It was a 1 in 50,000 chance of winning, but was already a winner for the local community.

In Friday’s edition of the LaGrange Daily News, we wrote about Eagle Scout Nathan Fain winning the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He won the award for his handicapped-accessible, musical playground at Lafayette Christian School.

The playground, named Joyful Noise, lets children with special needs such as wheelchairs play alongside able bodied children.

Fain said the idea for the project came from speaking with LCS headmaster John Cipolla, who wanted a handicapped accessible playground but knew the school couldn’t afford it. The project costed $40,000, and $22,000 was raised with cash donations.

The money was put to best use and now all of the school’s children can enjoy the equipment and play together.

It’s monumental to have a local win a prestigious award that’s hard to get.

It’s even better since the  playground has contributed to the community.

We’re proud of Fain winning the award and we’re proud of the community for helping fund the project.