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It took nine months after becoming an Eagle Scout for Joseph Seung Sinnott to learn his Bicycles and Blankets for Cambodia mission was officially completed.
Sinnott, a 2015 graduate of Salesian High School in New Rochelle, worked with the Salesian Missions to send 39 bicycles wrapped in blankets to children at four Salesian schools in the Cambodian provinces of Kep, Kampot and Takeo for his Eagle Scout badge.
The bicycles, completed before Sinnott’s 19th birthday last April, reached Cambodia in January for distribution to children supported by the Don Bosco Children’s Fund. The bicycles are transporting students from remote areas to and from school quicker and more efficiently. In Cambodia, less than half of the children finish primary school, some due to a long commute from remote, poverty-stricken areas.
“Considering I made an impact in a Third World country, it’s a great thing,’’ said Sinnott, a parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima in Yonkers.
“I knew people not as fortunate as us would be able to travel easier with these bikes that were not being used.”
Sinnott added being a member of Troop 1 Crestwood and a Catholic gave him an understanding of “what a struggle is like for a lot of people.”
“Organizations like the Catholic Church help gather groups of people to help people who are less fortunate.’’
Sinnott approached Salesian Principal John Flaherty concerning his Eagle Scout project and wanted to do something to give back to the school. Flaherty directed him to Salesian Missions on the high school campus, which resulted in this project.
“He’s a good student and very polite,’’ Flaherty said. “It was not an easy thing to do, but the project will have a long-lasting effect on these poor kids.’’
Sinnott prepared fliers for distribution through his troop, friends and family requesting donations of bicycles, blankets and money. He prepared a checklist for his fellow troop members to use in restoring and cleaning the bicycles. A basket and bell were purchased for each of the 39 bicycles heading to Cambodia.
“It’s not an easy thing. Only two percent of all scouts become Eagle Scouts,’’ said Joe Sinnott, Joseph’s father. “He wanted to give back to his school and Salesian was a good fit for him. He learned organization and leadership skills with this project.’’
Sinnott is now a student at Westchester Community College and has taken what he’s learned at Salesian and as a Boy Scout with him.
“It definitely will help me,’’ he said.
