DATE: Wednesday, November 26, 1997          TAG: 9711260508

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DOMINIC PERELLA, ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   53 lines

GOV. ALLEN HONORS VOLUNTEERS FOR SERVING THEIR COMMUNITIES

Inspired by a grandfather with Alzheimer's disease, 16-year-old Nicholas Boggs decided to poll old-age homes and find out what needs their Alzheimer's patients had.

Eighteen months, three fund-raisers and 800 volunteer hours later, Boggs had designed and built 39 Memory Lap Boards that are now in use at seven facilities in Northern Virginia.

The Burke boy's project earned him one of 21 Community Service and Volunteerism awards presented Tuesday by Gov. George Allen.

Boggs needed a volunteer project as the last requirement to make Eagle Scout. He decided to connect the scouting requirement with his grandfather's plight.

``My grandfather had Alzheimer's, and I wanted to help him,'' he said after the volunteer awards ceremony in Richmond. ``I wanted to help people that had the same sort of disease.''

Workers at nursing homes told Boggs that Alzheimer's sufferers often become more aware and active when they have familiar activities to repeat. Thus the Memory Lap Board was born. The boards have foam cushioning on the bottom for placement on the lap. The tops are covered with knobs, switches, locks, clothing buttons and other household items that the residents can manipulate.

``The minute they were set down, they were an instant success. We've been using them on a weekly basis,'' said Sue Spencer, activities director at Fairfax Nursing Center. ``It brings back memories for (residents). They'll sit there and start working on them and then start talking about memories from the past that are triggered by these activities.''

Nicholas built the prototypes with help from his family, but he wasn't done. He needed money to buy the expensive materials used to build his boards. So he sold mulch - 40 tons of it - door-to-door in his neighborhood, raising $1,000.

Later, he raised $500 more by selling apple butter. Then, 55 volunteers helped him build the 39 boards.

Nicholas' father, Ron Boggs, said his son's invention went far beyond Eagle Scout requirements. The average project takes about 100 hours. Nicholas put in more than 800 hours - the equivalent of 20 full-time work weeks.

During Tuesday's ceremony at the Library of Virginia, Allen told Nicholas and the other award recipients that their dedication to their communities is more important than government can ever be.

``You, in your hearts and minds, you see a need, you identify a problem, you want to help an individual and you get involved,'' he said. ``Only with that sort of character will our commonwealth remain strong and vibrant in the future.''

Also honored: a youth group that threw a holiday party for impoverished children, retired educators who started a youth-mentoring program, and a community anti-crime task force.

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