Joe Stevenson, an 18-year-old senior at Cape May Technical School, had such fond memories of the years he spent as a student at Our Lady Star of the Sea Regional School in Cape May that when it was time to decide on a project for his Eagle Scout, he called the principal at his alma mater. The highest award in the Boy Scout program requires the candidate be responsible to design, organize and lead a service project.
When Stevenson contacted Principal Joan Dollinger to discuss ideas for a project that would benefit the school, Dollinger told him she had long hoped to have a prayer garden built on an empty patch of lawn at the Decatur Street end of the school. Thanks to Stevenson, her hope for a place to pray has become a reality.
The project was multifaceted. First, Stevenson, had to raise $1300 to purchase wood and concrete for the project. He did so by holding various sales and participating in service projects for the Anglesea Irish Society, who in turn made a donation to his fund. Then in a show of leadership becoming an Eagle Scout, Stevenson rallied his fellow troop members and leaders to assist him with the labor.
Joe is proud of the garden and the cedar bench and pergola he built, which offer a quiet place for prayerful meditation. He planted flowering perennial vines on either side of the bench that will grow into the lattice, as well as small shrubs around the structure. The school plans on selling personalized stepping-stones to fill in the floor area of the prayer gar-den. The first stone has already been purchased in memory of Mary Favacchia, a beloved volunteer at the school. For more information on purchasing a stepping stone for the prayer garden, contact the school at 609-884-4437.
