Many came together to tell WCVB Channel 5 Boston's 5 for Good the story of The Furniture Trust's Eco-Carpentry Challenge which led creative students from Nashoba Valley Technical High School to repurpose office furniture into a bed for a boy in need. Students were joined by mentors from Columbia Construction and Fort Point Project Management.

Each year, The Furniture Trust challenges students from local high schools to compete in their annual Eco-Carpentry Challenge. The Furniture Trust is a nonprofit organization serving the Greater Boston area that seeks to relocate discarded office furniture, with the intent making a positive impact by donating items to local schools and nonprofits, and decreasing the amount of waste in landfills. The Eco-Carpentry Challenge allows students from participating high schools 18 weeks to repurpose used office furniture into functional items. The reconstruction process takes place in the schools’ woodworking spaces, and all work is performed by the students themselves.

Columbia's own Shaun Lover was a judge, and Jared Crowley and Neal Swain served as mentors for two different teams, meeting with the students periodically to provide guidance, feedback, and ideas. 
Jared’s team from Nashoba Tech won Best in Class. They built a bunk bed for a Syrian refugee boy, and their hard work and creativity paid off. The three students also opted to donate their entire $2,000 prize to the family.

WCVB Channel 5 picked up the story for their "Five for Good" segment. It recently aired and we welcome you to check it out...