Shalin Patel conducts Eagle scout project : emories of grandfather motivated him

by Sarah Barr

Staff Writer

Talk about a Boy Scout always being prepared. Shalin Patel, 15, showed up to his conversation with Rocky Hill LIFE wearing a necktie.

The 15-year-old rising junior at Rocky Hill High School had his facts and figures straight. He is a member of Troop 121 and hopes to earn the highest rank the Boys Scouts of America has to offer – Eagle scout.

On his way to troop meetings every Wednesday, Shalin passes Maple View Health and Rehabilitation Center on Maple Street.

Wheelchair-accessible picnic tables were inspired by Shalin Patel’s memory of his grandfather.

“It brings me back to when my grandfather was in a nursing home,” he recalled. “There was no real way to sit with him outside and interact with him. If you’re wheelchair bound, it’s hard to sit with others.”

He noticed that Maple View only had three benches on its lawn and wanted to change that.

“I wanted a place where wheelchair-bound residents could go with their families or sit with their fellow residents,” he said.

Specially made picnic tables would do the trick. If that wasn’t enough, he also wanted to create a complete sensory experience – a raised flower bed.

“I heard that residents like to sit outside and enjoy the summer weather. They do have flower gardens there but they are normal, traditional, a foot off the ground,” Shalin said.

Shalin Patel is a highly decorated Boy Scout. Few achieve the honor of Eagle scout.

If you’re in a wheelchair, you have to bend over. This way, if they’re raised, you can roll into the flower beds and work at chest level.”

His Eagle Scout project idea was born. Wheelchair-accessible picnic tables and flower beds would be created. But an idea is one thing. Next came completing a long checklist of to-do items including, but not limited to, research, planning, writing the paperwork, organizing, fund raising, recruiting, executing, leading and then reflecting upon it all.

Shalin’s father and Scout Master Tushar Patel had a “front row seat to the incredible transformation” for both the project, but more importantly, for his son.

“Watching him navigate this journey was deeply moving for me. Shalin spent nights drafting proposals, calm and receptive to constructive feedback during the approval process, showed immense resilience when overcoming setbacks during execution, and showing leadership quality working with and directing volunteers,” Tushar said.

For many scouts, that seed is planted in their early Cub Scout years. But not all complete the task. Which is why earning the rank of Eagle scout is such a big deal.

Shalin’s scouting journey started early.

“In 2020 – yeah, it was COVID. We were running everything online that year. In 2021, when I was 11, I started with the in-person meetings,” he said.

Shalin was responsible for leading his volunteers throughout the building process.

Those picnic tables and flower beds are intended to create memories for the residents and his fellow scouts. But this isn’t just any woodworking project. First, he had to reach out to Maple View.

Carol Griffin, the facility’s director of therapeutic recreation, describes Shalin as “an amazing young man” who “communicated with me and kept me updated” on the project, one that brings so much joy to the residents.

Regardless of their mobility limitations, she said, “they will be able to participate in meaningful activities and enjoy the outdoors with their peers.”

Shalin talked about the next steps in his project.

“I then reached out to Home Depot [in Berlin] for a grant and they graciously gave me one,” he said, talking about the application process to earn a gift card to buy the needed materials and tools and get them shipped.

“They funded me with $1,000 with materials and sent over volunteers to help with the work,” he said.

“They were really nice and helped us get through the cutting and drilling. Many of the volunteers I brought [to help construct the project] were newcomers to woodworking, so the Home Depot folks were very helpful.”

Together, they made two picnic tables, both wheelchair accessible, thanks to extending them two feet on each end so folks could roll right up and join in the conversation or activity. The materials were delivered May 7. Two days later, their work was done.

“Seven people volunteered that evening [of May 8]. The Home Depot volunteers pulled up. It was relatively easy. They helped a lot. They guided the volunteers on how to drill properly. We were able to finish both tables in three hours,” Shalin said.

“On the second day, we had 10 volunteers. This time we had help from younger scouts as well. They couldn’t use the power tools but they could do the painting and sealing. With five scouts on each table, we got done with the sanding and sealing fast. Bought pizza. That was fun as well.”

If something didn’t go right, Shalin said it was underestimating how much sandpaper would be needed for the project. They had to buy more.

Those are things that were hard to plan for back in February when this whole process began. The flower beds should be completed soon. Over the summer, Shalin will write his reflections and the project gets a final review. The goal is to celebrate at a ceremony in October.

However, the scouting journey will never end for Shalin. Because of scouting, he said he will always be active in helping his community and he will always utilize the skills he learned: first aid; becoming a better leader and speaker; being a well-rounded individual.

“I’ve even learning cooking,” he said.

All these attributes and skill sets will serve him well moving into adulthood and he plans to go into a career in medicine. He has high hopes for a combined bachelor’s and medical school program, perhaps at the University of Connecticut.

“I want to be an ER [emergency room] trauma doctor,” he said without hesitation.

Scouting will be part of this equation, perhaps becoming a junior assistant scout master.

“I don’t want my journey to stop after Eagle scout. I want to impact the younger generation.

He already has his younger brother, Dev, watching him closely from the Cub Scout seats. RHL

Boy Scout Troop 121 meets every Wednesday from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Church of St. Andrew the Apostle. For more information go to https://sites.google.com/view/troop121website/home?authuser=0.