Six months ago, I decided to give CHS a basketball court. Under most circumstances, the idea of a 17-year-old kid getting a basketball court repaired would be a laughable notion. But lucky me, this was an Eagle Project. I absolutely could have chosen an easier project, but I wanted to do something that would impact kids in a positive way for years to come. I made this decision having no idea who, what, when, how long or how much. All I had was a why.

It quickly became apparent that the “who” part of this project would be the most important. From my first conversation with Mrs. Kymberly, to all of the volunteers who helped with the project, the people involved in this project have been more important than any obstacle or any other resource. For example, when I called Mr. Marty Fowler, the Sales and Marketing Director of Acrytech (Stegas, Inc.), and asked if Acrytech might consider donating part of the value of the resurfacing material to my Eagle Project, he just said they would want to donate all of it.

Everyone involved proved their commitment to kids and the community by overcoming obstacles without making excuses. All of the volunteers I worked with faced heat, discomfort and plain old work with enthusiasm. I can’t thank Mr. Joe Vinson enough for volunteering almost 50 hours to instruct and supervise total novices, and to the whole Court Surfaces (court construction and repair company) staff who were instrumental in coordinating throughout the project.

I really hope that everyone who helped make this project happen understands that this basketball court is not just concrete. A few days after we finished the project, I spoke with a few kids playing on the court and heard about just a few of the problems and obstacles they were experiencing. I had known that these kids would have struggles, but meeting them was still shocking. Witnessing firsthand these hurting kids form new relationships and talk about the problems they faced and are still facing proved that, if nothing else, we did good.