BY MATT LINDSEYNorth Country This Week

HERMON — A local 17-year-old is turning bad art into community good as he works to complete his Eagle Scout project before his 18th birthday.

Jack Velez, a member of Hermon-DeKalb Scout Troop 144, is raising money to build a cat tree playground for the Potsdam Humane Society as an enrichment feature for its cat room.

To help fund the project, the troop is hosting a lighthearted “poorly drawn pets” fundraiser from Feb. 25 through March 11. Donors who contribute and submit a photo of their pet will receive a hand-drawn portrait, with no guarantees of artistic quality, posted within 72 hours on the troop’s and the humane society’s Facebook pages.

“Have you ever dreamed about having a wonderful portrait of your beloved pet? Keep dreaming … this ain’t it,” said Darcie Velez, Jack’s mother and Scoutmaster of Hermon-DeKalb Troop 144.

“This is a humorous way to not upset anyone with the quality, or lack thereof, of their drawings,” she said. “We have Scouts with a range of abilities and no donor will know which Scout will draw their pet. Maybe some will be decent. But likely not. But the Scouts will put a sincere effort into the drawing.”

The fundraiser supports Jack’s Eagle project, which involves constructing a large wooden cat tree playground. After considering several community organizations, Jack contacted the humane society to ask what was most needed.

“He reached out to the director, Victoria Murray, and asked what the organization needed and she said ‘cat enrichment items’ for their ‘cat room,’” Darcie Velez said.

Although Jack loves cats, his family has never owned one due to allergies. After researching ideas online, he found a cat tree playground design and proposed building a similar version.

“Victoria loved it,” Darcie Velez said.

The commercially available structure costs about $4,400, but Jack is working with his woodshop teacher at Hermon-DeKalb Central School to reduce costs by building it from scratch. They are developing a materials list and plan to cut plywood pieces at the school before Scouts assemble the structure at the shelter. The estimated cost for materials is about $1,300, though a final total is pending.

“The ‘poorly drawn pets’ fundraiser is not the project, but a means to get money for the project,” Darcie Velez said. “With all the fundraisers Scouts constantly do (popcorn, meat sticks, etc.), this would be something different and fun and manageable with horrible weather outside when we all want to stay warm. Jack was definitely on board with it.”

The idea was inspired by a similar effort at the Pasadena Humane Society.

Jack faces a firm deadline. He turns 18 on April 15 and must complete the project by then to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. At 18, Scouts age out of the program as youth members.

“So, we are in a bit of a time crunch, but I think he should be able to make it,” Darcie Velez said.

She added that she believes it has been at least a decade since Troop 144 last had an Eagle Scout.

Hermon-DeKalb Scout Troop 144 is a co-ed troop serving youth ages 11 to 17 and is active year-round, she said.

Donations can be made through the troop’s PayPal link. Contributors should email a photo of their pet along with their PayPal confirmation number to HermonDeKalbScouts@yahoo.com to participate, though donations without photo submissions are also accepted.

Make a donation between Feb. 25 – Mar. 11 and a Scout or PHS volunteer will draw a pathetically, bad picture of your pet and post it to Facebook within 3 days.

To donate: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/UM38H3RUT4NYY.

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