Hamilton Elementary Receives Homemade Hand Sanitizer Stations from Former Cub Scout Founder
A teenager who along with his parents and other families started Cub Scout Pack 48 at Hamilton Elementary School in Pasadena when he was 6 years old, has donated ten hand sanitation stations to the school from kits that he and his Boy Scout troop built.
Sebastian Aviles-Maya, now 16, has gone on to become a Boy Scout in Glendale and is now working to become an Eagle Scout, something he has dreamed of since he was in kindergarten.
His mother, Kayleen Maya, said Hamilton didn’t have a Boy Scout program at that time, so she approached Frances Weissenberger, who was the school’s principal. From a group of 35 boys, Hamilton Elementary’s Cub Scout Pack 48 grew to about 60 Cub Scouts in 2015 when Sebastian left after fifth grade.
The pack is now accredited with the American Legion, the first such pack in Pasadena that’s open to boys throughout the community and not just to Hamilton students.
The idea of donating hand sanitizer stations started last year when Sebastian and his mother spoke with the current principal at Hamilton, Erika Cooper.
“He knew he wanted to do something COVID related because it just made sense for him,” Maya said. “And he found the past sanitizer, like stations that were made out of PVC pipe. And there were a couple of models that he found, and because you have to involve the troop to help you with your community service project if it’s something he can’t do by himself he had to make the kits and then have the kits available for contactless pickup at our house. And the Scouts in his troop would put together the kits and then bring them back.”
Sebastian and his parents recently handed over the hand sanitizer kits to Principal Cooper at Hamilton.
Before COVID-19, Sebastian started working on his next project — multi-purpose tables that he wanted to donate. The project is on hold since COVID closed his woodworking shop in Glendale. But he intends to finish them and deliver once the shop opens again.
Maya says starting the Cub Scout pack at Hamilton was very significant for Sebastian, and they’ve been encouraging more families to support it, and support scouting in general.
“Our kids right now need so much support, and scouting offers such a unique opportunity for young boys and girls – we also have girls in our troop now – to explore so many different avenues,” Maya said.
“What I really love about this program is that it’s multidisciplinary; there is something for every kid in this troop, and we have such a diverse membership, from the Cub Scout levels to the Boy Scout levels, that our young boys and girls can develop into amazing human beings.”
Hamilton Elementary School, 2089 Rose Villa St., Pasadena, (626) 396-5730 or visit www.pusd.us/domain/13.
