Eagle Scout Davis Dawson recognized with Prudential Spirit of Community Award

When he first started planning his Eagle Scout Service Project, 17-year-old Davis Dawson knew he wanted to make a long-lasting impact on his community.

And he did just that.

Davis raised more than $43,000 to construct a single-family home for a local family through Habitat for Humanity. The home — dubbed “The Eagle’s Nest” — was built by more than 200 volunteers, most of whom are Eagle Scouts from his hometown of Concord, N.C.

Earlier this week, Davis’ work was recognized as one of the nation’s top volunteers with The Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

Read on to learn more about his project.

Davis Dawson Groundbreaking
Davis Dawson joins future homeowner Jazmine Crisco (third from left) at the groundbreaking ceremony for “The Eagle’s Nest” home. Photo courtesy of Davis Dawson.

Davis, an Eagle Scout from Troop 138 in Concord, N.C., partnered with Habitat for Humanity to plan, fundraise and construct a single-story, 1,313-square-foot home for the Crisco family.

Why build a house? “I have always wanted … to build a project that I could go back to in 20 years and say, ‘I helped build this,’” he says.

The construction kicked off in the summer of 2014, and Davis turned to Central North Carolina’s local chapter of the National Eagle Scout Association to source volunteers. (Most of these Eagle Scout volunteers had construction experience thanks to their own Eagle Scout projects!)

It took a little more than six months, but construction wrapped up in time for the family to move in before the holidays. (Check out this video to learn more about the construction process.)

Now, the Crisco family calls the house “home,” and the two oldest boys were so impressed by Davis they joined a nearby troop and “are ‘on fire’ for Scouting,” writes Dene Dawson, Davis’ mom.

Not only will the house still be standing in 20 years, but Davis has also helped start another generation of Scouts. Awesome!

Davis’ work earned him The Prudential Spirit of the Community Award, an achievement that comes with a $1,000 check.

Congratulations, Davis, and keep up the great work!