By Hector Flores
, it was the culmination of a year¹s worth of work for Rypl, who designed and built the benches for his Eagle Scout project.
Rypl said he chose Camp Anchor for his leadership project because of the important work the camp does for the Town of Hempstead. ³Anchor is a year-round program serving residents with physical and mental disabilities,² he said. ³It provides a variety of recreational activities on Saturdays and weekdays after school.²
Rypl decided to build the cubby benches ‹ benches with storage space underneath ‹ for the camp¹s pool area after talking to Joe Lentini, Anchor¹s coordinator. ³He told me he needed benches and cubbies,² Rypl said. ³I went home and drew the plan, and I showed it to him and he liked it. I decided to build four 10-foot benches that were one foot wide and two feet high.²
Rypl completed the project with the help of friends and local merchants. ³I received a lot of community support,² he said. ³My family and friends helped with fund-raising, and I got a lot of donated wood.²
When Rypl arrived at Camp Anchor with his friends and family last Saturday to put the benches together, Lentini said he could not believe that they were built by a teenager. ³I could have never imagined how beautiful and well built they were going to be,² he said.
After the benches were finished, they were placed in the camp¹s pool area, where they will be used by children and adults with special needs. ³We needed a storage area for their shoes and towels,² Lentini explained.
He was so impressed with Rypl¹s work that he is now planning a dedication ceremony for the benches with town officials. ³I just think that the Eagle Scout program is just great, and it inspires young men to do these great things for the community,² Lentini said. ³We are grateful that he chose us to be the benefactor of his project.²
For Rypl, the project was also very rewarding. Not only did it help him reach the rank of Eagle Scout, but it gave him the opportunity to work with his father, Bill, a retired New York City firefighter whose hobby is carpentry. ³I learned how to be responsible, to plan ahead, and wood cutting,² Rypl sad. ³The experience was just outstanding, and probably no one will learn what I¹ve learned in a lifetime. But above all else, I learned to work on tools with my dad.²
Rypl explained that when he first designed the benches, his father would make suggestions, which resulted in improvements. ³Everything he helped me do worked out better than if I had done it myself,² he said.
Rypl learned something new from his father every day. ³My dad was using a radial-arm saw with a routing blade on the wood and asked if I wanted to use it,² he recalled. ³I thought it looked easy, and when I used it, I pulled too fast and the blade jammed. I could have broken the machine, but my dad explained what I did wrong and how to do it better. He was just so instrumental.²
Rypl estimated that he spent over 1,000 hours working on the project, helped by his father. Bill Rypl said he cherished the experience. ³I just found it great to spend quality time with my son,² he said.
Christopher¹s mother, Fran, said that nothing felt better than to watch her son and husband working together. ³Throughout the years, my husband has made many things for my children ‹ a rocking horse, an easel and clowns,² she said. ³He learned that from his father, and now he has passed that learning to our son.²
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
