South Hills teens help neighbors in many different ways. Recently, Upper St. Clair High School student Caden Sarkett decided to help Pass the Bricks as his Eagle Scout Project, helping to get LEGO bricks and sets into the hands of local kids.
What is Pass the Bricks?
Pass the Bricks is a global organization led by a teen in California. Charlie Jeffers started Pass the Bricks at his kitchen table with the goal of repurposing LEGO bricks to ensure that children who may lack access to LEGO could get ‘new’ sets. Now the organization has chapters in 157 cities across five continents.
How did it get to Pittsburgh?
Mark Prus discovered Pass the Bricks in March when a video from NBC showed up in his newsfeed. Upon further research, Mark learned that the organization was seeking ambassadors to get programs started in additional cities. Mark signed up to spearhead the Pittsburgh chapter.
The model is decentralized, empowering local chapters to set their own rules using guidelines provided by passthebricks.org. Volunteers collect, clean, and sort LEGO donations before producing new sets. Donations come in as complete sets in good condition, tubs full of dirty LEGO bricks, and everything in between.
“It’s been quite a rewarding experience for me personally. People in Pittsburgh are very responsive.” -Mark Prus, Pittsburgh’s Pass the Bricks Ambassador
What inspired Caden?
Caden’s mom Amy Sarkett spotted Mark’s Facebook post about Pass the Bricks and asked Caden if he’d be interested in getting involved. As a huge LEGO fan, Caden thought it was a perfect fit for his Eagle Scout Project. He was also drawn to the environmental impact of repurposing LEGO bricks and sets that may otherwise end up unused in basements or worse, in landfills.
“I thought it was interesting because as a kid I played with LEGOs, so I thought it would be fun, especially since there were younger kids in my boy scout group who might want to be involved.”-Caden
As Caden solicited LEGO donations, he realized what a big task it would be to sort through everything. Some sets came without instructions, so Caden used the Google Lens app to take a picture of finished sets to find their instructions. If it wasn’t built, he had to figure out how to build each set. As he built each set he noticed if there were any missing pieces. If there were, he had to figure out how to replace them and indicate that in the instructions. Caden also used an app called Brick It that gives recommendations of sets to build based on a picture of a pile of assorted LEGO bricks.
“Pittsburgh is leading the country in quantity of donations, thanks in part to Caden.”-Mark
Caden collected 170 pounds of LEGO bricks. From that, he created 108 sets that he donated to students in SHIM’s After School program to take home along with 60 pounds of loose LEGO bricks for play at SHIM’s South Hills Family Center. He also received several pristine LEGO sets that he sold for $232 which he plans to donate to SHIM as well. His project will conclude after he raffles off 4-5 baskets of 12-13 nearly pristine sets at an upcoming fundraiser at Gilfillan Farm.
Why SHIM?
Caden chose to donate the LEGO sets and proceeds from his Eagle Scout Project to SHIM because it was a way to help locally. He had participated in food drives in the past, and after connecting with Mark, he learned that participants in SHIM’s youth programs appreciated donations of creative toys. Mark donated multiple sets to kids attending youth programs in the spring and was enthusiastic about donating more.
“This has snowballed. Caden and his family took it to this new level from a small idea. I really appreciate the help. They’ve spread the word and contributed so much. Now my basement and garage are overflowing with LEGOs, so I encourage others to get involved! Let’s get LEGOs into the hands of people who can’t afford them.”-Mark
We’re so grateful for neighbors like Caden and Mark who find unique ways to help our community. Learn more about the ways SHIM helps neighbors in our Latest News section.