Local scouts earn Eagle rank through many hours of service "Continued"

Continued:

Jonathan Mark Ormsby
>> Jonathan Mark Ormsby, 18, of Venture Crew 198, was elevated to the rank of Eagle Nov. 6, 2008, and has earned 21 merit badges. Jonathan has exhibited outstanding leadership ability and completed more than 20 hours of service on a major project that he planned and organized.

The service project Jonathan carried out consisted of collecting used toys, cleaning and sorting them and donating them to Safe Place in Midland, an organization that benefits displaced families. In all, more than 1,000 toys were donated. In addition to his efforts on behalf of Safe Place, Jonathan organized the annual Christmas party for the church. He, with the help of his fellow scouts and leaders, hand crafted wooden puzzles and gave them to the children of the church during the Christmas party. He was responsible for the gift baskets, the dinner and the program. A total of 153 hours was spent dedicated to his project.

Jonathan is a senior at Odessa High School, where he is a member of the varsity basketball team. He has plans to attend Brigham Young University and plans to serve a 2-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is an active member and currently serves as an assistant to the bishop.

Taylor David Ormsby
>> Taylor David Ormsby, 16, of Varsity Team 198, was elevated to the rank of Eagle Dec. 15, 2008, and earned 28 merit badges (seven more than required).

Taylor exhibited outstanding leadership ability, and completed more than 22 hours of service on a major project that he planned and organized.

Taylor became highly interested in the underground after Team 198 made a trip to Cottonwood Cave in the Lincoln National Forest.

Additional visits to Sentinel, Gunsight and Black Cave spurred his interest and he sought to complete a project, which would benefit cave visitors.

After a tremendous amount of coordination with the forest department Taylor received approval to restore the Great Sand Slope trail, a steep 300-foot decent with numerous switchbacks located at the back of Cottonwood Cave.

Laborers carried equipment, including water and cement, 3/4 of a mile from the road to the trailhead.
The work was completed by headlights alone. His team reinforced steps, built retaining walls and cleared a rubble-ridden trail. Taylor's team spent a total of 187 combined service hours.

Taylor was a sophomore at Odessa High School, where he was a member of the junior varsity basketball team. He was an active member and had served as the teacher's quorum president as well as the varsity team captain.