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Yell for the Well to raise funds Aug. 4
By ABBY SLANKER
When Nick Crescimanno, son of Mike and Mary Crescimanno and member of Boy Scout Troop 115, was planning his Eagle Scout Service Project, Yell for the Well, he knew he wanted his project to go above and beyond helping his own community.
“Eagle projects are about service to the community. While traditionally Eagle projects serve the local community, I saw my project as an opportunity to help a different community that may be in greater need of help. After doing some thinking and research, I found that Haiti, an island in the Caribbean and one of the poorest countries in the world, was a place in dire need of help,” Crescimanno said.
Crescimanno’s goal for Yell for the Well is to bring his community together to have fun and raise funds to build water wells in Haiti.
“The goal of my Eagle Scout project is to help the Haitian people by addressing a big issue in the rural population: lack of access to clean drinking water. I hope that by bringing our community together to have fun and raise the funds to build water wells in Haiti, we can have a beneficial and lasting impact on the communities there that are in such poor and unsafe conditions,” Crescimanno said.
The Yell for the Well music festival will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 4 at St. Michaels Church, 350 N. Broad St. The daylong festival with have food, games and live music.
“I chose a music festival because I know how talented this community is and how much our community loves music. It began as an idea, but when I kept thinking of all the possibilities (bands that I knew, games, popular food stands, etc.), the idea grew to become a very vivid and detailed picture in my mind. Because I knew we could attract a large crowd with live music, it made sense to make the fundraiser a music festival, as it would maximize attendance and thus our chances of reaching the goal,” Crescimanno said.
Crescimanno is partnering with Food for the Poor, a relief organization that provides aid to South and Central American countries. The organization has offered to double the donations Crescimanno receives to build more water wells.
“Partnering with Food for the Poor made a lot of sense because St. Michaels is closely linked with an orphanage through Food for the Poor in Haiti. St. Michaels’ parishioners also go on mission trips to Haiti and the orphanage with Food for the Poor. Because of the connection, it made it easy for me to get ideas and information quickly and personally. The goal for the water well is $5,300, but it was not until later that I realized Food for the Poor was doubling all donations for water wells. With that news, we were even more eager to raise the money and spread the word for donations to help us reach our goal,” Crescimanno said.
Crescimanno hopes to have a huge positive impact on the lives of the people of Haiti by being able to provide clean and safe drinking water and is looking forward to having his community help him achieve his goal.
“Millions of people in Haiti live on less than a dollar a day, many of which do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. As a result, many die from diseases caused by drinking dirty water, namely Cholera. Building water wells in Haiti is important to me because of the impact that it can have on other peoples’ lives. We take for granted the ability to turn on the faucet or take a shower every day, while the poor in Haiti have to struggle every day to even find water. By building wells, I am hoping that we can give these people access to clean and safe water, and ease the burden that poverty has on their lives. This project is also important because it demonstrates our community’s willingness to reach out to other people, at times those whom we don’t even know. I hope to get pictures back of the well and be able to show those who helped us raise the money, just how much of an impact their donation had on other people,” Crescimanno said.
The official band lineup for the Yell for the Well music festival is: noon - Jukehounds; 1:10 p.m. - Johnny Grim and the Ordinary Saints; 2:20 p.m. - JD Eicher and the Goodnights; 3:30 p.m. - Classic Cruisers; 4:40 p.m. - Lords of Leisure; 5:50 p.m. - Spencer Saylor and 7 p.m. - The Dickey White Band.
Yell for the Well will also have bounce-a-rounds, kid games, face painting and a dunk tank throughout the day. Fair food, including Molnars, Ye Olde Kettle popcorn, Kona Ice, lemon shakes and a BSA Troop 115 stand, will be available with much of the proceeds going to the well.
Admission at the door is a free will donation, with suggested donation of $5.
For more information, or to make a donation or volunteer at the festival, contact Crescimanno at 330-702-0559 or nickcres13@gmail.com or the Rev. Terrence J. Hazel at 330-533-6830.