On Saturday he and fellow scouts of Troop 238 assembled 17 birdhouses and placed them along the Roanoke Canal Trail.
All that’s left now is doing the paperwork and going before the Eagle Board of Review before he receives scouting’s highest honor.
Working to attain the rank, holding a yard sale and going through the process of getting the necessary permissions to put the birdhouses on the trail, has helped in several ways. “I talk better to strangers. I’m not nervous anymore,” he said, taking a break from assembling the housing. “It’s given me a longer attention span.”
The yard sale raised $200 which he used to buy supplies such as screws, drill bits and and other items essential to the process. His uncle, Marty Purser, donated and cut the lumber from which the birdhouses were made.

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Throughout the project, there has been a spirit of cooperation.
On Saturday another uncle, Lee Purser, helped oversee the project and drove some screws into the houses. “This has been a long process,” Lee said. “It wasn’t instant gratification. I think it has made Aaron self-sufficient.”
Helping Aaron was fellow scout Jake Harris, who wants to attain the rank himself, and looks to his friend for inspiration. “He shows me how to do stuff, how to be a leader.”
Ayden Coggins also came to pitch in Saturday. “I wanted to help him get Eagle. He’s done a lot to help me.”
Coggins, who Aaron helped advance through rank, is waiting on the board of review before he receives his Eagle for building a 12-foot picnic table at Ledgerwood Field. “It’s helped me in leadership. It’s helped me do things independently.”
Coggins has seen the difference working on the Eagle project has made in Aaron. “He was always joking around. Now he’s more serious.”
For Aaron’s father, Allen, the road to becoming an Eagle Scout is a fulfilling endeavor. “It teaches young men moral and leadership skills. It helps young men become leaders in our community.”