ANAHEIM — Boy Scout Troop 578 of Orange County Buddhist Church (OCBC) is proud to announce and congratulate six scouts who recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

Troop 578 was established at OCBC in May 1978. With the ongoing contributions of Boy Scout adult leaders and alumni, the troop has maintained its traditions of leadership, adventure, citizenship, and service. Troop 578 has become one of Orange County Council’s largest and most esteemed troops, fostering over 250 Eagle Scouts. Troop 578 continues to shape young lives and uphold the spirit of scouting.

An Eagle Court of Honor ceremony was held at OCBC on May 18 to recognize Kyle Futaba, Caden Wong, Ryan Chia, Keith Wu, Alex Konishi and Ryden Yamamoto.

Special guests in attendance were OCBC Rev. Dr. Mutsumi Wondra, OCBC President Bryan Furumoto, OCBC Buddhist Women’s Association President Noreen Kamimura, OCBC Youth Organization Director Fred Katsuda, former Chairman of the National Buddhist Committee on Scouting Richard Odagawa, and OCBC Administrator Nancy Hara.

The commemoration included an inspirational speech by Jon Nakagawa, who achieved the rank of Eagle from Troop 578 in the past, along with his father Maurice Nakagawa before him.

The Eagle Scout rank is the highest award a Boy Scout can achieve; only 4-6% of scouts attain it. The candidate must be an active Life Scout for at least six months in his troop and hold a leadership position, earn at least 21 merit badges, (including 13 Eagle-required badges), have several letters of recommendation, and complete a leadership service project benefitting his local community.

The Eagle Award project is the culmination of all the work the boys put forth to advance through the ranks as well as something that fulfills a need within the community and leads to positive change. OCBC wholeheartedly congratulates these six scouts on achieving their Eagle Scout rank.

Kyle Futaba, son of Len and Teri Futaba, received his AA from Irvine Valley College in May 2023 majoring in Japanese, and graduated from University High School in Irvine in June 2023. He is currently attending UC Irvine, majoring in biological sciences. 

Kyle has been attending OCBC since he was 3 years old in Momo Class Dharma School until 12^thgrade. He has been an active member of OCBC Jr. YBA, played in Daion Taiko for seven years and is now a member of the college taiko group Seishun Taiko.

Kyle earned his Bobcat when he joined Cub Scout Pack 578 as a Tiger Cub and crossed over to Boy Scouts in 2016. He became an Eagle Scout in September 2023 and has earned an amazing 38 merit badges.

He served numerous leadership positions for Troop 578, including patrol scribe (three times), quartermaster, troop scribe (twice), troop assistant patrol leader, Beach Camp senior patrol leader, patrol leader for two different patrols, troop chaplain aide, and patrol instructor. 

Kyle has achieved the following awards: Keith Higa Memorial, Outdoor Ethics Awareness, Leduc Backpacking, Hanano Memorial, Seven League Boot (twice), and Egashira Educational Grant. He also earned NYLT, Arrow of Light, and Order of the Arrow.

For his Eagle project, Kyle constructed two collapsible modular odaiko stands made of redwood, buffalo leather, and zinc bolts for the large drums for Daion Taiko. Taiko is traditional Japanese drumming, though modern American taiko ensembles play with a modified, more contemporary style. An odaiko stand is a roughly four-foot-tall wooden frame that holds up the largest drum. A few of the older stands were worn, bulky and difficult to transport, so constructing two more allows all odaiko drums to be used simultaneously.

Kyle’s Eagle project advisor was ASM Rodney Ueno. As a member of Daion Taiko for seven years, he wanted to contribute a small part in the group’s mission to share their cultural heritage with the community and preserve this cultural art form by providing taiko training and exposure to the next generation. 

His favorite Scouting memory in Troop 578 was his time in the snow. Growing up as a Southern Californian, the closest thing to the magic of white particles descending from the sky and blanketing the ground was ash; snow seemed like a foreign concept from books, movies, and word-of-mouth. He loved discovering real snowfall with fellow scouts at Big Bear in California and Philmont in New Mexico during the winter months. As a team, they constructed igloos and quinzees warm enough to warrant taking off a layer.

Never would he have imagined how rewarding these experiences outside of the SoCal bubble would be. Troop 578 and the Scouting BSA program has granted him an immense appreciation for the world around him, especially the parts he is not immediately familiar with. He has learned a wide variety of life skills and gained insight into many niches that would be difficult to explore otherwise. His time in the troop is over, but his identity and ideals as a scout continues.

Ryan Chia, son of Jennifer and Tom Chia, graduated from El Dorado High School in Yorba Linda as the Class of 2024 valedictorian this May. He will be attending UCLA in the fall, majoring in biology. 

