Honor Eagle Scout Joseph Philippone

March 12, 2017, at Saint Martin Lutheran Church in Webster, New York; and WHEREAS, Joseph Philippone, the son of Steven and Eileen Philippone, is a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 110, Webster, New York; and WHEREAS, America has achieved her greatest heights of glory through the dedication, determination and tireless efforts of the outstanding citizens of this Nation; and WHEREAS, It is only with the continued diligence and devotion of our youth, tomorrow's leaders, that America will maintain her glory; and WHEREAS, The Boy Scouts of America and its members are dedicated to the development of character and leadership in the youth of this Nation; and WHEREAS, The highest achievement of leadership in Scouting, earned by only five percent of all Boy Scouts, is the distinguished rank of Eagle Scout; and WHEREAS, This outstanding young man has been involved in Scouting for many years, has lived up to Scouting's ideals and has attained all of the necessary achievements, including completion of a community service project, which was successfully planned, developed and executed; and WHEREAS, For his project, Joseph Philippone upgraded the community vegetable garden at Saint Peter's Soup Kitchen in Rochester, New York, which has doubled the amount of produce available to the soup kitchen while using sustainable and environmentally friendly means to water the garden; and WHEREAS, Joseph Philippone's project included the fabrication and installation of four raised gardens, three rainwater collection barrels and a drip irrigation system for watering; the collection system included building a pitched-roof structure, rain gutter and three storage barrels; and WHEREAS, In addition, Joseph Philippone was able to show his strong leadership skills in managing the efforts of about 25 scouts, leaders and other volunteers for a total of 245 hours of service time; and WHEREAS, A Senior at Webster Thomas High School, Joseph Philippone is very active in the Music Department; he plays the saxophone and piano, and is a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society; and WHEREAS, In addition, Joseph Philippone is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, and has distinguished himself by achieving a black belt in karate; he is involved in several extracurricular activities such as volunteering at the Saint Peter's Soup Kitchen, serving as a Eucharistic Minister at Saint Rita Church and skiing; and WHEREAS, Joseph Philippone has applied to several colleges and universities and plans to major in Music Business; and WHEREAS, Joseph Philippone's perseverance in rising through the ranks to Eagle Scout is a strong indication of his ability to master difficult tasks; his accomplishment will enable him to emerge as a leader, fully equipped to meet the challenges of today's complex society; and WHEREAS, This new Eagle Scout is a credit to his family, his school, his community, his State and his Nation, and no doubt his future will be filled with accomplishments of equal importance; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations, in recognition of the significance of this meritorious achievement, to congratulate and honor Joseph Philippone on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Joseph Philippone.