Downey welcomes 4 new Eagle Scouts

From left: Diego Orendain, Joshua Casillas, Nicolas Zavala, and Joseph Simonian. Each were celebrated as new Eagle Scouts at a ceremony April 14.

DOWNEY – On Sunday, April 14, Scout Troop 2 awarded the rank of Eagle Scout to four of its Scouts: Joshua Casillas, Diego Orendain, Joseph Simonian, and Nicolas Zavala.

An Eagle Scout Court of Honor was hosted at Joseph’s Restaurant in Downey. Scout Master Tom Hutchinson served as the Master of Ceremonies.

The ceremony included presentation of colors, Scout Law candle ceremony, presentation of the Eagle Scout Awards, Trail to Eagle and commendations and recognitions.

Commendations and recognitions were presented by State Sen. Bob Archuleta, Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, and Downey Mayor Pro Tem Hector Sosa.

Also in attendance were Councilwomen Dorothy Pemberton and Claudia Frometa.

The commendations highlighted the following Eagle projects completed by the Eagle Scouts:

Joseph Simon Simonian

Joseph collected over 300 coats and jackets and 250 new socks to aid the homeless population in LA County. He also partnered with Alex Camacho, field director of Project Ropa—a non-profit that supplies clean clothing and hygiene kits to thousands of homeless men, women, and families in Los Angeles.

Diego Orendain

Diego built four carts for Food Help, a local food bank in Downey. The project assisted the food help volunteers in transporting goods and supplies from their inventory to people’s cars more efficiently. Diego made this project possible by fundraising for supplies, recruiting volunteers, and planning the carts construction.

Nicolas Zuniga Zavala

Nicolas, in collaboration with California State University, Long Beach, transformed office space within the California State University, Long Beach Police Department that was previously used for finger printing to create a warm interview room for students, their families and staff.

Joshua Lopez Casillas

He recruited and trained volunteers to meticulously photograph, edit, upload, and archive fragile editions of Downey’s local newspaper, the Downey Patriot, from the 1950s. Joshua successfully fundraised for a terabyte external hard drive and secured a camera, an SD memory card, and lighting equipment through an application.

The Eagle Court of Honor closed with a Benediction by Deacon John Saavedra of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.

The newest Eagle Scouts share many connections through their community service, camping adventures and their pursuit of merit badges in addition to all being alumni of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School.

Troop 2 is the second oldest Troop in the Pio Pico District. Troop 2 meets weekly from 7-8:30 pm in the basement of Downey United Methodist Church.

If interested in joining Troop 2, contact Scout Master Tom Hutchinson at (562) 964-5798.