Thanks to a Hoggard High student, you can now find beach toy libraries at Carolina Beach

When thinking about an idea for his Eagle Scout project, Hoggard High School junior Jake Allen knew he wanted to bring something unique to the Wilmington area that would positively impact the community.

Allen found out about beach toy libraries after seeing one online that was built at a beach in Florida. The libraries have been popping up along the East Coast with one in St. Cloud, Florida, and another in Rhode Island that was inspired by the Little Free Library.

Every scout has to complete a project before they get the honor of Eagle Scout. Allen, who is a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 26 chartered by Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, got to work around the end of May 2023 to bring Beach Toy Libraries to the Wilmington area.

Allen said Carolina Beach was the perfect fit because of its family-friendly atmosphere and how eager the town council, specifically Mayor Pro Tem Deb LeCompte, was to help his project become a reality.

The libraries encourage playtime on the beach under "borrow, play, return" guidelines and are meant to help families that might not want to haul toys to the beach along with their other beach items.

The libraries can also be helpful to visitors because they don't have to buy new beach toys that they will eventually have to carry back home with them.

Allen said the libraries can also be a help to the environment because some people will leave toys out on the beach and sometimes they will end up in the ocean. Any toys left on the beach can be picked up by lifeguards or anyone on the beach and put in the library for future playtime.

Allen chose lifeguard stands close to the Carolina Beach Boardwalk to attach the libraries to so that they would be right on the beach and because those areas are the most populated.

According to Shawn Kelly, Carolina Beach's ocean rescue captain, people can use the following accesses to find the lifeguard stands if they are in search of a Beach Toy Library: stand 15 at Hamlet Avenue, stand 17 at Cape Fear Boulevard, stand 19 at Harper Avenue and stand 21 at Pelican Lane.

Allen said that while the hope is that everyone will return toys to the libraries, that might not always be the case. He said he would be interested in having a toy drive in the future to gather more toys for the libraries.