05/19/2026
EAGLE SCOUT: Reagan Cornish has moved more times than most people her age can count. The 17-year-old daughter of an Air Force family has lived in Hawaii, New Mexico and twice in Northwest Florida, uprooting her life each time her father, Chris Cornish, received new orders.
But if there’s one thing all that moving has taught her, it’s how to walk into a new place and find a way to make it better.
On Saturday, Cornish and a group of volunteers gathered at the Fresh Start for Children and Families campus in Fort Walton Beach to plant a butterfly garden, install a 100-gallon water barrel and build a fence around exposed AC units near the organization’s playground and community center — all part of her Eagle Scout project.
“I’ve become very passionate about this project, and I’m so excited to help make Fresh Start a more welcoming space,” Cornish said.
Fresh Start provides transitional and affordable housing for families working to get back on their feet. The organization’s campus includes temporary housing, paid apartments, a community garden, a playground and a small preschool classroom for children whose parents can’t afford daycare.
Cornish said she discovered that roughly half of the outdoor space near the community center wasn’t being used because chicken wire had been put up to keep children away from the AC units. By building a proper fence around the units, her project will open that space back up for families.
The butterfly garden itself will border much of the fenced-in area around the community center, playground and garden. Cornish selected native plants suited to Northwest Florida’s sandy soil and climate, particularly in light of the recent drought the area has been working through.
Full story: https://getthecoast.com/fort-walton-beach-teen-builds-butterfly-garden-at-fresh-start-for-eagle-scout-project/
