Two New Eagle Scouts in Castro Valley
Photo courtesy of Melanie Smith
Left to right: Alan Dunn, Rose Godfrey, DJ Pareja, Akshay Gupta, Mark Williams (Scoutmaster for Troop 789), and Grant Hughes (Scoutmaster for Troop 722).
The Boy Scout’s Tres Rancho District has two new Eagle Scouts: DJ Pareja of Troop 722 and Akshay Gupta of Troop 789, both Castro Valley-based Troops. What happens in an Eagle Scout Project? It is always different; up to each scout to find a need and define a solution. Here is what the two new Eagle Scouts accomplished:
Akshay’s Eagle Project was at First Presbyterian Church of Hayward (next to Trader Joe’s). He made an outdoor area safely and comfortably accessible by preparing the ground (decomposed granite), fencing off access to traffic with two attractive six-foot planter boxes, and establishing a ten-foot sturdy pole from which to suspend outdoor lighting, enabling nighttime gatherings. The church can now safely use this area to host events, hang out, and teach kids to grow plants.
DJ Pareja’s Eagle Project was for San Lorenzo Little League, where he refurbished their snack bar building with both structural and painting needs accumulated over 30 years. Also, the project relocated the home plate and the pitching mound by a few feet to comply with both current baseball and softball regulations. Finally, a storage shed destroyed by recent storms was replaced. The Little League community was delighted.
The Eagle Scout rank, the top rank available in Boy Scouts of America (BSA), comes after four other ranks: Tenderfoot, Scout, Star, and Life. Along the “trails” taken to achieve these five ranks, a scout (boy or girl) completes a set of requirements: earns a minimum of 21 merit badges, gains experience in a broad range of physical and community skills (such as camping, rifle, archery, artisan hobbies, citizen series, etc.), takes leadership roles and engages in community service. All this occurs with a focus on having fun and taking part in adventures with fellow scouts, who often become close friends.
The final step to this final Eagle Rank is to complete an Eagle Project that benefits a community beneficiary, requiring complex planning and development, leadership skills, fundraising, and a clear positive impact for the beneficiary, such as those described above.