He played Chibiko basketball at OCBC for two years, then played Seyo basketball with the OCBC Defenders since second grade. He joined Troop 578 upon the encouragement of his basketball friends, and in gratitude to the OCBC Sports program, desired to give back to OCBC with his Eagle project.

Ryan achieved his Eagle Scout rank on April 4, 2024. He earned 31 merit badges and also earned these achievements: Invitational Field Day Elite 50 (2018), NYLT graduate (2021), Invitational Field Day first place (first aid) Keith Higa Memorial Award, Presidential Volunteer Service Award Gold, Hanano Award, AP Scholar with Distinction, Eagle Palm Pin #1 Bronze (2019), Eagle Palm Pin #2 Gold (2020), and National Merit Commended Scholar.

He served multiple leadership positions for Troop 578, including Ninja assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, patrol instructor, trail to first class instructor, troop historian, troop outdoor ethics guide, and patrol quartermaster, scribe, historian, and outdoor ethics guide. 

Ryan’s favorite scouting memory was his second-year Henninger hike because it showed how much he grew in just a year; the hike was much easier. Also, hiking up all the way to the top with his friends and eating at the café was very fun and rewarding.

With the assistance of his Eagle advisor, Jon Mauldin, for his Eagle project he built four portable storage cubby units for the OCBC Sports Board. The main purpose was to help protect and preserve the newly renovated basketball gym. By storing a variety of items such as drinks, food, bags, and more, these cubbies helped eliminate potential accidents that could damage the gym. 

Each cubby has removable shelves to customize its size to better fit the individual needs of guests. He also added cup holders to the top, handles to the side, and rubber casters on the bottom to make the project more accessible, useful, and easy to use. The cubbies can be found right outside the main entrance to the gym, where they are used by many groups. The cubbies can also be used to store personal belongings or supplies at the many events held at OCBC.

Caden Wong, son of Raelen and Tony Wong, graduated from Santiago High School in Corona in May 2024. He will be attending Riverside City College in the fall, majoring in business administration.

Caden started his scouting career as a Wolf in 2nd grade in Pack 578 at OCBC, then crossed over to Boy Scouts in 2017. He has achieved 34 merit badges and became an Eagle Scout on April 2, 2024. 

He served numerous leadership positions for Troop 578, including these Komori Patrol positions: assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, patrol instructor, patrol scribe, patrol quartermaster, patrol outdoor ethics guide, troop scribe, and troop quartermaster.

He has the following achievements and/or awards: Santiago HS Honor Roll, Santiago HS Drumline co-captain, Santiago HS Automotive Club treasurer, Santiago HS Choir Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Concert Band, Eagle Palm Pin #1 Bronze (2019), Eagle Palm Pin #2 Gold (2022).

Caden’s favorite scouting memory was his time at summer camp at Camp Cherry Valley when he hiked 13 miles alongside his six fellow scouts — in his Vans. He thought for sure the shoes would have been absolutely shot and worn out afterwards. But to his surprise, they were in near perfect condition afterwards (just needed a little scrubbing)! 

For his Eagle project, he donated care packages to the Thompson Autism Center of Children’s Hospital Orange County (CHOC). The main objective of the packages was to help patients with various gifts such as fidget toys, balls, and fidget cubes. A total of 100 gift bags were donated. 

Caden wanted to give back to an organization that has assisted his family for many years. They gave his brother treatment for a facial birthmark and assisted with other health issues. He and his family have participated in CHOC walks at Disneyland to bring awareness and support to both his brother and the CHOC organization, and he also desired to assist an organization that helps autistic patients. He wished to give back to the community so that these gifts can be cherished and remembered for a long period of time.

Keith Wu, son of Sutai and Kerry Wu, graduated from Kennedy High School in La Palma in May 2024. He will be attending CSU Fullerton in the fall, majoring in mechanical engineering.

Keith played basketball at OCBC from 2nd to 12th grade. He began his scouting career as a Tiger Scout in Cub Scout Pack 578, then crossed over to Boy Scout Troop 578 in 2017. His most memorable scouting memory was sleeping outside on benches at one of the summer camps because it was too warm inside the tent.

Positions held as a Boy Scout include Cyclones assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, Camp Fiesta Island Summer Camp senior patrol leader, patrol quartermaster, patrol historian, patrol outdoor ethics guide, troop quartermaster, and instructor.

His awards and achievements include: Assistant section leader for Kennedy HS Band, JFK Shamrock Regiment screamer (2023-24), Steam O Palooza Death Bot Competition 1^stplace, SCSBOA 12^thplace Championships, Field Crew chief for Kennedy HS Marchin Band, Camp Fiesta Island Honor Troop (2022) and Kennedy HS Varsity Golf (2023-24).

