HERRIN, IL (WSIL) -- For as long as he can remember, Riley Baird wanted to make a difference in the life of a kid going through physical therapy.
"When I was in Kindergarten, I had an eye infection. I had to go to the Carbondale hospital. I was hospitalized for three days."
Looking back, he realized the need for more games and toys for kids to interact with.
"That time in the hospital, they had this like room in which they had toys for kids to play with and they had some really boring ones. It wasn't that fun at all."
Riley is also an Eagle Scout and as part of his Eagle Scout project to earn his badge, he decided to design and construct a large connect 4 game.
"Thinking of games, I was thinking board games, and this was probably one of the easiest ones," said Riley.Â
To earn the high Eagle scout badge, Riley had to handle all aspects of the build including the design and managing those that worked with him on the project.
"Part of one of the eagle scout requirements is that you have to complete a project and show leadership capabilities within it."
The life-sized connect four is located at the SIH Rehabilitation in Herrin. They recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony where Riley had the chance to meet Maverick a four-year-old with cerebral palsy.
"I watched him, and it was pretty cool to see that it was getting put to good use."
It took Riley a few weeks to build the connect four, running into several ups and downs during the process. He says those problem-solving skills are key to earning his eagle scout badge.
"It was a huge weight on my shoulders and when you turn 18 you can't no longer get your eagle and so I finished it before my 18th birthday."
Riley has been a scout since the first grade. Scouts have been an important part of Riley's life and he hopes more kids will get involved and enjoy their time as much as he did.
"It's an amazing program just the amount of stuff you learn from it. When you're young you don't even know you're learning stuff. But as you get into high school and you start to step back and see the younger kids and what they're going through, you remember what you were learning back then and how far you've gotten."
