Joseph Lachance earns Eagle Scout

JOSEPH LACHANCE - COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR - TO RECEIVE EAGLE SCOUT AWARD

(Coventry, RI)…On Friday evening, May 26th, Joseph P. Lachance will be honored at a special Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony at 6 p.m. at Saints John and Paul Church in Coventry, RI. Joseph has been a member of Troop #39 Summit since 2010 and is proud to have attained this milestone.

To achieve Scouting’s highest award, Joseph had to earn at least 21 merit badges (he earned 27), serve as a leader in his troop, and complete a major community service project. His leadership history includes having been Ranger, Assistant Senior Patrol leader, Patrol Leader, and Chaplain Aide.

Joe’s service project was a shoe drive to benefit the organization Soles4Souls. His goal was to gather 500 pairs of gently used or new shoes to donate to the organization that distributes the shoes to people in need all over the world. With the help of several local schools, neighbors, and church congregations, Joe more than surpassed his goal, gathering 1482 pairs of shoes. He, and his fellow members of Troop #39 Summit, counted and boxed up all the shoes. Joe later borrowed a trailer and drove to New York with his father to personally deliver the shoes to the collection center for Soles4Souls.

In addition to the shoes, Joe also received financial contributions through a GoFundMe campaign so he was able to donate over $500 to the organization. Beyond his service project efforts, as part of Troop #39 Summit, Joe earned several other awards, including the Arrow of Light (the highest award for Cub Scouts); Ad Altare Dei (a rigorous religious element that entailed a separate ceremony with the Catholic Church); and the Order of the Arrow. For more than 90 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well.

Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. Order of the Arrow service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America's youth. Joseph’s ceremony will honor the Order of the Arrow and incorporate Native American aspects, including costuming and drums.

Joseph was also awarded the J. Harold Williams Award; one of the highest awards a Scout in the Narragansett Council can receive, named for the former director and co-founder of the Yawgoog Scout Reservation. Joseph was honored to represent Rhode Island at the national Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia in 2013.

Just two weeks after his Eagle Scout Court of Honor, Joseph will be graduating from Coventry High School as a member of both the RI and National Honor Societies, having maintained over a 4.15 average during his years there. A well-rounded student, Joseph was a member of the CHS Track and Field team as a thrower for two years; was the drummer for the jazz band during the 2015-2016 school year; and had the lead in this past fall’s production of the Broadway musical Avenue Q. He will be attending the University of Rhode Island in the fall to study Business and Finance.

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