Eagle Scout Awarded Bronze Palm for Texana Project


Spencer Reitz.

In addition to earning his Eagle Scout Award, Spencer Reitz of Troop 1631 in Sugar Land also received the Bronze Palm. To earn this distinction, a Scout must be active in his troop for at least three months after becoming an Eagle Scout and earn five additional merit badges.

Reitz chose Texana Center for his Eagle Scout project, which was to enhance an existing playground area at the Children’s Center for Autism. He painted a track around the play area, a basketball semi-circle and also included several games: hopscotch, hangman, tic-tac-toe and four square. He visited Texana many times, first to power wash the area and fill in several cracks in the concrete before beginning the painting. When the project was completed, Reitz held a grand opening for the play area, bringing refreshments for the children and presenting Children’s Center for Autism Senior Manager Ellen Catoe with chalk and bean bags for the games.

Children at the Children’s Center for Autism are taught to ride bicycles, scooters and play games, so the painted playground is perfect for this task.

“It was a pleasure working with Spencer, and we are delighted with the way the playground turned out,” said Catoe. “It is bright, colorful and very helpful for teaching the children with autism how to play, which is often the first place we learn many skills.”