Teen tackles warehouse to earn Eagle Scout rank

The air in the furniture warehouse smells of old lacquer and wood. In this Menands office-building basement are stored items that will eventually help clients of Community Maternity Services build a home for themselves and their children: beds, mattresses, cabinets, end tables, and chairs.

Flanked by furniture, 16-year-old David Thibodeau gives quiet directions to his squad of younger, energetic Boy Scouts. Organizing the warehouse is an effort through which he hopes to earn the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.

David is a member of Boy Scout Troop 2, based out of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Albany. He and his family are members of Our Lady of Mercy parish in Colonie.

Great outdoors

David became a Boy Scout at the prompting of a friend, and was attracted by the outdoor activities the troop engaged in: campouts, hikes, outdoor sports. It's "just really fun," he said.

To become an Eagle Scout, David has to complete 21 merit badges, provide recommendations, serve in a position of responsibility, and provide service to a religious institution, school or community organization in the area.

Scouts also help with other boys' projects; by the time they do their own, said Troop 2 leader Bob Conklin, they have an idea as to how much work and planning can go into a single project, as well as what the needs of the community are.

"David is learning how to independently run something," said Mr. Conklin.

Steps to goal

The first stage of David's Eagle Scout project involved building shelves for glasses, plates, flatware and lamps. The second stage will be organizing those shelves and sorting the couches, tables and other large household items into categories, so that Community Maternity Services (CMS), a Catholic Charities agency, is able to better access a piece of furniture.

David found out about CMS' need for shelving and organization from his parents, who are counselors at the diocesan Consultation Center in Albany. They put him in touch with Maureen Toohey, executive assistant at Albany diocesan Catholic Charities.

"She told us what the warehouse does, and I thought about what could make it better -- I thought shelving would make it neater and more organized," said David. "When we went at first, they didn't have anything for the plates and lamps."

Building boom

David obtained a tax exemption form to purchase brackets, lumber and woodworking equipment. The lumber was brought back to the Thibodeau house, where he measured and cut it to size with the help of a friend and his father, John. He rented drills and electronic screwdrivers, and dealt with funding issues, learning hard lessons from funding that fell through.

He also discovered what it was like to coordinate volunteer workers -- to become "the foreman," as his mother, Noreen Keenan, put it.

"It wasn't a very costly project," David said, having tried to keep costs down. "It wasn't as expensive as we initially figured it to be. The hardest thing was definitely measuring and cutting the wood -- it was a long job, because we had a lot of wood to cut."

Leading man

On one recent Saturday morning, David stood in front of his group of boys, teaching them how to turn brackets and wood into shelving. David said the project has helped him develop leadership skills he hopes to take into a career in computers or video game design.

"I think being in charge means you have to be a role model to everyone else," said David. "Everyone else looks up to you. You're teaching them how they should be, how to do everything correctly. You have the power to make these kids grow up to be knowledgeable and skilled. This is something that I am never going to forget -- I'm really proud."

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A desire to build comes naturally to David. He helps his father with woodworking projects and, last spring, built his own computer from scratch.

That's "not as hard as people think it is," said David, noting two rules: The builder "has to be patient, and you have to work. Since I built my computer, I've been looking at various electronics and see how they're built in the same way, or have similar components."

His fascination with making things work extends beyond technology into his favorite subject in school: science, especially chemistry.

"I like knowing how everything works -- the atoms and the electrical bonds," he said. "I find it interesting, how everything bonds together."

(1/6/05)