WEST ORANGE, NJ — “Be prepared” is the motto of every Boy Scout and the principle of Eagle Scout candidate Liam Cunningham. Cunningham, a member of the West Orange High School Class of 2017 and West Orange’s Boy Scout Troop 6, is currently finishing a fence-renewal project at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in West Orange. Together with his immediate and extended family, Cunningham has a long association with Our Lady of Lourdes as a parishioner and volunteer.
In the preparation and planning, Cunningham has worked diligently with his Scoutmaster, Enda Donagher, and with the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Father Jim Ferry. This has required Cunningham to plan, organize, lead and manage the repair and replacement of 275 linear feet of fence. The current fencing sits atop a retaining wall and is a necessary safety barrier. This fence is located near a recreation area for the school children of Mount Carmel Guild Academy at Our Lady of Lourdes.
The Eagle Scout candidate’s service project is not limited to manual labor and dexterity with tools. Cunningham has also taken on the management of volunteer workers and financing of the costs for the project. On July 1 and 2, Cunningham delivered a speech at the Our Lady of Lourdes Masses, achieving donations of more than $2,000 in one weekend for a project estimated at $5,600. Donations are still being received and welcomed.
“Liam spoke clearly and effectively to an assembly of over 700 and made a great impression, inspiring confidence in his project,” Ferry said in a press release. “We are very grateful to Liam and to the Boy Scouts for their service endeavor here at Lourdes.”
Cunningham’s agility with his tools and with his team signify his own upbringing and family values. His late grandfather, Dick Cunningham, was a fine carpenter and also the respected township building inspector in West Orange for many years. Dick Cunningham also worked with his own sons — including Liam Cunningham’s father, Daniel — on many construction projects.
Liam Cunningham has learned well from the Cunningham family and from the Boy Scouts.
On Saturday, Aug. 19, a portion of each patron’s bill at the Oak Barrel Tavern, 440 Main St. in West Orange, will be donated to the fence project.
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