Guru Popuri, Eagle Scout
Total Volunteer Hours Worked: 172
My project was to build 4 raised garden beds for senior citizens and those with disabilities, and to deliver them to one of the CRI’s senior homes in Fairfax, Virginia. The home has an in-ground garden, but the individuals in the home have trouble bending over to care for the garden. The beds were made of pressure treated wood and raised about 3 feet. These garden beds gave the senior citizens an opportunity to partake in gardening in a way that was more accessible to them. The beneficiary did not require to install the beds or fill soil into them.
Observations and Challenges
After the project got approved I started immediately on planning. I started to go to as many hardware shops as I could to narrow down any deals or discounts to cut costs on materials. I also called up restaurants to see if they were willing to give any discounts or donations. When I got my project approved, I received some advice for what steps I could take to make the project as successful as possible including changing the type of wood and the quantity of beds. Cedar/Fir wood is simply not affordable for a project like this. Pressure treated wood gets the job done just the same. The quantity was changed from 3 to 4 because I wanted to take time to make a prototype before project day so that I could get a feel for the construction of the bed and to guide the project better.
None of the wood broke or got cracks. Initially I was worried about cracks and I had bought a lot of extra wood in case a piece was damaged, but we never needed to use it. Another success was that everyone had a job to do. No matter how big or small, everyone contributed and helped progress the project.
There were certain sections when it came to drilling that the scouts were having a lot of trouble in, more specifically when it came to drilling the bottoms of the bed. Scouts kept on trying it over and over to screw the bottoms in and I was getting worried that the wood would form cracks, but thankfully the wood was fine.
Changes (from Original Proposal)
One of the main changes was building all of the beds on Saturday and delivering them on Sunday. Originally I was going to split up the work between the days and deliver them on Sunday, but we ended up finishing it all on Saturday so we just had 3 people come on Sunday to help deliver the beds. Originally I wanted to varnish the beds, but I found that getting the correct type of varnish that would not seep into the soil was challenging. Since it was not required I decided to skip that stage altogether.
Leadership
I had one of my friends, who helped with the prototype, and be a Captain on project day to help lead the scouts. This made it easier for me since I would not have to be directing everywhere by myself. Since I had built the prototype a few days prior, I had a good idea of what were the best steps to take and what obstacles to look out for. I was able to instruct what the best ways to build and how to avoid mistakes without holding their hands throughout the process.
The most difficult part of being a leader is having to overlook everything and making sure everyone is following the directions. Even though I had an assistant to help me, I felt like I was running around making sure everything was under control. I felt like I could not look away for even a second.
The most rewarding part of being the leader was being able to look over the people working and seeing them collaborate to build the beds, meanwhile Drew (the Captain) and I just stood back and watched them work. When the beds were finally finished, I felt a wave of relief as my leadership was able to guide these scouts.
I learned that leadership is not about guiding them every step of the way, I should let them learn how to get things done and making mistakes is not the end of the world. I learned that it is ok to have to redo steps if not done properly because it is not about building as fast as possible, it is about doing it right.