Rebuild the Rafu Chuo Sign - Eagle Scout Project

Kenneth Bray-Ali is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello, my name is Kenneth (Ken) Bray-Ali and I am asking for donations for supplies & materials to help rebuild the signage board at Rafu Chuo Gakuen in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. I hope to earn the rank of Eagle Scout with Troop 509 and this school and project are important to me as the school is a big part of my experience growing up.

こんにちは僕のなまえはブレイアリ賢です。僕はトループ５０９のボーイスカウトのメンバーです。ボーイスカウトには７段のランクがあり、僕は今六段目のライフスカウトです。僕と弟は羅府中央学園に何年もお世話になってきました。それなので、ボーイスカウトの最後のランクのイーグルスカウトになる一環では是非とも羅府中央学園に貢献できるプロジェクトをしたいと思っていました。先生方やPTAの方と相談し校庭の劣化している掲示板を新しく作りその周りの造園を直させて頂くことになりました。2021年11月下旬から12月にこのプロジェクトをする予定です。物資や資材を購入する為に寄付をお願いしています。よろしくお願いします！

Rafu Chuo Gakuen is a private school in the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles that teaches the Japanese language and culture. I attended this school & my brother is currently attending Saturday morning language classes. While not as well known as the enclaves in Downtown Los Angeles and the South Bay, Boyle Heights had a large Japanese community before World War 2 and after the war, a number of families came back to the area for schools, churches, community centers, and local events. Rafu Chuo was built in 1938 and designed by local architect Yos Hirose and expanded in 1959.

I wish to help this school as it is the school that taught me and my brother Japanese so we can speak to our grandmother in her native language & help many other students do the same. To give back to this school I talked with the teachers and administration of the Kyodo School system and asked them what I should do and they asked for me to build the signboard in the front. As you can see in the photos, the current signboard has significant wood rot and is not structurally sound. A repair to the roof was completed with inferior plywood and it is no longer useable.

This school and the signboard are important to me and my family because my brother and I attend the school and we want to improve the school for future families. I am planning to remove the old signboard, build a new signboard, & improve the garden in front of the school. I am building the signboard in late November/early December 2021. I am asking for donations for supplies & materials and any donations will help. Thank you for your time.

My project involves 3 major phases:

1) Planning and Budgeting along with requests for approval from the school, the administration, my Scout Troop 509, the San Gabriel Scout Council, confirmation with the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety as well as safety preparations (completed November 2021)

2) Demolition of the existing signage board and removal to a nearby dump (Completed November 2021)

3) Construction and installation of a new signboard along with the improvements to the garden area by volunteers and community members under my direction (Scheduling now)

Budget:

Most of the budget items are for materials and construction supplies. Some funds are earmarked for helping keep volunteers safe, hydrated, and fed! All extra funds not used in the project will be donated to Rafu Chuo Gakuen and Kyodo schools.

Lumber costs (variable at the time of planning) - $650

Signage lettering for front of sign - $250

Cork materials for push board at rear side to allow for the posting of notices, schedules, and school rules - $200

Roofing materials - $100-$400 depending on donation ranges. I would like to use

Construction materials (screws, brackets, nails and tools) - $150

Safety equipment (gloves, glasses) - $75

Dump Fees - $100

Water and food (lunch) for volunteers - $200

Total budget costs $1,725

This is the current billboard from inside the school