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Canfield scout supports Haiti with music
By kalea hall
canfield
Providing service is important to 17-year-old Nick Crescimanno of Canfield, even if it means spending his summer trying to build a well in a foreign country.
The Boy Scout of Troop 115 is using music to raise $5,300 needed to build a well in Haiti for his final project needed to become an Eagle Scout.
On Aug. 4, local bands will join in Crescimanno’s efforts for an eight-hour music festival, “Yell for the Well,” at St. Michael Parish in Canfield.
“I am really involved with music personally, and we are combining our love of music with our love of service,” Crescimanno said.
Since he was in the first grade, Crescimanno has been in the Scouts, working his way up to the top title of Eagle Scout. In order to move up from his current title of Life Scout to Eagle, Crescimanno had to receive 21 merit badges, 11 of which are required and the rest are elective badges, hold a leadership position within the troop, show off Scout spirit and create a service project to impact a community or just one person.
“Your project is a big part of [being an] Eagle Scout because it ultimately defines how you give back to the community and shows your leadership skills,” Crescimanno said.
Crescimanno knew about the organization Food for the Poor Inc. because his church, St. Michael’s, works with the international organization that provides housing, health care, food, water supply and more to 17 countries.
A video showing a 10-year-old Haitian girl walking two hours for water made Crescimanno want to help Food for the Poor’s well-installation program.
Many eagle service projects support the local community, but Crescimanno developed the idea of making an event that would support a distant place.
“I was trying to think of what to do,” Crescimanno said.
“What would my contribution be to Haiti?”
That thought led Crescimanno to finding bands, sponsors and creating a committee to help him make the festival happen.
Now, there are seven bands set to perform at the festival.
There will also be concession stands, an auction, face painting, bounce-arounds and other games.
Crescimanno is asking for a $5 donation at the door.
“I like [the service project] a lot because typically it is usually the Boy Scouts giving to the community, but this is really our community giving to another community,” Crescimanno said.
Crescimanno’s Scout master, Andy Welsh, was not surprised by Crescimanno’s determination to achieve the goal needed to build the well.
“I thought it was a great project,” Welsh said.
“We always look for something that is either service oriented, raising funds, or a physical project. This [project] fits in with the church’s goal.”
The project might have been difficult and time- consuming to put together, but Crescimanno believes it is worth it to serve Haiti.
Crescimanno hopes to double whatever funds collected in order to build not just one, but two wells in Haiti.
“I think we will get pretty close to what I have envisioned, but it has really been a lot of work,” Crescimanno said.