Seminole High graduate also becomes Eagle Scout in same week

Left to Right: Jayson Weiner, David Weiner (Jayson's dad), Levi Siewert, Ray Siewert (Levi's dad), Philip Cappelli, John Cappelli (Philip's dad) and Ned Covel at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Largo on May 21.

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In December of last year, we told you about a Seminole High School senior, Jayson Weiner, who was working on becoming a Eagle Scout. The project he picked to become an Eagle Scout was to help a former nonprofit, St. Pete Beach Support our Troops, who had lost all their volunteers and needed to ship care packages to the military overseas. The organization had all the boxes to send, but not enough money to send the packages. 

"After I had been informed that I had to fundraise the money for the shipping, I thought this project was over due to the fact fundraising $10,000 with a deadline of 9 days seemed impossible. The support I received from the community helped me ship a total of 566 care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan before Christmas," said Weiner.

After calling local businesses and an article running in Tampa Bay Newspapers, Weiner was able to collect the money he needed to send off the care packages. "This would not have been possible in any world without the backing of the community, and I would like to thank those people dearly, they include: American Legion Post 252 ($2500.00), American Legion Post 125 ($1,000), American Legion Post 79, Operation: Military Matters, United States Postal Service: Seminole Post Office, and St. Albans Church," added Weiner.

Weiner received the honor of Eagle Scout on May 21, 2018, during a ceremony at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Largo with several of his friends who have been in scouts together since starting . It was a wonderful week because earlier in the week he also graduated from Seminole High School. In the fall, he plans on going into the Marine Corps to help fulfill what he says is his civic duty and to get his college education.

Fewer than 4 percent of all Scouts in the United States reach the Eagle Scout rank, achieve the scouting purpose in the building of character, training of leadership, and the practice of serving.

Some of the 500 care packages Jayson Weiner shipped to the military overseas.

Jayson Weiner and other Boy Scouts who helped him with his project back in
December 2017, before shipping the care packages overseas.