Mathew Borkovich recently gifted The Youth Center with a Science in a Box container full of science experiments for the kids to learn from and enjoy. The generous and lasting gift is the result of Matthew’s Eagle Scout project.
Matthew is no stranger to The Youth Center. He and his sister participated in programs during elementary and middle school and he volunteered at Camp SHARK for two summers and Matthew wanted to give back to the organization that gave so much to him.
In January 2020 Matthew identified The Youth Center as his beneficiary and started the project in April 2020. The Youth Center had a vision of a Science box but could find nothing on the market. Matthew took on the challenge and began planning his project. He wanted it to have a greater impact than a storage container for projects. He wanted it to inspire STEM and science projects in youth.
He received approval from his troupe parent committee and the Long Beach area Council for the beneficiary and project. He then raised all of the money needed to build and fill the box, through fundraisers and bottle recycling. He then raised an additional $200 to purchase more science supplies for the box. After planning the construction of the box, solidifying a budget, scheduling the workdays and identifying the experiments that would go into it, he was ready to begin building the Science in a box.
Matthew’s parents, sister and fellow boy scouts joined him to work on the project with no more than three helpers working at a time, due to COVID restrictions. An Eagle Scout service project should not be simple enough to be completed alone. The scout is expected to lead at least two other people in completing the project. Matthew’s sister Sara created the design on the box and did most of the painting.
The Science in a Box project was completed and presented to The Youth Center in late May and will bring hours of enrichment and fun to kids for years to come.
“At The Youth Center, kids never stop learning. Our staff does an amazing job of providing learning activities with every fun activity they enjoy,” said Lina Lumme, Executive Director of The Youth Center. “The Science in a box contains educational materials, supplies and everything needed to provide enrichment science opportunities and experiments for children during the school year and summer. We can’t thank Matthew enough for the hard work, creativity, enthusiasm and heart he put into this amazing gift,” she said.
For additional information on The Youth Center, please call 562-493-4043 or visit www.TheYouthCenter.org.
