KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One Kansas City metro girl will make history as part of the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts.
The Boys Scouts of America began allowing women into the organization in 2019 and in February 2021, hundreds of girls will have the honor of being called an Eagle Scout. To earn that title, they'll have to do projects in the community.
In coordination with The Whole Person, Aniston Faul and her family raked leaves Saturday at a South Kansas City home for a resident who doesn't have the ability to do so.
"I think there’s an impact on like the pride of having your yard done, and it makes the whole neighborhood look a lot better," Faul said.
The goal, according to Faul, is to reach out to all the Catholic high schools in the metro and ask for volunteers to join her now and for years down the road.
"We’re going to help get more volunteers for the Whole Person so they can continue to have people coming and volunteering for them," Faul said.
At just 15-years-old, Faul is one of the first girls in the country to join the Scouts.
"My dad was an Eagle Scout and he would always talk about how much scouting was involved in his life, along with my brother," Faul said. "When he was in Cub Scouts, we would kind of see what they did and it looked a lot more fun than, like, Girl Scouts was for me, so I decided it would be a good experience."
It's a moment Faul's father, Matthew, couldn't let her pass up.
"I think the coolest thing about it is there’s very few things left in this world you can be the first at something," Matthew Faul said. "I mean, pretty much everything has been done and so the opportunity for my girls to be in the class of the first Eagles."
Aniston's sister, Madison, also is working toward becoming an Eagle Scout.
"It’s been super nice having her for every event and every camp out to always have someone to talk to," Aniston said.
Terri Goddard, resource development manager for The Whole Person, said Aniston's project can help organizations continue to assist people in need.
"We think this spring, come this spring we still might be in a pandemic and a lot more high school kids might want to volunteer because of her," Goddard said.
And Aniston's efforts already are making history for others to follow.
"I know we have a lot of younger Scouts that are now getting involved in our troop," Aniston said, "and that wouldn’t have happened without Maddie and I and the rest of the girls we started this with."
More information about the inaugural female class of Eagle Scouts can be found on the Scouts website.