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Members of Tau Kappa Epsilon Assist Future Eagle Scout
Members of Tennessee Tech's Tau Kappa Epsilon
Fraternity pitch in with labor and engineering for 14-year old Will
Crawley as he attempts to become an Eagle Scout by building a
handicap-accessible tree house at the James E. Ward Agricultural
Center in Lebanon for the Empower Me Day Camp.
"I think it's going to help a lot of people," Crawley told the
Tennessean in a recent interview, "I know some of the kids, and I
think they'll have fun."
The tree house, expected to be complete by the end of the year, looks
similar to a deck. It's raised five feet off the ground and wrapped
around two trees on the back portion of the Ward Center on Peyton
Grounds.
"It came about over two years ago when we had a kid telling us about
the tree house at his grandparents'," Empower Me Day Camp Executive
Director Michelle Hill said, "a little girl with cerebral palsy said
she'd never be able to go in a tree house, Will's been a life saver.
We have a lot of things going on and he's really taken this project
on. He's coordinating it and hitting the pavement to raise money."
Funding has come through donations, including a $2,500 grant by the
Nashville Predators Foundation and $1,000 from the Wilson County
Homeowners Association. A Tennessee Tech fraternity chapter, Tau
Kappa Epsilon, is also a major contributor in labor and engineering.
Still more has been needed, and usually after school Crawley has
pounded the pavement in Lebanon soliciting help from businesses.
Crawley said he has come to a stumbling block in getting a Contractor
to build the ramp, but his mom Toni Crawley says, "He'll get it done
because he's that way."
Construction didn't begin until October, after Hill was made aware of
the Predators grant, which was for this year.
"He thought it would be next spring," Toni said, "but when Michelle
told him they got the grant and he jumped right in and has really
been pushing it."
Crawley, who has a mild form of cerebral palsy, became aware of the
need for a handicap-accessible deck by playing on a youth basketball
team coached by Hill.
"He saw a need for something different and exciting and has been
pulling his resources together," Crawley's scoutmaster, George Warde
said, "it's a little unique in that he spent time looking for a
project. He himself has a slight physical disability and saw a need
because he's been involved in this group. He's a go-getter and wants
to help people."
The tree house is near the Peyton Road entrance to the Ward Center,
because Hill said "that's where the best tree was."
Empower Me Day Camp is a nonprofit organization that serves children
with disabilities. Among the programs is a summer camp where those
with disabilities ages 5-21 can attend from one to eight weeks. Hill
said the tree house also would be used for special events
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