For his Eagle project, with his advisor ASM Jon Mauldin, Keith created custom canvas bags for the SPCALA Friends for Life Organization in Long Beach. The bags contained dog food, chew toys, a ball or bone, medium-size blankets, and medium-size dog beds. Each bag included the shelter’s logo on it. He also created a bag stand so the shelter can display the extra bags at their front desk.

The SPCALA shelter provides animal training, assists in reducing animal cruelty, and rescues animals that are in danger. They also provide programs such as a summer camp for kids to help around the animal shelter, and offer shelter for animals whose families are dealing with domestic violence. This project will further help this shelter by making it easier to distribute the supplies needed for the new families that are adopting their animals. 

Alex Konishi, son of Rick and Barbara Konishi, graduated from Cypress High School in May 2024. He played basketball there for four years; the last two on varsity. He was awarded Most Improved Player (2023), Most Reliable (2024) and All County Nikkei High School Basketball Award. He will be attending Cypress College in the fall and transferring to a university later, majoring in business. 

Alex attended OCBC from preschool to 12^thgrade, being involved in youth groups like Sangha Teens and Jr. YBA. He played SEYO baseball for a few years and also basketball for OCBC for 10 years.  

He started as a Wolf Scout in Pack 578, crossed over to Boy Scout Troop 578 in 2017, and had several leadership roles in his patrol, including historian, outdoor ethics guide, quartermaster, assistant patrol leader, patrol leader and instructor.

He has received the following achievements and awards: Boy Scout Sangha Award, Keith Higa Memorial Award, Leduc Backpacking Award,  Hanano Award, Cypress High School Athletic Scholarship, and Kiwanis Club of Cypress Scholarship.

He achieved his Eagle Scout rank in May 2024 and aged out the same month. For his Eagle project, he gave back to his grammar school by constructing two redwood planters for the Margaret Landell Elementary Outdoor Classroom. Under the guidance of his advisor, ASM Sutai Wu, and other scouts and friends, he successfully completed his project.

During his time there he not only learned basic knowledge as a kid, he began to feel more a part of the community. When he used the Outdoor Classroom, he felt like he was able to express himself more and not be confined to a desk all day. That was the reason he wanted to give back to this school that helped him become who he is today. Not only will the planters and their vegetation give the area more life and color, but it will allow students and teachers to be more hands-on and connected with the outdoors. 

His favorite Troop 578 memory was attending his last Rock Creek campout in Mammoth. He went up a day early and had a wonderful time exploring the city of Mammoth with two other scouts. He and his friends were able to walk through the creeks around their campsite. He went fishing on a pontoon with all of his friends, and although they didn’t catch that many fish, spending half the day on the lake with his friends was just as fun.

His last night there he experienced the most memorable and hilarious campfire ever, as they had a “Scouts Got Talent” show, and two scouts sang “Baby” by Justin Bieber.

Scouting has been such an integral and inspirational part of Alex’s life, and he is so grateful to all of the ASMs, parents and scouts of Troop 578 for their incredible support throughout the years.

Ryden Yamamoto, son of Ryan and Denyce Yamamoto, graduated from Los Alamitos High School in June 2024. He earned 23 merit badges and achieved the rank of Eagle on May 7, 2024. He will be attending CSU Fullerton in the fall, majoring in business administration.

Ryden has been in scouting since he joined Pack 578 at OCBC as a Tiger Cub and bridged into Boy Scouts after the 5th grade. He has served in several leadership positions for Troop 578:Patrol historian, patrol quartermaster, patrol scribe, patrol outdoor ethics guide, assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, instructor and assistant senior patrol leader.

Ryden has accomplished these achievements and awards: Keith Higa Memorial Award, Hanano Award (Rock Creek), Arrow of Light, Los Alamitos HS Principal’s Honor Roll, Los Alamitos HS California Scholastic Federation, AP Scholar with Honor, National Honor Society, Los Alamitos HS Scholar Athlete Award, Los Alamitos High School Boys Golf Team JV Most Improved Award, Los Alamitos High School Boys Golf Team Varsity Scholar Athlete Award.

For his Eagle project, Ryden built a table and cart to hold practice mats and allow for storage on top. His advisor was ASM Will Shimada and technical advisor was ASM Sutai Wu. His beneficiary was Orange County Aikido (OCA), located in Orange. Established in 1964 by Harry Ishisaka, it is one of Southern California’s oldest aikido dojos. 

Ryden was a member of OCA from 2016 to 2021. There he learned self discipline and connected with so many fellow students. He is very thankful to the head instructor, Ishisaka Sensei, for everything he has taught him in those years. 

In addition to not only making the storage of the mats easier, volunteers also helped clean out dust and debris while also reorganizing the storage unit to allow for easier access to certain items.

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