At the beginning of the year, Chase Morris of Manor Township noticed his dogs investigating an area in his backyard. Morris and his mother approached the dogs to find them sniffing around a litter of rabbits. Upon further inspection, they noticed one of the rabbits was injured; Morris' mother looked up the nearest animal rescue, and the pair escorted the bunny safely to Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation in Millersville.

A few months later, Morris, who is now in 11th grade at Penn Manor High School, achieved the rank of Life Scout as a member of BSA Troop 349 in Mountville. Since Life Scout is the title before the final rank of Eagle Scout, Morris started to consider what his Eagle Scout service project would be, and he remembered Acorn Acres. "I thought, 'Hey, why don't we do the project there?'" Morris said. "I know they could use the help." Morris then reached out to Acorn Acres' founder and executive director, Betsy Shank, who gave the young Scout a list of potential projects that would benefit the rehabilitation center.

Morris decided his project would be to build a groundhog enclosure at Acorn Acres. The organization specializes in the rescue and rehabilitation of small animals such as squirrels, rabbits and groundhogs, and its late mascot, Poppy the groundhog, achieved national fame after she co-starred with Bill Murray in a commercial for the National Football League's championship game in 2020. The enclosure will provide more space for Acorn Acres to rehabilitate groundhogs and house them for an extended period of time. Currently, the facility is only large enough to keep rescued groundhogs on-site short-term.

For the first stage of the project, Morris is seeking the resources necessary to complete the enclosure. Although Acorn Acres held a fundraiser in memory of Poppy earlier this year, Morris is in search of donations from local businesses and organizations so the rescue center can save its money for unexpected costs. Morris currently has one-fifth of the funds required to complete the project.

In addition to the financial resources, Morris is also searching for donations of supplies such as pressure-treated lumber, steel roof panels, wire fencing and concrete mix. "The biggest thing is the fencing," Morris said. "As we know, groundhogs like to dig. The fencing will help to stop them from digging into the ground and escaping the enclosure." Morris hopes to complete his Eagle project by the spring of 2024 so it can be ready for groundhogs that will begin to emerge after hibernation.

Morris is also seeking volunteers with construction-related experience to assist with the project, but anyone who is willing to help is invited to reach out. To contact Morris, call 717-725-7298.