Niraj Malliwal, son of Bina and Mahendra Milliwal of Folsom, was presented his Eagle Scout award at a Court of Honor ceremony in June at the Folsom Rotary Clubhouse.
Malliwal, 16, is a sophomore at Vista del Lago High School in Folsom.
He has been a member of Folsom Boy Scout Troop 237 for the past five years and has earned 26 merit badges, covering a wide area of fields and skills.
He recently completed his Eagle Scout project.
Malliwal has a younger sister, Shruti, who will be a freshman at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento.
The rank of Eagle is the highest award in Scouting and is earned only after completing five other ranks of Scouting and 21 merit badges covering a wide range of skills.
The Scout also must demonstrate leadership skills by completing a community service project.
Malliwal's mother said her son wanted to do something that would benefit the trails of the Parkway neighborhood in Folsom. For his Eagle project, he decided to paint the street names on the trail exit points.
The idea was to provide a means of navigating the trails and also to give directions to paramedics when needed.
The project, coordinated through the Folsom Parks and Recreation Department, entailed purchasing supplies, practicing painting, recruiting volunteers from his troop and directing the actual work.
According to a press release, he was guided by Jim Konopka and Dan Rivers, both from Folsom City Hall. Ed White, of the new Raley's Supermarket and Drug Center in Parkway, ensured that all the volunteers were well-fed.
Tools and supplies were purchased with donations from the Lions Club of Folsom and Folsom resident Mark Boiarsky.
"The project could not have been done without the wholehearted support of the energetic members of Troop 237," Malliwal's mother said.
In addition to Scouting, Malliwal is on the school's track team, is a member of the Key Club and is the student government treasurer. He also signed up for volunteer work over the summer at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento. He enjoys playing basketball, hiking and camping and hanging out with his friends.
For more information on Scouting, call the Golden Empire Council of Boy Scouts of America at (916) 929-1417 or go to www.gec.bsa.org.
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If you know someone who deserves recognition, please contact Lil Douglas by phone at (916) 608-7445, by e-mail at ldouglas@sacbee.com or by fax at (916) 985-8473.
