New shed stores adaptive equipment at Snow Valley

When Boy Scout Liam Privette brought the plans for his Eagle Scout project to the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club nearly a year ago, the Rotarians were understandably impressed.

In fact, Rotarian Davis Hopper told Liam that “this was the best presentation ever done by a prospective Eagle Scout,” a sentiment echoed by several other Rotarians.

The sketch Liam presented to the Rotarians was of a storage shed he proposed building at Snow Valley Mountain Resort to house some of the adaptive equipment used by Jack Cooperman and other instructors with the Rim of the World Special Athletes Foundation.

That equipment had been stored in the space that also serves as the Foundation’s office, making for a very crowded space.

Liam, who at the time of his presentation to Rotary was a sophomore at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, met Cooperman when he started skiing with him at Snow Valley in 2013.

“Over time,” Liam said, “I watched Jack’s organization grow at Snow Valley, from running a smaller operation to eventually building his own big office full of adaptive equipment of all types.

“Growing up around Jack and Rim of the World Special Athletes, I was always very inspired to help out others who might not have some of the abilities that most of us have,” Liam said. He added he was further inspired by Scouts with disabilities who joined his troop, with whom he has become good friends.

The shed, which has now been completed, is 20 feet long, 4.5 feet wide and about 8 feet tall. The shed was constructed according to Liam’s guidelines by Rotarian Thacker Whyte. Liam then led a group of Scouts in doing the finish work.

Now, having built the shed, Liam said, “there is nothing more rewarding to me than the feeling that I was able to help people with disabilities in some way. Having personal connections to people with disabilities, I am grateful knowing that I did something to help the community.

“To me, the project truly feels like a representation of my Scouting journey. It represents everything I have learned in the Boy Scouts and how I grew as a person.”