Woodstock boy scouts create ‘safe zone’ at sheriff’s office

WOODSTOCK, Va. (WHSV) – October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and one teen was on a mission to become an Eagle Scout with a project he hopes will help protect victims of domestic violence. The project was also designed to provide a secure meeting place for online marketplace transactions such as Facebook Marketplace.

After more than a year of planning, Boy Scout Anthony Lusby’s goal of building a safe zone for victims of domestic violence and a safe meeting place for online marketplace exchanges has finally been realized.

“(With) everything that has been going on in Shenandoah County the last two years, I feel like this will give people the opportunity to have a safer place to gather and prevent crimes from happening,” Lusby said. “When people pull into the parking lot, they will have two parking spots for the seller and the buyer, or the moms and dads, and those two spots are just used for that purpose.”

Lusby said that because of his own experiences, this was a project he couldn’t pass up. The safe zone also serves as a mutual meeting place for custody exchanges between divorced or separated parents.

“My parents are divorced, and growing up, (my sister and I) hung out with my mom and dad, trying to find a safe place to meet,” Lusby said. “I feel like it would be a really good addition for single moms and dads who don’t feel safe going places alone.”

After coming up with the idea, Lusby approached the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office and asked Chief Deputy Kolter Stroop if he could create the safe zone in his parking lot. After Stroop received the email, he quickly agreed to create the space knowing its importance to the community.

“The Eagle Scout accomplishment is huge, so I took it to the sheriff and he was all for it,” Stroop said. “Promoting leadership is what we like to do here at the sheriff’s office, especially with our youth. I thought it was for a great cause to create a custodial trading venue and online marketplace. “Those are situations that can sometimes be uncomfortable for people and there could be some danger involved in that.”

Thanks to other members of Lusby’s troop, they were able to carry out the project. He hopes everyone in the community will use the spaces for protection.

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