends kits containing basic first aid and hygiene items to families in less developed countries around the world and Evan helped put them together.

“I was fortunate to receive some supply donations from local retailers and dental offices; I also held a donation drive at my school with the support of our school’s Key Club,” he said.

He also organized car washes with his troop and its sister Troop 3014.

He said because of their help and his Key Club advisor, Mindy Duet, he exceeded his goal for the kits.

“Although I have served in leadership roles before, this project taught me the most about leadership as I was solely responsible for its success,” Evan said. “I learned how vital planning and organization is when working on a large project with many factors… This experience has strengthened my leadership and organizational skills.

Luke Tafoya

Luke also is a senior at Horizon Honors Secondary and his project aided the church’s preschool by restoring and making concrete art.

“We painted numerous designs such as a labyrinth, stop signs, hopscotch, and a row of shapes for a line,” Luke said. “These provided a well needed improvement to the playground and courtyard, making an overall better learning environment for the active preschoolers.”

The project required “many coats of paint” allowing for a cleaner and saturated look.

“When the paint coats increased, so did the length of the work. The night before painting, we would prep the area with an air compressor to get the dirt off, and then finish the area with a cleaning from a pressure washer. Each paint coat took around 15 minutes to dry when using the sun and a heat gun.”

“The project was finished with an astounding 172 hours over 10 Scouts,” he added.

Luke said, “I learned my fair share of do’s and don’ts. When dealing with numerous people it’s nice to have a fair amount but not too much.”

That was especially true of his project, he said, because much of it involve free-handed painting.

“Rushing might also affect the quality, even with stencils a botched layer could mean an uneven and rough finish altogether… Prepping is as important as the actual painting. Prepping dictates the way the paint will stay/stick.”

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