My name is Tui Petschel and I am a Life Scout in Troop 4184 in Orlando. I am proud to be a Founding Member of the sister troop of BSA Troop 184. I am currently working towards my Eagle rank. I am very grateful for the scout experience I've had for the past six years, and I am bringing my time as a scout to an end with an Eagle Project that will allow me to give back to my community by working with the Avian Reconditioning Center for Birds of Prey. The ARC is a fantastic organization that takes in injured birds of prey which they rehabilitate, releasing those who make a full recovery.

I fondly remember attending the Avian Reconditioning Center's programs as a young child almost a decade ago. Sitting under the Education Pavillion, I encountered birds of prey for the first time. Clearly, this program made an impact on our family since my older brother also chose to do his Eagle Project to benefit the ARC!

After asking the Avian Reconditioning Center how I could best support their mission, we worked together to design a structure that would allow the birds that cannot be tethered to be part of their educational programs. This structure will be 10’ x 20’ with screened walls and two rooms so the birds can be viewed while being able to move about freely. Vinny the vulture, who has been with the ARC for over a decade, is one of my favorite residents, and will likely occupy one of the rooms. Vinny is unable to fly but she has quite a lot of character and will be a great addition to their programs!

I have received approval from the Avian Reconditioning Center, my unit leader, and the Narcoossee District Advancement Team to proceed with my Eagle project and I plan to complete it by the end of March 2025.

I am reaching out to my community to ask for donations to cover the purchase of the necessary materials to complete this project. Any donations beyond the cost of the project will be donated directly to the ARC. If you are unable to donate, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share my fundraiser anywhere you can!