By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

DESTREHAN – Cub Scout Pack 317 presented the administrators of the Ormond Nursing Home with some meaningful equipment during a visit on Sunday afternoon.
The boys and their wolf den leaders, Ben Dew and Brian Fremin, crafted two manipulation boards and a sandboard for elderly residents to use during their rehabilitation. The boards included an assortment of door knobs, complete with keys, and a variety of light switches and plugs to help patients improve their fine motor skills. Several residents tried out the new equipment and found it to their liking.
Webelos Preston Fremin said building the boards was “fun, fun, fun” for him and the rest of the pack.
Patrick Oubre, a resident at the facility, said: “I’m very enthusiastic for the kids and also the residents who need more of those types things. A lot of them can’t do those type things. It should be very therapeutic for them to learn how to open doors. They can get their strength back.”
Oubre also said the residents that can no longer communicate verbally may be able to use the boards to convey their messages.
Dew said the pack has as ongoing relationship with the facility and chose to do the service project because of its proximity. Dew estimates that the project took about 30 hours to create.
“It was really interesting for me because I do a lot of carpentry as a hobby. Working with different woods and polyethylene material was something that I could practice some of my own skills on. It’s nice to know that we did something that is commercial grade, that can be used for a long time. Not just as a ‘service project,’” said Dew.