Needham Scout Gives Literacy Program a Boost

By Sean Martin and Becca Manning

Brendan Chin, a 15-year-old Needham resident, recently earned his Eagle Scout Badge by helping revive the early literacy program at the Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center (RoxComp).

For his Eagle Scout leadership project, Chin collected more than 3,000 children’s books and also secured donations of children’s toys, which have become a big hit among children in RoxComp’s waiting room.

Chin said he learned about the project through a leader at the Boy Scouts Boston Minutemen Council.

"I saw the project idea and thought it'd be a really good cause and a really good way to serve my community," Chin said.

He set up collection boxes at , and schools and at the starting in February and picked up donations in April. 

"It was a really positive response," Chin said of the donations.

Up next, he will finish putting together paperwork and go through a board of review to have his project approved before eventually receiving his Eagle Award at an upcoming Court of Honor.

To be eligible for the Eagle Award, Scouts must complete their projects before they turn 18. Though he had several years until that deadline, Chin said he felt the time was right to work on his project.

"I felt that my leadership skills were at the point where I could come up with a plan and lead a project," he said.

Through its partnership with Reach Out and Read, RoxComp promotes early literacy and school readiness by providing new and used books for children, as well as guidance for parents on how to help their child develop critical early language skills. However, as summer approached, the program was suffering from a lack of resources, because of budget cuts and other funding issues.

RoxComp pediatrician Dr. Wendy Pavlovich, M.D. M.H.S decided to call the Boy Scouts Boston Minutemen Council, to see if the organization might be able to help with a book drive. Pavlovich had minimal expectations and was stunned when Chin and another Scout helped her completely revive the struggling program. 

With the promise of assistance from the Boy Scouts, RoxComp was able to raise finances to secure its new book supply before the used books were donated. The Boy Scouts made it possible to expand RoxComp’s literacy promotion efforts because of the used books and ability to create a literacy rich waiting area, which was an unfulfilled part of the Reach out and Read Program mission.

“These Boy Scouts reenergized our child literacy efforts," Pavlovich said. “We see the literacy program as a medical priority because exposure to books and reading with caregivers helps children develop the cognitive skills needed to achieve success in school.”

In addition to Chin’s efforts, the program also benefitted from the work of his fellow Boy Scout, 16-year-old Alexander LeGendre of West Roxbury. LeGendre collected 1,500 books and secured office furniture donations that allowed RoxComp to rehab its waiting room.

The renewal of RoxComp’s early childhood literacy efforts comes at a crucial time because as summer heats up, more and more children are in need of positive activities. Recent summer violence in the city is a sad reminder that the community needs to do more to help young children start out on a path that leads them away from street violence, and toward success in school. 

Thanks to the willingness and dedication of the Boy Scouts, RoxComp is once again able to promote early childhood literacy in order to provide a positive force in the lives of inner-city children during these summer months.

Chin is a member of Troop 10 Needham, chartered to . His father, Larry, is the Assistant Scout Master for the troop.  LeGendre is a member of Troop 7 West Roxbury, chartered to Holy Name Church.