Eagle Scout gives gift of reading at Chelsea Park

When Chelsea High School senior Kyle Vinson was planning his Eagle Scout project, he decided on something that would benefit the community as well as his former elementary school.

“I wanted it to be something memorable,” Vinson said. “The purpose of the project is to give back to your community. Since I went to Chelsea Park for so many years, it made sense to reach out to them.”

Beginning with Cub Scouts in first grade, Vinson transitioned to Boy Scouts in fifth grade. He earned his Eagle Scout rank Jan. 12, and this was his last project before aging out of the program after turning 18 in January.

He reached out to Chelsea Park Elementary School Assistant Principal Jessi Adams in August about a project idea: a Little Free Library where books could be donated and borrowed.

“He and I met and talked about the timeframe, and [I] helped him find a place [for it],” Adams said. “We wanted it to be not just where CPES students could have access to it, but also the entire neighborhood. We put it at the school’s front entrance where everyone can see it when pulling up to the school.”

Vinson presented Adams with proposal documents to approve before starting the project. He said the project was bigger than the two of them. He had friends and others from his Scout troop help him.

“This was definitely not a one person job,” he said. “We probably had about 12 people working on it. Thanks to our efficiency, we got the actual house for the books constructed in one day. My mom and I worked on the painting part. It was a group effort.”

The Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization and has design options and building instructions on its website, which is where Vinson found his inspiration. After calculating expenses, he estimated the cost to be around $250. To raise the money, he and his mom sold Filipino food to family and friends. (Vinson is half-Filipino, and his mom is full-Filipino).

“I think that was a creative way of doing it,” he said. ”We have a large network of friends, and I was expecting to get around $150, and we raised $340.”

The project itself wound up costing $86. Vinson said he got all of the supplies from Home Depot, and didn’t factor in any discounts for Eagle Scout projects.

The construction started off in a friend’s garage. The following week, a hole was dug at the school and filled with 130 pounds of concrete and a 4-inch-by-4-inch post. Decking screws were used, so Vinson said the library “isn’t going anywhere.” Vinson, who is left-handed, said he wanted to give the library something that was characteristic of himself, not in words, but with a special touch, so he made the handle left-hand friendly as a shout out to left-handed people.

The Little Free Library was completed at the end of November. Vinson put the first books inside and gave the rest of the money he had raised for the project to CPES. Adams said they will be used at the next book fair to purchase additional books.

Driving by the Little Free Library every day, Adams said some day there may be two or three books in there and the next day it’s full.

“It’s a fun way for kids to get to read, and I think that's the most important thing … giving to the community and fostering a love of reading,” Adams said.