Coventry Resident Earns Eagle Scout Honor

Matthew Fusco, 16, of Coventry, a Boy Scout with Troop 39 Summit . Matthew's Eagle Court of Honor was held on June 2nd at the Summit Baptist Church in Coventry, which serves as the sponsor organization for Troop 39.

Scoutmaster Bernie George presided over the ceremony, with the invocation provided by the Reverend Robert Auld of , and benediction provided by the Very Reverend Paul Grennon of . Nearly 175 people were in attendence for the ceremony including several public officials who made proclmatations on Matthew's behalf.

The trail to Eagle Scout is one of hard work, self-sacrifice and community service, and less than 5 percent of all Scouts nationwide achieve the rank of Eagle. One requirement that's particularly difficult is the planning and execution of an Eagle Scout service project. 

Matthew's project was conducted on behalf of URI's W. Alton Jone's campus in West Greenwich to create a destination spot for children attending summer day camp, in an area that had been badly damaged by the floods of 2010. He led 29 volunteers in clearing a wooded area to be used by the children as an outdoor classroom, built benches for seating, and made the area accessible for swimming. Matthew attended the day camp as a child and wanted to give back to the camp that he enjoyed so much.

During his time with Troop 39, Matthew earned several special awards including Scout of the Year, the Catholic Religious Awards, Order of the Arrow (Ordeal & Brotherhood), and the Eagle Bronze Palm.

In addition to earning the rank of Eagle Scout, Matthew is an honor student and varsity cross-country runner at , and an altar-server for SS John & Paul Church.