Begin Again benefits from Eagle Scout’s generosity

by Georgeanne Vyverberg – 

Saturdays at Begin Again Horse Rescue is Volunteer Day. A recent sunny Saturday, with temperatures near 90 degrees proved to be a bit more busy than usual.

I arrived at 11 AM to meet with several firemen, who were doing a safety inspection tour. Our barn manager Jessi Freas and a volunteer were tending to an overheated mini-horse, and there also were the sounds of construction issuing from the back of the barn.

I had of course heard that Cameron Sprague from Troop 31 in Rochester was planning and executing a project at the horse rescue to become eligible for the rank of Eagle Scout. He and his group of friends and other scouts, along with several adults, were hard at work.

They had the previous week built a large storage cupboard within the barn. As a volunteer at the rescue, I am grateful that all the tools we require will now be in a central place instead of in various nooks and crannies of the barn.

The project they were working on that day was to be a shed to house the farm’s tractor.  Later Cameron told me that his future would most likely be in some phase of construction, especially in the realm of agriculture so this project was perfect. Tony Weiler, one of the adults on site does work in construction and Cameron and his crew learned valuable lessons from him.

Surrounded by several young adults he talked about the mechanics of mixing cement and why the ingredients worked the way they did. The entire crew seemed to work as though they had been doing this sort of thing together for a very long time. It was a place of camaraderie and respect.

I asked Cameron why he chose BAHR for his project. He found the rescue online through a site that lists nonprofit organizations which are looking for pro bono work. While he had contacted other groups, it was BAHR that followed through with his inquiry. He feels fortunate because he has an affinity for farms and loves animals especially horses.

Once Cameron selected the project and worked with the farm manager Jessi to determine what BAHR needed to be built.  He began drafting the design himself and once the drawings were completed he submitted them for approval with his troop leadership, with BAHR and reviewed them with the building code officer from Lima. Once the drawings were approved Cameron moved  forward with his fundraising efforts. He raised over $3000 for the materials needed by going door to door, finding sponsors and using A Go Fund Me Page. This effort allowed him to do all of theconstruction without BAHR having to use any of their funds.  The nearly finished shed is beautiful and fits so well into the structure of the barn.

Cameron wishes to thank his Scoutmaster Ken Hellstern, his fellow scouts and their fathers and his friends and family for helping complete this project. All totaled the man-hours needed to complete the project exceeded 500.   A large thank you also goes out tto the many donors including: Rochester Home Builders’ Association, Matthews and Fields Lumber Company, Fastenal, Hadlock’s House of Paint and Home Depot, Penfield, NY.

Finally, Begin Again Horse Rescue wants to give Cameron a huge Thank You for adding to the beauty and usefulness of its property.