Connor McConkie’s final project to become Christopher High School’s only new Eagle Scout this year must be completed before he turns 18 in November, and he is well on his way to achieving his goal. Connor says he looked for something that would be of true benefit to the Gilroy community.
Connor’s project was made up of four phases. The first part of the project involved cleaning and painting a vast stretch of the concrete floor in the large warehouse building that makes up the Gilroy Compassion Center facility on Monterey Street, the location of a one-stop center of human services for the homeless and those living on the edge economically.
Connor and some hard working volunteers, including Mark Riffle and Ryan Pipkin, painted for eight hours at a stretch to cover a 2,000 feet of flooring in bright blue paint. Within such a large, open environment, this helped create boundaries and delineate areas intended for specific purposes.
Another aspect of the project was to build bike racks, so that those being served by the Center have a safe place to keep what is often their most valuable possession and mode of transportation. Their few belongings are often attached to the bikes. Connor assembled three strong bike racks, and he and his volunteers fastened them securely to the asphalt in a fenced area at the back of the building.
At the heart of the project was building dog kennels for canine companions of the people being helped by the Center. Clients could not relax, knowing their dogs were tied up outside in the hot sun or the rain, barking at passersby and going hungry. For some, a pet is their only family. Connor built two kennels ideally suited to the situation.
An important aspect of the kennels is the way Connor used cinder blocks and weatherproofed large sheets of wood to construct a moveable pedestal for winter time, so that the dogs will not be sitting in puddles of water or mud.
The work took several weekends over many months’ time from start to finish, including the planning stages, research into what other facilities use and what products are best, the coordination with the facilities committee on each decision, the procuring of funds, the recruitment of volunteers and the hands-on labor.
Connor expressed his appreciation for those who donated funds to make this project possible, including the generous contribution from Gilroy Rotary, spearheaded by Scot Smithee, the generosity of The Gilroy Foundation, a Don Christopher grant and other donations made to the Center. People also donated generous amounts of time.
“I could call Bill Faus on a day’s notice and he would show up to help every time,” Connor said, sharing his gratitude to the chair of the facilities committee and point person for the project. “A new family at my church – the Fulmers – came to do a lot of work, and Jolene Heath helped; many friends helped out. My parents were very supportive. They helped with motivation, keeping me going on the more tedious researching and planning part of it.”
I asked Connor what misconceptions he would like to correct.
“A lot of people have the mindset that Scouts is what nerdy guys join who haven’t socially connected. But I’m in four varsity sports, and anywhere I walk around town, I have friends wherever I go. I still found time for Scouts in spite of all my extracurricular activities, and I will use what I have learned for the rest of my life. It’s been one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
“In my humble opinion, Connor’s most outstanding attribute is his kindness,” says Jeff Scherck, a Bishop for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where Connor attends. “I like the way the other scouts would immediately feel comfortable around Connor, especially the much younger scouts. To be an Eagle, a scout must demonstrate many qualities, such as being trustworthy, loyal, helpful and courteous – but kindness is the greatest quality of them all.”
“We were incredibly fortunate to have a young individual choose the Compassion Center as part of their Eagle Scout project,” Bill Faus said. “Aid for possessions like pets or bikes might seem like small things, but it is the little things in life that make the difference.
“For some individuals, these are the only things they have in the world. To the person who comes here for help, what Connor has done means a great deal.”
To learn more or to donate to help with projects at the Gilroy Compassion Center, click here.
