Patrick N. McGreevey Awarded $2,000 National Scholarship
Patrick N. McGreevey from Appleton, Wisconsin has been awarded the $2,000 Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting® (NCCS). McGreevey belongs to Saint Joseph Catholic Church and is a member of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 9, Bay-Lakes Council. This year nine service scholarships totaling $25,000 were awarded nationwide to recognize scouts for outstanding service and leadership in four areas: Church, Community, School, and Scouting.
McGreevey truly embodies the ideals of servant leadership. When asked why volunteering is important to him, he responded, “Throughout all 4 Gospels, Jesus emphasized the necessity to both give to the poor and use the skills God gave them…We are encouraged by the Lord to use what he gave us to glorify him for nothing material in return. I believe that volunteering of time, talent, and treasure, is the best way to live this passage.” McGreevey earned all four religious emblems offered by the NCCS and he serves his local parish in a variety of ministries such as Altar Server, youth retreat leader and religious education teacher.
McGreevey is enthusiastic about community service, he volunteered countless hours to his local parish and community, most notably the Red Cross, the local food bank, Pillars Homeless Shelter and Appleton senior citizens. Along with four others, he helped organize a hotdog eating contest to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
At Xavier High School, McGreevey is a member of the National Honor Society and Key Club. He dedicates time to serve as a math tutor and plays violin in his high school’s orchestra. In school athletics he is a member of the cross country and track teams and for the last two years, McGreevey has been active as a member of the Mock Trial Team and Student Ambassador program.
In Scouting, McGreevey served numerous leadership positions, ranging from Troop Quartermaster to Senior Patrol Leader. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow (OA), the BSA’s Honor Society and served as an OA Chapter Officer. For his Eagle Scout Project, McGreevey led efforts to construct a new outdoor storage shed for the Hearthstone Historic House Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin. The shed was required to match the historic architecture of the buildings on the property and doubled the usable storage and workspace of museum personnel. McGreevey raised $14,000 from donations from private citizens and civic organizations. The project took over 1000 hours to complete and involved 58 Scouts, volunteer museum members and members of the Lion’s Club to make this project possible.
To be eligible to apply for the NCCS Scholarships, the Scout must be Catholic, earned the Ad Altare Dei and/or Pope Pius XII Awards and received either the BSA Eagle Scout Award, Venturing Summit or Sea Scout Quartermaster Award. A complete list of award recipients, eligibility requirements and applications can be found at http://nccs-bsa.org/index.php/collegescholarship. NCCS Scholarship recipients are chosen based on their commitment in making a difference for good in the world through service and leadership. Young people, like Patrick McGreevey are certain to enrich our future.