Seaford Eagle Scout continues family legacy

Following in the footsteps of his brothers, Joseph Lettieri has earned the highest honor in the Boy Scouts. Lettieri, 18, is Seaford’s newest Eagle Scout following his Court of Honor ceremony on July 25.

Lettieri is a member of Troop 690, based at St. William the Abbot, and the ceremony was held in the church Abbey. It was attended by about 50 people, including family, friends, fellow scouts and local dignitaries.

“It really felt great because these are people that I’ve worked with for a long time,” he said, “and people who have supported me throughout my entire life through scouting.”

Lettieri said that the highlight of the ceremony for him was his speech, in which he was able to thank all of his supporters and share a few words of wisdom for younger scouts.

His scouting career began in first grade. He was then a student at St. William the Abbot School and joined Cub Scout Pack 690. From there, he joined the Boy Scouts and aspired to the earn the prestigious Eagle rank.

Lettieri’s three older brothers — Philip, Vincent and Quentin — are already Eagle Scouts. “Jokingly, they said, ‘It’s about time,’” Lettieri said. “They congratulated me and told me they were very proud.”

He cited them, along with his parents, Edward and Jeanne, as his role models. His younger brother, Nathaniel, is expected to become the fifth Lettieri to earn the Eagle rank.

A community service project is required in order to become an Eagle Scout. Lettieri built collection containers for the AMT Children of Hope Baby Safe Haven Foundation, which is dedicated to saving the lives of babies who have been, or might be abandoned.

Tim Jaccard, the founder of the organization and a parishioner at St. William, approached Troop 690 with the idea. He needed the collection boxes for baby items for these rescued infants.

“He did a great job,” Jaccard said of Lettieri. The boxes that Lettieri and his volunteers built are at several area stores that sell baby supplies, as well as a mobile box that the foundation can bring to its fundraising events. Since the boxes were built last summer, Jaccard said Safe Haven has collected almost a tractor-trailer’s worth of baby items.

“I jumped on it because I thought it was a really great cause,” Lettieri said about taking on the project. He said the experience taught him leadership skills, how to motivate people, the ability to organize, and of personal charity.

Jaccard, who said one of his biggest regrets is having never become an Eagle Scout himself, congratulated Lettieri on his accomplishment. “He’s got leadership qualities, he definitely does,” Jaccard said. “I know he’s really going to make it in the world.”

Lettieri earned 36 merit badges, well beyond the 21 that are required for Eagle Scout. His favorite ones were automotive maintenance and wilderness survival.

Like many scouts, camping has been a favorite activity for Lettieri. He said he loves experiencing nature, and every summer has spent a week at the Onteora Scouting Reservation upstate. For the past two years, he has taught leadership and camping skills to younger scouts, following his completion of the National Youth Leadership Training program.

He also did annual kayaking trips on the Delaware River.

Lettieri is a recent graduate of Chaminade High School and will be attending Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio in the fall, where he plans to study philosophy. He said he is looking forward to being on his own, furthering his knowledge and exploring the mountains there.

In high school, he was a member of a service organization which did projects throughout the school and community, was the editor of the yearbook and member of the hiking club.

Scouts has always been a major part of his life and Lettieri said that earning the Eagle rank is a major accomplishment. “I can depend on myself to do the right thing, which allows me to impact others,” he said.

He added that in order to reach that goal, a Boy Scout must never give up and never be afraid to ask for help along the way. “It may seem very difficult, there may be times when it seems impossible,” Lettieri said, “but a true Eagle Scout always has faith in himself.”