Left: Kenny Parizek and Matt Storz placed new siding on home. The Boy Scouts of Troop 57 in Garden City have a long tradition of community service at the local and state level. During this past summer, the young men demonstrated vision and leadership as they planned to expand the scope of their community service to the national level. The Boy Scouts volunteered to participate in the Golf Coast Disaster Relief Program to aid victims of the devastating Hurricane Katrina which affected Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The scouts spent eight days near Grand Bay, Alabama working to help rebuild homes which had been severely damaged by the storm.

Despite the long hours of intense physical labor under the sun, the Boy Scouts found their work to be very rewarding as they saw first hand how their efforts made a difference in the lives of many who had suffered during the past few years. The dedicated Boy Scouts who organized and carried out this successful program included: Michael Abatemarco (Eagle Scout); Matthew Storz (Eagle Scout candidate); Evan Browand (Eagle Scout candidate); Kenny Parizek (Life Scout); John Albonetti (Life Scout); Robert Pena (Star Scout); Paul Amato (Star Scout); and Aaron Miner (Star Scout).

Boy Scouts formed a line to transport materials to prepare the new construction site.

From left: Robert Pena, John Albonetti and Michael Abatemarco measured siding. From left: Paul Amato, Aaron Miner, Robert Pena, Evan Browand, Kenny Parizek, John Albonetti, Matt Storz and Michael Abatemarco posed at the Gulf Coast Disaster Recovery Center. From left; Evan Browand, Kenny Parizek, John Albonetti, Michael Abatemarco, Pal Amato, Aaron Miner, Robert Pena and Matt Storz after siding and painting home. From left: Aaron Miner, Michael Abatemarco and Matt Storz used tools to remove old siding. From left: Evan Browand, Aaron Miner and Robert Pena worked together on new siding for home.