- Ryan Ladwig is a Troop 5 Boy Scout who has been working with his team to build pathways that lead to the two pavilions and connect to the sidewalk at Shell Point.
- All of the money for the project came from donations and fundraisers held by Ryan
- Watch the video to see the project in action and see how it'll help neighbors in the community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Cement pathways were just added to Shell Point Beach to help give everyone access to the beach. I’m neighborhood reporter, Kenzie Krueger here in Shell Point where I spoke to a Boy Scout about what inspired him to lead the project.
“The accessibility there are a lot of people who use wheel chairs.”
Ryan Ladwig is a Troop 5 Boy Scout who has been working with his team to build pathways that lead to the two pavilions and connect to the sidewalk. The pathways will help neighbors with wheelchairs and other mobility aids to use the pavilions. Ladwig says he did it to help everyone feel included.
“We had one story of a man who has to use a wheelchair and he can’t come out here so he has to watch his grand kids from afar and it’s that, that’s the people we are doing this for.”
All of the money for the project came from donations and fundraisers held by Ryan. He raised about $1,500. Any money left over from this project will be donated to the Troop 5 Scholarship fund.
I spoke to Wakulla County and they say that this will be a good addition to the accessible parking and paths that were there before.
Ryan’s Scout Master, Chris Shook says passing on the skills he learned while being a Boy Scout himself to people like Ryan now, means a lot to him.
“Those skills that I learned I use today to be able to sit back and watch these boys grow and mature from when I first met them and see the leader they grow into it is always amazing and really special to see.”
The Boy Scouts also planted native plants near the pathways. Ryan he hopes the paths will be a way, “to let more people use the beach, it’s a public facility for everyone so might as well make sure everyone can use it.”
Wakulla County says there are plans to install mobi matts on the beach as well.
