The UUCP parking lot and entryway were refreshed in April thanks to UUCP’s generous contributions to a Fifth Sunday collection taken up in January 2023. UUCP’s donation of $469 benefitted the Scouts BSA Eagle Scout project of Desmond Anzaldo-Satterwhite. Desmond is the 14-year-old son of members Lauren Anzaldo and Scott Satterwhite, seen below raking leaves.
The church donation allowed for the purchase of paint, paint supplies, and materials as well as snacks and lunch for the volunteers. Desmond and his family and Scouts BSA Troop 495 are so appreciative of UUCP’s support.
Regarding the UUCP contribution, Desmond said, “I’m very thankful for the money that was given because it really aided the project. We collected more than we were even able to use, and we will give back the extra to the church for other building and grounds projects.”
Desmond’s project is entitled Repainting and Refreshing the Parking Lots at UUCP. The project involved raking and prepping the parking lots then repainting the stripes for all 73 parking spaces in the front and back parking lots. Having not been retouched in many years, the stripes had faded to the point of invisibility. Directional arrows and speed limits also were repainted on the asphalt. The porch steps leading up to the church door were repainted as well.
Discussing how he conceived of this project, Desmond said, “It was hard to see the lines for the parking spaces, and that made it hard to park. With the steps where the safety lines were faded, since we have some people in our church who have low vision, it was hard for them to see where to step. The areas now look much better than it did, and this project was definitely a necessary improvement needed to help the community and people of our church.”
Desmond plans to get his learner’s permit this summer and soon will be driving to church with his family, so he will benefit from the new stripes as well.
To earn the Eagle Scout award, a Scout is required to plan, develop, and lead a volunteer project of significant impact to the community or a non-profit organization or church. Desmond will have completed more than 25 volunteer hours along with more than 40 service hours completed by other volunteers that he led during the project. UUCP volunteers included Michael Newcomb and Tabbitha Manzanet. Scouts BSA volunteers were Henry Fisher, Jude Poller, Thomas Brimmer, and Hayden Huntsinger along with Scout parents Dan Brimmer, Scott Satterwhite, and Lauren Anzaldo, and Scout siblings Maddy Anzaldo-Satterwhite and Edward Brimmer.
Addressing what he has learned through working on his Eagle Scout project, Desmond said, “I showed leadership by planning ahead with a project as big as this and by communicating with the volunteers to keep them busy and doing the right thing during the workday. I learned that if you don’t plan ahead, it’s hard to find roles for everyone to keep them busy. That’s where leadership comes in. A leader organizes more. I could improve in that area.”
Now a high school freshman, Desmond has been a Scout since first grade and has risen through the ranks to become a Life Scout. After advancing to the Life rank about one year ago, Desmond started conceptualizing, planning, developing, and executing his Eagle project. Approval of the Eagle Scout project by the Council after a lengthy review process is required to attain the rank of Eagle.
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program (formerly Boy Scouts of America). Since its inception in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2.5 million youth. While that seems like a big number, the number represents only 4% of all Scouts, making Eagle Scout a rare and prestigious achievement.