Joseph Martino is a Life Scout who is working on Project Hope

HOWELL -- Troop 300’s Joseph Martino is a current Life Scout who is working on his Eagle Scout project. He has named it Project Hope, and its beneficiary is the nonprofit Mary’s Place by the Sea in Ocean Grove.

Mary’s Place is a respite home for women who are receiving treatment for cancer. The facility provides rest and support for patients as well as services that complement their medical treatment, including oncology massage, nutrition education, individual counseling, Reiki, guided meditation, expressive writing and yoga.

Since 2009, over 11,000 women with cancer have stayed at Mary's Place by the Sea.

Joseph, 16, has personally experienced what it is like to have a family member be diagnosed with cancer and then go through months of difficult treatment, so this inspired his idea for Project Hope.

His mother was diagnosed with stage 2 colorectal cancer in 2016. Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide. She went through six months of chemotherapy and felt lost and distressed, but there was more.

Joseph’s mother still needed to get life-changing surgeries, but prior to those she was introduced to Mary’ Place and had an opportunity to spend time there to prepare for what was soon coming. Joseph said:

“In search of a way to surmount these feelings, my mother was introduced to Mary’s Place by the Sea in Ocean Grove, NJ.

“Reluctant at first, my mother booked a respite weekend just prior to her life-changing surgeries at the home where women with cancer heal their mind, body and souls, Mary’s Place by the Sea.

“Upon return to our family, my mother appeared to have gained enormous courage, strength and resilience from her stay and to date is cancer free.

“Mary’s Place by the Sea is a godsend and has inspired me and my whole family to want to pay it forward for others to continue to reap the benefits of this wonderful, nonprofit organization.”

Specifically, Joseph will create and install a beautifully crafted Our Lady of Lourdes grotto where guests can encounter a quiet and peaceful place for rest, prayer and meditation. The grotto will be permanently placed carefully upon a freshly laid set of designer paver blocks on the front lawn of Mary’s Place by the Sea in the center of their rose garden.

Joseph is seeking donations to secure the materials that he needs, including tools, pavers, a 36-inch statute of Our Lady of Lourdes, adhesive and paver sand base.

As with all Eagle Scout projects, any cash raised in excess of the project’s costs goes directly to the beneficiary, which in this case is Mary’s Place by the Sea.

The pandemic has made fundraising extremely difficult for scouts the past year, so they need to rely on the community more than ever to help them achieve their goals to improve the local community.

If you would like to support Joseph’s wonderful project, please visit his GoFundMe fundraiser.

Your support of a scout today improves your local community and creates the civic-minded leaders of tomorrow.