The Sound of Service
York student builds a playground with a purpose
Just four to six percent of Scouts earn the Eagle Scout rank. Elmhurst resident Charlie Connor will soon be joining this prestigious group.
“It’s just a really great achievement to have,” Connor said about his decision to pursue Scouting America’s highest honor. “When Eagle Scouts see other Eagle Scouts, there’s kind of respect and there’s kind of a bond between them.”
To achieve the Eagle Scout rank, Scouts must organize and lead a service project from start to finish that substantially benefits a local community organization. For his project, the York High School junior installed new musical playground elements at El Valor’s Carlos H. Cantu Children’s Center in Chicago. Connor and his team of volunteers installed four musical elements, including a 6-foot metal xylophone and a steel drum.
“I decided to do my project there because my dad volunteered there,” Connor said. “He told me about it: how they are a school that helps with kids with special needs, kids with single parents, and in a less-privileged community.”
Connor knew he wanted to combine community impact with personal interest. His idea started with something especially meaningful to him—his love of music.
“I’m involved in bands and music at my high school. I’ve always been super interested in music, and I wanted to be able to spread that to areas with less access to it,” Connor said. “At my high school, you can take lessons, you can borrow instruments. There are so many opportunities given to you, and I know that’s not available everywhere.”
He also saw this project as an opportunity to explore another interest of his: engineering.
“I’m also very interested in … building things that can help people,” Connor said. “So I thought, how can I combine music and engineering? And I decided that I should install a musical playground to be able to spread the gift of music.”
The six-month project required intensive fundraising and community support, totaling over 400 volunteer hours. Connor raised more than $6,000 for equipment and materials, much of which came from his fundraiser, “Oktoberfest in May,” which featured the York High School Polka Band, a DJ, traditional food, and a silent auction.
Connor, a member of Scouting America Three Fires Council Troop 117B, watches as a Carlos Cantu student plays the new steel drum.
“It was incredible seeing all the support I could get from others and the community,” Connor said. “[The fundraiser] was really a special moment because I could see Scouts and community members, parents, family, students. Everybody who I had reached out to for help and had needed support from came to support me and help this project become possible.”
Connor said the project was difficult both mentally and physically; it required long days and many moving parts. Seeing the result, however, has been incredibly rewarding.
“I got to visit the school and see the children so happy while playing and making noises with the instruments, and it was the best feeling knowing I was able to bring that to them,” Connor said.
El Valor is a nonprofit organization that serves more than 4,000 children, adults with disabilities, and their families each year. Senior Vice President Nina Duenas and Senior Director Leticia Ramirez said El Valor is grateful for Connor’s contribution and commitment to enhancing learning opportunities for the children and families they serve.
“Music and play are essential components of a child’s growth, nurturing the development of the whole child,” they said. “Through hands-on musical experiences and play-based learning, children strengthen their language, cognitive, social-emotional, and physical skills while fostering creativity, self-confidence, and self-expression. Access to musical instruments encourages exploration, collaboration, and problem-solving, helping children develop important skills that contribute to school readiness and lifelong learning.”
Connor said that this is all possible because of Scouts, an organization that’s been an integral part of his youth and adolescent life.
“It’s something I’ve always been interested in,” Connor said. “I love camping. I love hanging out with my friends, and it’s something that just calls to me.”
His biggest takeaway from Scouts, and this project specifically, is the importance of good leadership.
“I think being a leader is being able to take input and advice from others and channeling that into a way where you can help ensure that whatever it is you’re leading is successful,” Connor said. “I think that I can take that away with me in life.”
El Valor is one of the largest providers of early childhood education in the Chicagoland area. To learn more about Charlie Connor’s project and its impact, visit charlieconnoreagleproject.me.
