Posted on: Friday, February 28th, 2025

Eagle Scout Project Enhancing Y’s Educational Garden

When Caroline Dalton, a Mansfield resident and long-time member of the Hockomock Area YMCA, was deciding on her Eagle Scout project, she wanted the project to have a lasting, positive impact on her community. Caroline is part of Troop 51 of Mansfield and is the second female Mansfield resident to have earned her Eagle Scout.

Caroline is also a member of the Hockomock Area YMCA, recalling, “I was a summer camper and gymnastics participant at the Invensys Foxboro Branch. My YMCA involvement deepened when I became a competitive swimmer on the HAY Lightning Swim Team, a lifeguard, and a participant in the HAY Harmony program there.” Dalton continued, “I immediately thought that I could find a worthy Eagle Scout project through the Y since the organization gives back greatly to the community. I’ve made lifelong friendships there as a member and an employee.”

Caroline inquired at the Y and was connected to Dawn DaCosta, Teen & Community Outreach Director, who leads the Educational Garden at the Hurley Family Branch in North Attleboro. The Educational Garden is part of the Y’s summer programming where campers enjoy many garden classes and activities, such as making salsa, pickle jars, tomato sauce to name a few, as well as hands-on learning activities such as birdhouse making and tending to the gardens throughout the summer months. “When I met with Dawn and she explained the Educational Garden and what it meant to the community, I really wanted to help her and this program,” said Caroline.

Throughout 2024, Caroline strategized and worked on the project, in coordination with her Troop as well as the Y’s facilities team. Today, Caroline’s Eagle Scout project has provided the Y’s Educational Garden with much needed fencing to keep wildlife away from the crops. Caroline installed 165 linear feet of fencing around 8 raised garden beds.

Dawn DaCosta shares the significance of this fencing installation, “Because of this amazing project and Caroline’s commitment and dedication, our Y will now have three seasons of gardening, not just the 12 weeks of summer camp. We’re able to start Spring vegetable planting in April. And we’ll have the ability to do service projects in the Springtime for garden preparation and in the Summer, we’ll have more farm to table projects which is really exciting.” Additionally, the project enhanced the Garden with an excavation station where children can explore and play. A large sunshade was also installed to provide a much-needed cooling area and shade for the harvest table where summer classes will be held.

Caroline shares that this project couldn’t have been fulfilled without the support of the community around her. “I’m grateful to the many local businesses who contributed monetary donations as well as supplies,” says Caroline. “It meant a great deal to me to have the support of Troop 51 Mansfield members, Order of the Arrow members, and many friends and family. They gave up their free time on weekends to help me complete the manual labor of the project.”

This project’s impact will be felt by generations of area children. Caroline reflects, “This project will have a positive impact on the Y and the community it serves. A big thanks to my team for all the work put in to make it a success. Having my Eagle Scout project be part of the Y, means a lot and I’m proud of that.”

Caroline will attend Westfield State University in the Fall where she will be part of the swim team and will major in Elementary Education.

For information on service learning projects at the Y’s Education Garden this Spring or Summer, or for those interested in future Eagle Scout projects at the Hockomock Area YMCA, please contact Dawn DaCosta at 508-643-5270 or dawnd@hockymca.org.