2009.11.03
Christopher (CT) Talevi completes Eagle Scout Project
Christopher (CT) Talevi completes his Eagle Scout project which consists of a wooden shed build for Roanoke County Park and Recreation. Standing with CT in this photo is Mr. Jeff Balon with Roanoke County Parks and Rec.
Christoper (CT) Talevi had no problem coming up with a project for his Eagle Scout Project. He began his project in Dec. 2006 and completed it three years later in June 2009.
"I wanted to give back to a group organization that had given to me, and as a kid I played sports like rec. baseball and rec. soccer and I chose Roanoke County Park and Recreation," Talevi said.
Talevi went to the head of the department, Jeff Balon and asked him if there was anything they needed. At that point Talevi and Mr. Balon decided his project would involved building a wooden shed, with a tin roof, and a ramp to house an infield ground pro and utility tools.
Dec. 2006 was when the idea was born and discussed, but Talevi had to put together a proposal, which in turn had to approved. He was able to put hammer to nail in April 2009. The shed stands proudly at the Arnold R. Burton Technology Center near the softball fields.
The project took a lot of hard work and even presented some challenges.
"I didn't have any constructional background whatsoever," Talevi said. "So, I was kind of feeling my way through building a massive project. That's a challenge within itself. I had help from my dad Steve and my neighbor across the street, Mr. Tim Clark, and Jeff Balon.
To pay for his project, Talevi held a car wash which raised around $400 and raised about $1700 from word of mouth. According to Talevi, Lowes gave him a 10 percent discount on all purchased and free delivery. He also received free delivery on the roofing from Diversified Industries.
"I like building and using my hands to actually do something productive. The thing I liked most was learning about construction because now for the rest of my life I'm going to know what to do when building any type of structure and I will be able to help people with other projects. I am currently helping a friend build a shed for their project."
Talvei said he was very thankful to all the help he received to accomplish his Eagle Scout rank.
"I'd like to thank my family and my scout master, who have been behind me the whole way and pushing me along even when I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning to work on the project. And also the people who helped me- my friends and my fellow scouts who took their time to achieve this goal."
Talevi is a senior at Cave Spring High School. He plans to attend Davidson College, near Charlotte where he hopes to wrestle at the college level. He isn't sure what he will major in yet, but is interested in Psychology or History.
