By Chris Yow
Editor
TRUSSVILLE — Ben Isom, a Hewitt-Trussville High School student, is in the process of earning his Eagle Scout badge, and he recently finished a project to benefit the community in order to help him attain his goal.
Just before the annual Oktoberfest gathering at the Holy Infant of Prague Catholic Church in Trussville, Isom, with the help of his Scout Troop 245 completed his Eagle Scout project on Saturday, Sept. 26, by building a walkway of pavers near the barbecue pit at the church.
“Originally they didn’t even have a sidewalk, it was just some plywood boards and there were bushes in the way. It wasn’t very stable ground at all,” Isom said.
Completing the project about two weeks before the event wasn’t an accident.
“I knew it would especially benefit them for Oktoberfest because they have a lot of food to cook. That’s why I chose the date and time to build it,” he said.
Father Bill Lucas of Holy Infant of Prague Catholic Church said he was very pleased with the project and how it helped his church and the community.
“It was so helpful to us that day to be able to cook the food and serve it in a timely manner. It made a big difference for us,” Lucas said. “Before, there wasn’t a good way to get food from the pit to the kitchen, but this paver walkway has really helped.”
Finding a worthy project wasn’t easy, but his Scoutmaster told him of the need at the church, and although Isom attends First Baptist Church Trussville, he knew the project would benefit more than the church.
“They use the pavilion for a lot of things,” Isom said. “That’s why I wanted to do something like this.
“Looking around trying to find a specific project I could do that wasn’t so big it would cost me like $1,000, but I didn’t want it to be so small that it would seem insignificant.”
The walkway was built using crusher rock and sand for the base, and then topped with pavers and sand swept in the cracks.
The project alone, however, does not earn him the Eagle Scout badge. He said he is still filling out paperwork and holding a position of leadership.