Thursday, October 1, 2026
At age 13, Hewlett resident Joseph Petraro is already achieving what many Boy Scouts spend years working toward, completing the requirements for one of the highest honors in scouting with a deeply personal and community-driven Eagle Scout project.
A Lone Scout in Scouting America, Joseph began his journey as a 5-year-old Cub Scout before becoming a Boy Scout at age 10. What started as games quickly evolved into leadership and service.
“At first, it was just fun,” he said. “But as I got older, I realized it was a lot more than that. It’s about helping people and teaching others.”
For his Eagle Scout service project — which requires planning, leadership and community impact — Joseph created an intergenerational garden and gathering place at the Five Towns Premier Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, in Woodmere. The garden, which opened with a ceremony on April 22, features a Tree of Life bench, wheelchair-accessible raised garden beds and shaded seating areas designed to bring residents, families and visitors together.
“I wanted to create a space where people feel like they belong,” Joseph said. “Where conversations happen and people connect.”
His work was rooted in years of volunteerism for a nonprofit he created called the Joe’s Be Kind campaign, and “adopted” a grandmother in a nursing home at the Premier after losing his own grandmother. That early effort grew into a broader intergenerational initiative connecting children and seniors.
Joseph’s mother, Annie Petraro, said the project reflects who her son has always been. “He always wanted to help people who felt lonely,” she said. “This just grew from that.”
Annie said that her son has learned so much from the Woodmere center residents, and even though they’re from different generations, they are alike as well.
“I’m just so proud of everything he’s accomplished and how wonderful the ceremony was,” Annie said. “You can tell how much the residents and staff at the Premier love having him there.”
Joseph is also a den chief for Cub Scout Pack 106, in Valley Stream, mentoring younger scouts by teaching skills like first aid and leading activities, something he says he loves most about scouting. “I like helping the younger kids learn,” he said.
Michael Williams, a longtime scout leader and at the council commissioner of Scouting America’s Theodore Roosevelt Council, who has mentored Joseph throughout the project process, said that he stands out for both his maturity and his vision.
“Joe has been fantastic,” Williams said. “As a den chief, he doesn’t just show up — he creates programs, teaches younger scouts and really takes ownership. Sometimes what he plans is more elaborate than what adult leaders put together.”
Williams, who has worked in scouting for over two decades, said that Joseph’s leadership ability is evident, as is his character.
“He’s still a kid,” Williams said “He likes to run around and play sports, but he’s also someone who truly cares about people. What matters most to me is not just that he becomes an Eagle Scout, but that he continues to be someone who contributes to his community. And Joe is already doing that.”
Becoming an Eagle Scout requires earning at least 21 merit badges, demonstrating leadership and completing the service project. Williams believes Joseph is well on his way. “He just turned 13, and I have no doubt he’ll get there,” he said. “It’s not even a question.”
Williams added that Joseph’s original concept for his project, a large-scale water-filtration and conservation system, was far more complex, but he ultimately scaled back to the garden project, which Williams said better reflected immediate community needs.
“What he created at the nursing home is a true community project,” Williams said. “It helps residents, families, visitors and everyone in the community. That’s what these projects are supposed to do.”
Joseph led a team of volunteers, coordinating donations, materials and labor, while emphasizing that leadership meant guiding others rather than doing everything himself. “That’s what an Eagle Scout project is,” he said. “It’s not about doing it alone. It’s about leading.”
With the project completed, Joseph plans to continue visiting the nursing home and maintaining the garden, ensuring that the space remains active and meaningful.
The Eagle Scout rank, which he hopes to earn by 14, represents more than an achievement to him: It reflects a commitment to service, leadership and building something that will endure. “This is something that will last,” he said. “Not just the space, but the connections that happen here.”
