Joseph Nieves a member of Pack and Troop 996 wanted to do a service project that would make a difference in our community. His troop has a history of actively giving back the community via community service such as food and coat drives or feeding the homeless and cleaning parks. “We strive to do everything we can to benefit our community while demonstrating scout spirit,” says Joseph. He then discussed the inspiration for his project, “Due to the increase in population safety is a big issue for all users, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Having a mom that is very involved with transportation issues in the community I learnt a lot from her. I read in a 3 year period community board one has had 3,601 people injured and 22 people killed in traffic crashes. I knew then something has to be done. I felt we should try and educate the community with hopes to save lives.”
The event that took place on June 11th in the school yard at St. Francis of Paola Church drew over eighty attendees. In addition, 26 bikes were registered by NYPD. One of the attendees was Councilman Antonio Reynoso. “I was extremely thrilled to have Councilman Antonio Reynoso attend my event I know he was excited to see the kids learn about safety as I was,” said Joseph Nieves.
Joseph’s father inspired him to go into scouting by telling Joseph that his experiences in scouting continue to help him throughout his life. In his scouting journey Joseph has cherished every merit badge he has earned, “Most of them could be simple things like leather work or basketry, but then there are the merit badges that are 100% beneficial to you such as communications or environmental science.” He revealed scouting has strengthened his leadership and communication skills, that his troop is a great support system, and how important it is to have leaders who want success for their scouts.
Joseph Nieves wishes to give special thanks to: the NYC Dept. of Transportation (NYC DOT) for providing fun and educational activities on street safety for the kids and adults; NYC DOT Street Ambassadors for providing bike safety materials and bike lights; NYPD 94th Precinct for doing Bike Registrations; Transportation Alternatives for teaching us how to advocate for safer streets and alternative modes of transportation; and all the volunteers on making the event a success and especially Father Tom of Divine Mercy Parish for hosting the event.
The Greenline 