POULSBO — When Eagle Scout candidate Robert Vieau chose a blood drive as his final Boy Scout project, the only goal was attaining Scouting’s highest honor.

Now, as he prepares for his second and final blood drive Nov. 21 at the Poulsbo Armory, Vieau said his outlook has changed.

“It’s not about my Eagle anymore, it’s about saving lives,” he said.

The blood drive is also a way of continuing his mother’s legacy — her final wish was to do whatever she could to help others.

Vieau’s mother, Sandra Vieau, died April 18, 2006, and Vieau said she inspired him to do a blood drive as his Eagle Scout project.

Through his project, Vieau said he has come to know the true definition of kindness as he has learned how much one blood donation can do to assist others.

“You’ll be helping three people you don’t even know, to me that’s the epitome of kindness,” he said. “It doesn’t get any kinder than that.”

Even though his first blood drive for the Puget Sound Blood Center went better than expected, Vieau said he hopes to double the number of donors in his final effort.

“I ran out of time and I didn’t have time to schedule everything like I said I would,” he said.

However, this time around Vieau said he is hoping for 50 donors to give the blood center a much-needed boost as it prepares for the holiday season.

“People need blood every three seconds, and the blood center ships out 800 units every day,” he said. “One donation helps three people.”

The PSBC provides blood for all of the hospitals in Washington state as well as people in Oregon and Idaho, but if called upon it could provide blood for people nationwide, he said.

With many families gathering for Thanksgiving, the blood drive is a great opportunity to help others, while enjoying the holiday spirit, he said.

“You get to relax and at the same time you’ll be saving three lives,” he said.

As his family gathers for the holidays Vieau knows that the Nov. 21 event will mark the end of a journey that began almost eight years ago, when he joined Troop 1577, sponsored by Poulsbo Church of the Nazerene.

“My goal was to get Eagle Scout as quickly as I could,” he said, adding that road has been longer than he anticipated.

Instead of allowing him to give up just short of his goal, Vieau said his father, Michael, Scoutmaster Jim Almond and a host of others kept him on track.

“My dad kept pushing me to take the step and would ask me each week about it,” he said.

After the blood drive, Vieau will be set to take his place among the five percent of all Boy Scouts who earn the rank of Eagle carrying as his mother’s legacy lives on.