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JANUARY 27, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXIII • NO 30
Local Boy Scout Earns All 137 Merit Badges BY FRANCINE FULTON
On Dec. 28, 2020, Alex LaVerdiere, a member of Boy Scout Troop 262 in Grantville, completed the requirements to earn the Horsemanship merit badge. With its completion, Alex marked a milestone - earning all of the 137 merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Reportedly, fewer than 500 Scouts have earned every merit badge available since the BSA formed in 1910, out of approximately 2.5 million Scouts in the program. In the BSA program, merit badges are a way for Scouts to learn about life skills, such as first aid, camping and swimming; hobbies, including wood carving, photography and
Students at Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary School in Middletown are making valentines and collecting chocolates for senior residents of Middletown Home.
SSBVM Students To Take Part In Community Service Projects n celebration of Catholic Schools Week, to be observed from Sunday, Jan. 31, through Friday, Feb. 5, and as part of their commitment to community service, students at Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary School (SSBVM) in Middletown are taking part in two service projects, and the public is welcome to participate. During the week, students will make valentines and collect chocolates for senior residents of Middletown Home and hold a food drive for Middletown Food Bank. The valentine project is being
See Boy Scout pg 3
Boy Scout Alex LaVerdiere recently completed all of the 137 merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America.
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shower them with love, which the students are happy to do,” said Mindy Kennedy, SSBVM director of development. The food drive is being led by middle-schoolers from the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), who are partnering with teacher Nancy Wakeman’s third-grade class under the guidance of Angela Warner and Josh Koch, NJHS advisers. SSBVM families, as well as the public, have been invited to donate nonperishable items for the food drive. Food will be collected outside the school during the same days and hours as the chocolates.
Headquartered in Middletown, Friends In Action Intl. has spent more than 25 years assisting missionaries in remote locations with infrastructure projects that help the Gospel reach indigenous people groups. The organization is seeking additional volunteer staff and other volunteers in multiple areas. Open positions include human resource director; communication assistant; missionary partners to Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and West Africa;
See SSBVM pg 3
See FIA pg 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Church To Hold Pop-Up Drive . . . . . . . . . .2 HCPAC Plans Auditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Library Sets Children’s Programs . . . . .3 Neighborhood Chatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .11
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spearheaded by teacher Diana Keyser’s first-grade class. SSBVM families, as well as the public, have been invited to donate chocolates to add to the Valentine’s Day surprise. All donations of chocolate must be prepackaged, and they cannot contain nuts or caramel. Donations will be accepted via a no-contact dropoff located outside of the school’s main entrance from Monday, Feb. 1, through Feb. 5 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Keyser will deliver the valentines and candy to Middletown Home just prior to Valentine’s Day. “Because (the seniors) are in quarantine, they asked that we
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BY FRANCINE FULTON
fishing; and vocational opportunities like dentistry, forestry and American business. Scouts can earn merit badges from age 11 until their 18th birthday. “It was always my goal (to earn the badges),” Alex said. “I set the goal when I was about 9.”
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Fager-Finkenbinder Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. Middletown | 717-944-7413 Alana A. Ace, Supervisor