OCEAN PINES – An Ocean Pines teenager partnered with a local nonprofit to build shelters for cats.
Ocean Pines resident Christian Martin, 16, worked with the nonprofit Town Cats to build 18 outdoor cat shelters for his Eagle Scout service project.
“It worked out well for him and us,” said Susan Mohler, president of Town Cats.
Martin, a Pines resident, worked with volunteers last Saturday to build cat shelters for Town Cats to use and provide to those in need. Martin, a longtime scout, was interested in completing an Eagle Scout project—which demonstrates leadership and benefits the community—when he spoke with Mohler, his neighbor, about the work Town Cats does. Town Cats was founded in the 1990s to address the feral cat population in the Ocean City area. Each winter, Mohler said Town Cats needs shelters for outdoor cats.
“Every year people are asking for them,” Mohler said. “They’re not hard to make but they are time consuming.”
For his Eagle Scout project, Martin decided to help Town Cats build the shelters. He created an online sign-up sheet, recruited volunteers, reserved space at the Ocean Pines Community Center and then guided volunteers through making the boxes last Saturday. A roomful of volunteers, some longtime Town Cats supporters and others simply community members, turned storage boxes into shelters insulated with foam and Mylar film.
“It’s going to be a tiny cat apartment,” Martin said, adding that once the shelters were outside straw would be added to serve as bedding. “It has an emergency exit hole and an entry hole.”
Mohler said Town Cats was grateful for Martin’s efforts spearheading the project which will provide the nonprofit with 18 much-needed shelters.
“The project was a huge success,” Mohler said. “Chris did a lot of work.”
Martin, who currently holds the “Life Scout” rank, says scouting has taught him a lot and that he was eager to show his leadership skills through an Eagle Scout project. He said scouting had not only given him the chance to participate in a variety of fun activities such as camping and volunteering but had also made him a better person.
“It shows you have dedication,” he said. “It can help you with college, the military or getting a job. It can benefit your social skills. It can help you better prepare yourself for the future.”
