THOMASVILLE- Cole Higgins, a Boy Scout of Thomasville’s Troop 306, has been working on his Eagle Scout project diligently, meeting with engineers and constructing a swinging bridge. On Tuesday, all his hard work came to fruition, as he presented the newly built bridge to Never Lost Executive Director, Wendy Greene.

Higgins began his scouting journey as a cub scout in kindergarten in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.

“We were living in Ft. Walton, and I saw a group of kids in a parking lot area playing games,” he said. “After that, I decided I wanted to be a cub scout.”

Higgins remained a cub scout through fifth grade, before becoming a boy scout and moving through the ranks, with the final rank of being an Eagle Scout.

To become an Eagle Scout, Higgins had to earn 21 merit badges and complete a community service project. Additionally, he had to receive three letters of recommendation from individuals who have witnessed his scouting journey. After compiling his letters and badges, Higgins will appear before the board, which will then approve or deny his final Eagle Scout badge.

Higgins is the prime candidate to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, as his service project went above and beyond the call of duty.

He initially met with Greene, who had mentioned to his mother, Jill Higgins, that she had long wanted a swinging bridge on the playground for kids. The bridge held both a physical and symbolic meaning that she longed to share with others, but was unable to construct herself.

“We’ve had this vision of a playground area for the children we serve,” Greene said. “But, we wanted everything to be old-fashioned and hand-built.”

One of those items was a swinging bridge, as Greene said there is research that movement helps heal trauma. Beyond its healing capabilities, the bridge also symbolizes the journey children have gone through in order to ultimately cross the bridge and be reunified.

“I set up a meeting with her and learned she had wanted this bridge since 2001,” Higgins said. “So, I began working with an engineer from my church to come up with a design for her.”

As the design began to take shape, Greene said she realized what a big ask this was of Higgins, as Eagle Scout projects are often on a smaller scale.

“I don’t even think I really realized all of the things that were involved,” Greene said. “Looking back, it was a really big ask. Watching it come to life, I’ve seen what it takes to come to life.”

The building process took Higgins two weeks, with the help of his dad and fellow scouts.

“The engineer walked us through the blueprints of everything, and my dad helped me a lot on the construction,” Higgins said.

Upon completing the final touches, Higgins donated the bridge to NeverLost, along with a monetary contribution of the money left over from the original design.

With his final project checked off, Higgins reflected on his journey as a scout, saying the program has taught him about leadership and community.

“It’s been a fun experience going out on camping trips, hanging out with friends, and meeting and helping others,” he concluded.

While Higgins may no longer be a part of the scouts, Greene said she foresees a standing relationship with the program and hopes Higgins would continue to have an interest in Never Lost.

“This project far exceeded my expectations as far as the final project and his understanding of both organizations,” Greene concluded. “I fully believe Cole will forever be involved with Never Lost, and we would love to continue a partnership and have his and the scouts’ support.”