BSA Troop 435’s Dog Wash a Doggone Success!

By Charlotte Underwood

TOP PHOTO: Working at the Dog Wash, Yeah! BSA Life Scout Claire Matherly held her Dog Wash Fundraiser on Saturday to raise funds for her Eagle Scout Project.

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Around 40 pooches were pampered on Saturday at the Dog Wash Fundraiser held by BSA Life Scout Claire Matherly and her fellow scouts from Troop 435. The event was organized by Matherly to raise money for her upcoming Eagle Scout project, which will promote literacy in Campbell County.

BSA Troop 435 Life Scout Claire and her fellow scouts raised around $1,000 on Saturday to go towards Claire’s Eagle Scout project for the Campbell County Literacy Project.

The dog wash was held at Tractor Supply from 11am to 5pm on Saturday. During that time, Matherly and the other scouts shampooed and dried around 40 dogs of all breeds and sizes.

“I was hesitant at first to be excited about the turnout, but right at 11 a ton of dogs showed up; everyone was happy to be there. I appreciate the support of my community so much,” Matherly said.

She is a professional when it comes to dog grooming and started her own grooming business, “Claire’s Grooming Salon” more than a year ago. That’s how she got the idea to hold a dog wash for her Eagle Scout project fundraiser.

Working at the Dog Wash, Yeah! BSA Life Scout Claire Matherly held her Dog Wash Fundraiser on Saturday to raise funds for her Eagle Scout Project.

Matherly said she raised around $1,000 with her dog wash and that, combined with funds already donated by her own family gets her “very close” to her fundraising goal for her Eagle Scout project.

With funds raised from her dog wash, Matherly plans to install three “Little Libraries” at specific locations around the county where she feels they will “benefit people the most.” These locations include Tennova-La Follette Medical Center, Food Life Services and Ridge View Behavioral Health Services.

Little Libraries are small, enclosed structures that hold books and operate on the “take a book, leave a book” concept, which eliminates late fees.

Once completed, the Little Libraries will be stocked with books, for which Matherly is currently taking donations.

“I liked the idea of the Little Libraries as my project, because it supports something I love; reading and literacy,” Matherly said.

BSA Troop 435 held a Dog Wash Fundraiser on Saturday at Tractor Supply. The scouts groomed around 40 dogs in all!

She hopes to have the libraries installed and her Eagle Scout project completed by the end of April so she can earn her Eagle Scout status, something she has worked hard for over the past couple of years.

Matherly said she wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped with her Dog Wash fundraiser.

“Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered or brought their pups out to the dog wash to support this project. We couldn’t do it without you. Another thank you to all of the businesses who helped us sponsor the fundraiser. Because of all of you, it was a great success! One step closer to Eagle!” Matherly said.

BSA Scouts Troop 435 meets on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm at the LaFollette Methodist Church. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 03/18/2024-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF BSA TROOP 435 SCOUT LEADER LIZ WHITE)