Grandpa Howard and Cole work together to build a new home for Cole’s family.
Sharee Barton, from Rexburg, Idaho, saw an opportunity to strengthen a relationship between her son and his grandfather through Scouting.
Sharee’s son, Cole Barton, grew up in Rexburg, Idaho, hundreds of miles from his Grandpa, Dave Howard, who lives in Orem, Utah. They spent time together at various family functions, but the miles between them didn’t provide as many occasions to be together as they would have liked.
When Cole was 14 years old, he was very involved in Scouting and ready to do an Eagle Scout project so he could earn his Eagle Scout award. He asked around the community and discovered a need for “green house tables” at a local high school. They wanted specifically-designed tables where plants could grow with a special drainage system to drain the water.
Cole knew his dad was very talented in many areas, but he was not a carpenter and would not be a good adviser on this project. Cole thought about his Grandpa Howard. His grandpa had built 3 homes over the years and helped construct the Mt. Timpanogos temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Cole made a call and found Grandpa Howard was more than excited to help with this Eagle Project.
Cole would draft a design and send it to his Grandpa. His Grandpa would tweek the design, give his input, and send the draft back to Cole. After much planning and organizing, Grandpa Howard decided to go up to Rexburg and be Cole’s assistant. It was a thrill for Sharee to see her son and her dad form a bond and work together on a worthy project for the community.
As a result, Cole not only developed a love for building and designing projects, but more importantly, he developed a deep love and bond with his Grandpa Howard. Little did these two know that 4 years later Grandpa Howard would come to Idaho and help their family build a new home. Cole was Grandpa’s right hand man during the entire construction providing another wonderful bonding experience.
When asked how Scouting has helped her son, Sharee answered, “Cole had many great Scout leaders over the years that influenced him in positive ways. Through his years of Scouting Cole learned that reaching a worth while goal sometimes takes a lot of little steps. Persistence and grit can produce great accomplishments. Most rewarding has been the relationships built along the way, especially with Grandpa Howard.”
-Submitted by Dana Wiest, Church Service Missionary