Aspiring Eagle Scout Kevin Olszewski organized a chili cookoff to raise funds to rebuild a garden shed that he’ll be building for Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Los Alamitos.
Aspiring Eagle Scout Kevin Olszewski organized a chili cookoff to raise funds to rebuild a garden shed that he’ll be building for Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Los Alamitos.
The 17-year-old senior at Los Alamitos High School raised $2,500 for supplies and will be rebuilding the shed for his Eagle Scout project. He wants to make the chili cookoff an annual event to sponsor a memorial scholarship in the name of fellow Eagle Scout Tim Killian. Killian died tragically at the age of 21 in a car accident on July 4th.
Olszewski’s Boy Scout Troop 657 is based at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and he simply saw that they needed a new garden shed. He raised enough money to be able to afford a building kit from Lowe’s Hardware and will build the shed this month.
“We went to a chili cookoff this summer and I thought it would be a fun and good fundraiser,” he said. Olszewski is also a chief of the Santee Chapter of the Scouts Order of the Arrow, an honor society that is native American oriented with peers being elected by fellow scouts.
“I want to have scholarships for other Order of the Arrow members,” he said. “I think it would be really neat to have $1,000 scholarships for other Eagle Scouts who are also members of the Order of the Arrow, Santee Chapter.”
Olszewski is only 4 badges and his final project away from being an Eagle Scout which he believes he will earn by February 2013. He’s been involved with the Boy Scouts since he was in 2nd grade.
“We are very proud of him,” said his mother, Cindy. “He’s worked very hard for this.”
Olszewski would have been closer to Eagle Scout with earning more of his badges except for the fact that he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa with his father, Tom this past summer. Other places he’s climbed are Baden Powell in Wrightwood and San Jacinto in Palm Springs.
“I would have brought my camera equipment on the hike to Mount Kilimanjaro except that it got to be too heavy,” said the young aspiring photographer. He hopes to attend CSU Fullerton as a photo communications major, and admires National Geographic Society magazine. Olszewki was awarded a red ribbon at the Orange County Fair’s photo competition with a photo of Joshua Tree, and is entering a photo in the Spotlight Competition for the Arts at the Music Center in Los Angeles.
“My AP photography teacher said I’ve got a shot that could be in the National Geographic Society magazine,” he said. “He’s already sold 3 photos of Don’s Turf Motel sign taken at dusk,” said his mother.
When not earning merit badges, climbing mountains or taking photographs, Olszewski is on the Los Alamitos High School surf team. He enjoys riding the waves in Seal Beach in the summer time, but can be found riding waves at Sunset Beach during the school year.