Palmyra teen earns Eagle Scout honor for community service project in Harrisburg

When Nathan Drasher set out to do his Eagle Scout project, he had the perfect charity in mind.

“I chose this one because Center for Champions is an amazing charity,” Drasher said. “They work with kids in South Allison Hill, so inner-city Harrisburg, and they have mentors who look after and give them a Christian environment that they don’t always get.” 

Location and networking also made the choice for his Eagle Scout project an easier decision. 

“They are situated between two high schools, so they have a really great location and I know a person who helps run it, so I had a really good connection there. And I believe it (the charity) really works,” Drasher added.

The charity’s website states that, “Center for Champions provides Christian mentors who show up and show love to kids. As a result, kids have a friend they can trust, who will be a positive influence in their lives, and who will point them to Jesus.” 

Drasher, 18, said his project entailed building high-end shelves and revamping a storage room that was in need of some TLC. Drasher is the son of Sean and Tammy Drasher of Palmyra.

“The storage room was pretty run down and was completely pretty inadequate,” Drasher said. “They had a bunch of overflow into a backstage area. We got the room more secure and, actually, it looks pretty amazing. The shelving itself is really good as well. I can also say we significantly increased the storage output.”

From nuts to bolts, Drasher served as project lead. He also compiled a planning document before the project began, created a workbook, and wrote and filed a final report once it was completed.

An internet search reveals that “an Eagle Scout project requires a Life Scout to plan, develop, and lead a community service project that benefits a religious institution, school, or the community. The project must be substantial, requiring leadership and effort, and cannot benefit the Boy Scouts of America or its affiliated organizations. It demonstrates the Scout’s leadership, planning, and problem-solving abilities.”

“I completely ran it, which I know sounds a bit out there, but for an Eagle Scout project, the person who is in charge to get the Eagle Scout, must be in charge of every single part of the project,” Drasher said. “So I fundraised. I planned it out. I got the materials. I worked with a project engineer to get blueprints. … So I was there putting in shelves, helping paint, organize, and I cut the wood. There was not a single part of the project that I did not have my hands on.”

Jeff Bruce, executive director of Center for Champions, said the closet stores all the gear used by the mentors with local youths, adding that the unit was a mess when Drasher enquired what he could do for his Eagle Scout project.

“We have a storage closet where we keep everything and it was basically a bomb, a wreck. Nate came around and saw the closet and got the idea to put in wooden shelving units with labeled bins. Seems like a minor project, but for us it was incredible,” Bruce said. “I mean, they are extremely sturdy shelves that you could probably sleep on if you wanted to.” 

Nathan’s father, who is an Eagle Scout himself and the director of Lebanon County’s elections and voter registration office, said he’s witnessed as an adult leader other youths needing assistance in one particular area of their project.

“I review other kids’ Eagle projects, and one of the things that I find very consistently is they need help with fundraising. What happens is that the family ends up writing a big check to cover the project costs,” he said. “Nathan did all the fundraising himself, so this project did not require us to help pay for it.” 

He noted there was an added bonus for the Drasher family with his son’s project, which Nathan said took about 50 hours to finish from when it started in April 2024 through completion last November. 

“I am glad my mom (Janis) lived to see this because this makes her a second generation Eagle Scout mom,” Sean noted. “I’m so proud of what he accomplished. It’s a tremendous amount of work, and you are working for the community and doing a service project to get it. You also learn a lot along the way.” 

With a heavy emphasis on community service, Drasher has had the opportunity to do plenty of service-based projects during his time in the Scouts program, but this one was different from all the others.

“I’ve done many projects for the Scouts, including helping on other Eagle Scout projects, but this one was pretty unique,” he said. “I was kind of amazed by it. At the beginning of the project, I didn’t realize the change I was making. But I am really proud of it, happy about it and I am very thankful for everyone who helped me along the way.”

No would-be Eagle Scout is an island during their project, and that was certainly the case for Drasher. 

He thanked Len Crawdord, Heath Donald, Eric Spangler, and Mark Stout for their assistance. They served in various capacities, including as project engineer, supplier of wood products, carpenter, project coach, and Eagle Scout ceremony organizer.

And, of course, mom and dad, who were there by his side throughout his entire scouting career and especially during this momentous occasion.

“They were the pillars I could use to support my project, and I was really happy to have them,” Drasher added. 

Tammy Drasher said she knew of her husband’s Eagle Scout accomplishment, which included building informational kiosks for a nature park near Coral Springs, Florida, in the early 1990s, but this was unique since she got to witness firsthand her son’s handiwork.

“Actually proud of Nathan for all of the hard work that he did,” she said. “Of course I knew Sean was an Eagle Scout, but this has shown what that all involves and what that all entails, so this is more special to see Nathan going through the process.” 

A senior at Palmyra High School, Drasher said he plans to pursue a cybersecurity degree at Pennsylvania College of Technology this fall. He studied computer programming during his time as a Boy Scout. 

“The Scouts taught me learning skills by working on certain badges,” Drasher said. “I learned social skills and without scouts I’d be a lot different. I know going to college, I’ll have the mindset to study.” 

Now that he’s “aged out” of the program by reaching his 18th birthday, Nathan has plans to remain with the organization as an adult leader.

“It’s probably the best way to build yourself up. Even when you phase out, the skills you learned will always stay with you,” Drasher said. “Being a Scout is the best thing you can do, and it’s a lot of fun, too.”