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Scouts raise money for lost leader

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Franklin Square Scoutmaster Chris Miller noticed he was having trouble breathing at work during the summer and saw a doctor. He was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer on Aug. 29.

Four weeks later, the 48-year-old father of two Valley Stream North students was gone.

“He loved nothing more than life, his family and the Scouts, and he was gonna fight,” said Charlie Grippaldi, Miller’s friend and assistant Scoutmaster. “I was with him the day he died, and he had the attitude he would fight it.”

Miller died of heart failure on Sept. 29. There was a meeting scheduled for Troop 93 the next day, and Grippaldi decided not to cancel it. He told the Scouts, who are between 11 and 17 years old, to leave their uniforms at home and just wear their troop t-shirts. They sat around and shared memories of the Scoutmaster who had improved the group’s morale when he joined five years ago as an assistant Scoutmaster.

“He was an all-around selfless guy,” Grippaldi said. “He was non-stop helping somebody. He was funny, he had a crazy sense of humor, and the Boy Scouts isn’t exactly the coolest thing around but he made it fun. We had some guys getting into trouble, but he really turned the troop around.”

Miller was a Marine who left the Corps in 1987 to care for his father, who had fallen ill. When Grippaldi met him seven years ago, the two became best friends. His death prompted Grippaldi and his fellow assistant Scoutmasters to step up and offer some financial assistance to Miller’s family. Miller’s union benefits didn’t cover his medical bills because he was 100 working hours shy of the 1,000 required for the year before they kicked in.

The group started spreading the word and canvassing businesses that donations were being sought. The response was overwhelming — more than $2,000 was raised in a single night. The goal is to raise more than $10,000, Grippaldi said, so the troop is holding a pasta dinner on Sunday, Nov. 16 at the VFW post at 68 Lincoln Road in Franklin Square. Grippaldi said the space, where Miller pitched in for the veterans whenever asked, can seat several hundred people. The tickets are $10 per head and there will be raffles for a DVD player, a dozen gift baskets donated by Franklin Square businesses and a grand prize of a 55-inch LED Smart TV. To purchase tickets, make a donation or get more information, email Grippaldi at lilchas@optonline.net.

“His family is our family,” he said, “so we’re gonna do everything we can to help ‘em out.”