Eagle Scout candidate constructs bird houses for KidFest

Posted May 26, 2015 11:00 pm

Sean Doran's Eagle Scout project involved acquiring and preparing supplies to build more than 70 bluebird houses and helping children assemble their own houses at Barrington's KidFest celebration. Courtesy of Bob Lee

Submitted by Sam Oliver

Local Eagle Scout candidate Sean Doran of Troop 927 was in need of an Eagle project. Leave No Child Inside was in need of bluebird houses for the upcoming greater Barrington area KidFest. It sounded like a perfect match.

Sean recently completed his project of building nearly 80 bluebird house kits along with compiling information regarding house maintenance and bluebird attraction for children.

To celebrate June as Leave No Child Inside month, the annual Barrington Area KidFest - a free event combining the 12th annual Community Kite Fly and fourth annual Family Nature Fest - was held Saturday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Barrington's Citizens Park. This family-oriented event is hosted by the Barrington Breakfast Rotary Club, the Barrington Park District and Leave No Child Inside of the Greater Barrington and Lake Zurich Area, three community-oriented organizations.

Sean researched birdhouse specifications, proper entrance-hole size and where to locate the birdhouse. He compiled a list of materials needed to make a minimum of 70 houses, developed a budget, approached local vendors for supply donations and implemented fundraising to cover the cost of materials.

Additionally, Sean led his volunteers in cutting the bird house pieces, pre-drilling pilot holes, entrance holes, ventilation holes and holes for a clean-out mechanism. The next step was assembling each kit, including two different length screws and an educational sheet about the importance of bluebirds

Lastly, Sean instructed his volunteers regarding the process of making the houses, setting up at KidFest and finally assisting the many children in making their own houses. As a special "thank you" to Lake Zurich Home Depot for their generous donation of materials, tools and safety goggles, one of the birdhouse samples was painted Home Depot orange.

To learn more about Troop 927, visit www.facebook/com/Troop927. For Leave No Child Inside information about reacquainting children and nature in addition to photos of KidFest 2015, visit www.funoutside.org.

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Guests at Barrington's KidFest on May 4 assembled birdhouses from kits provided by Sean Doran as part of his Eagle Scout project. Courtesy of Pat Winkelman

With the help of his volunteers and sponsors, Eagle Scout candidate Sean Doran helped KidFest visitors assemble nearly 80 bluebird houses. Courtesy of Pat Winkelman

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