Eagle Scout Brings Joy to United Preschool Playground

RYE BROOK, NY – On Friday, April 19, 2024, Cerebral Palsy of Westchester’s (CPW) United Preschool Center (UPC) welcomed White Plains High School Junior Siddhant Sawant to campus to unveil his Eagle Scout project at the UPC playground: a movable music wall, movable abacus, hanging blackboards, and planter boxes.

Sawant is currently working to attain the Eagle Scout rank with his Boy Scout Troop, the highest rank a young person can reach in Scouting (only 5% of all Scouts who join ever reach the Eagle rank). Looking to design an Eagle Scout service project that would contribute to his hometown of White Plains, he identified CPW’s United Preschool Center. According to Sawant, he “recognized Cerebral Palsy of Westchester's history of enabling young leaders to serve the community and consulted with volunteer and internship placement manager Joan Colangelo and Preschool Director Marcy Weintraub to identify a viable and advantageous sensory project for the children at the United Preschool in White Plains.” The resulting playground structures that he designed, engineered, and built will attract children to play as well as help them to acquire essential developmental skills.

After receiving approval from the Scoutmaster, Troop Committee, and District Council, as well as CPW’s Executive Director for his project proposal, Sawant organized the necessary materials, explored different options, acquired hardware and miscellaneous supplies, and planned the logistics. Sawant received sponsorship from Campanella Fences in Mahopac, NY, with whom he worked in close partnership to bring his project to completion.

United Preschool Director Marcy Weintraub commented, “Sid worked so hard to create age-appropriate toys for our playground. We’re all so excited for the new addition and to give the children something new to explore.”

The United Preschool Center (UPC), located at 456 North Street in White Plains, offers an integrated learning experience for children with and without disabilities. Program administrators collaborate with various school districts throughout Westchester County, and UPC is an authorized Universal Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten program site for the White Plains School District. The United Preschool Center is a division of Cerebral Palsy of Westchester.

Celebrating its 75th year in 2024, Cerebral Palsy of Westchester’s mission is to advance the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of people living with all developmental disabilities including autism, neurological impairments, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. CPW’s main campus is located in Rye Brook, NY, housing a special education school, an adult day habilitation program and recreation programs. CPW operates the United Preschool Center in White Plains, as well as seven group homes throughout Westchester. Through a comprehensive network of educational programs, day services, residential sites, therapeutic services, employment training, recreation programs and advocacy the agency helps thousands of children and adults in Westchester and Fairfield Counties live more productive and satisfying lives. The organization’s motto is: Realizing Tomorrow’s Potential . . . Today! For more, visit cpwestchester.org.

###

For more information and high-resolution images, contact Tia Levinson, CPW’s Director of Development and Public Relations, at 914-937-3800 ext. 353 or email tia.levinson@cpwestchester.org.