Three-thousand miles away, in a small, rural village in Pakiacaj, Guatemala,there are dozens ofchildren attending a safe, earlhquake proofschoolhousethanks to an Eagle Scout Project conducted by Eagle Scout Joseph Vitale ofTroop 155 in Freehold.

Joe has exlended family living in Guatemala, and had visited the countrymany times, but a humanitarian tour deep into the more rural areas of theinterior of the country tn2007 set him on the path to his Eagle Project."After seeing first hand the extreme poverty and terrible conditions in theseareas I knew I wanted to build a new school," said Joe, whose grandmotherspent her entire life teaching indigenous Mayan people in rural Guatemalanvillages. "I wanted to honor her by doing this project, to help in some waycontinue her tradition of helping these people."

The project took fwo-years of planning, fundraising andmany trips between New Jersey and Guatemala tocomplete. First, he created a website to tell the story of thevillage and the need for a new school. Then he enlisted thesuppoft of community organizations like the Rotary Club,the Hispanic Association in Freehold, local papers andfriends and family to get the world out. In order to make sure the school could be built, he

worked under the auspices of the "School of the World" organization which builds schools inrural communities. He raised more than $l 1,000 for the project.

"I used web cams to speak with the architects in Guatemala prior to our visit, discuss thesupplies that were needed, the costs involved, spreadsheets and logistics," explained Joe."When I was down .here, I worked alongside the volunteers, gave them guidance, helpedthem measure and put up beams to support the school, dig the foundation, pour cement, bend

rebar to support the structure and invenloried materials.

Joe said there were obstacles to overcome, like no running water or electricity and a bit of alanguage banier since he spoke Spanish and they spoke Qui Che a Mayan dialect. "I workedclosely with the construction manager and used the leadership skills I developed in Scouts to helpgive the workers direction and make sure the project was completed. I was extremely impressedby the work ethic of the volunteers, especially since they made all their own tools and builteverything by hand."

In November 2012 the schoolhouse was finally completed and unveiled with a major celebration by the whole villagecommunity with Joe as the honored guest for the ribbon cutting. He dedicated the school to his grandmother with aspecial plaque, and he and his family handed out 130 backpacks filled with school supplies they brought for the children.

The 20'x 80' schoolhouse was constructed with cement blocks, a metal sheeting roof and an earthquake prooffoundation. The building includes tlree 20' x 20' classrooms for children in Kindergarten through Sixth grade.

!g 4 4.Each room also contains a small library.

"People take a lot for granted, it makes me want toshow them what other parts of the world are like.When you see the poverty they live in, it makes youwant to do so much more," said Joe who is continuinghis relationship with the village and the school bycollecting books to fill their library. "This was morethan just an Eagle Scout project, it has beeome a

lifetime project for me."

Joe, age 16, was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout inNovember 2013. After high school he plans to studyengineering and architecture in college and one dayopen his own firm.

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Joe and his parents with village children holding donated school supplies.