ELIZABETH — Massimo Dominguez, 16, lives in Monroe but has a fondness for his hometown Elizabeth.
He lived in Elizabeth until he was transitioning to first grade. His family had a restaurant there called City Tavern. “Over the summers, I’d be there helping out,” he said. “I still have family in town. Elizabeth is very nice and is always going to be with me.”
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Elizabeth is special to Massimo. It’s where his parents got married. He still goes to mass there, but not as frequently as he used to at one time. Nevertheless, Massimo wanted to give back to the church.
Massimo has been a member of BSA Scouting America since 2014. As part of an Eagle Scout Project, he decided he wanted to help St. Anthony’s. He said, “The whole point of the project is to help your community, a community service project. I had the opportunity to do an Eagle Scout project. I always came back to St. Anthony’s church. I wanted to give something back.”
When meeting with the priest, Massimo was offered a few projects and he decided to replace the kneelers. He said, “The kneelers were old. Time for a replacement.”
Other projects the priest offered were quick fixes such as the garden area and a small maintenance around the church. Massimo knew he could do more.
He recently began raising money via his website. He hopes to complete the fundraising by September and complete the project by October or November.
In order to get new kneelers for the entire church, it would cost $40,000. Massimo said, “If we don’t raise enough money, my dad is going to help to get it to a certain point where we can replace some of the kneelers – the old ones that really need it.”
However, if money continues to come in, Massimo says the church can slowly add new kneelers. 
(Photos Courtesy of Massimo Dominguez)
Once the money is raised, Massimo says his friends from Monroe will help with the installation. “My family is helping me get the word out,” he said. “My uncle is a contractor. My parents are helping as well. People I know are helping me get to that goal.”
Raising money for St. Anthony isn’t something new for Massimo. When he was a little boy, he was always helping other people. His mom put him into scouting at a young age. He’s helped Eagle Scouts with more than 10 projects. He’s also helped his dad with backyard projects, and helped his friend’s dad with projects. “There’s always some little projects going on in my life,” he said. “With BSA Eagle Scout projects, I remember one really well, in a different church. It was an appearance project. It was a lot of work. One of my friends decided to paint railings. We re-did the gardening. They made an outdoor chapel and a concrete path.”
Aside from all the projects, Massimo is trying to get into a good college and starting his own marketing business. He wants to go to school for graphic design.
To make a donation to Massimo’s Eagle Scout project at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, visit: https://www.xammediahub.com/road-to-eagle.
