By Daniel Tait ‘25
After climbing through the ranks of scouting, I only have a few more steps until I get the rank of Eagle Scout. One of these steps to becoming an Eagle Scout is to be in charge of a service project. I knew that I wanted to honor the men and women who served our country, so I decided that I was going to host a veterans breakfast in their honor.
The next step was finding a location for the event and how to fund it. 115 Bourbon Street had graciously offered to donate all the food needed and a place to host it.
On Sunday, March 30, I hosted this breakfast. It turned out to be a huge success with over 40 attendees. While at the breakfast, the veterans shared stories about their time serving. The veterans were all grateful to have a place to share their stories with people who all went through the same hardships. They also shared laughs and had a good time.
Conor Wedel said, “I truly enjoyed being able to spend time with fellow veterans. Hearing all the different stories from all different branches of the military helped me feel connected again. My favorite part was spending time with my uncles and seeing them laugh and enjoy their time.”
Everyone who attended was extremely grateful and thankful for the opportunity.
A Brother Rice alumni and veteran Tom Dumais said, “I thought it was a great event. I enjoyed listening to stories from other veterans and hearing about their experiences. Two friends from St. Barnabas that came along also said they really enjoyed it.”
This experience was also very fulfilling for the volunteers who came to help. Over ten people volunteered, and some of them are current Brother Rice students. The volunteers helped clean up tables, fill up drinks, and converse with the veterans.
Sophomore Aiden Morin said, “Danny Tait’s Eagle Scout project was one the best ones I’ve been to. It was very great talking to the veterans and getting to serve them. I’d like to thank Danny Tait for this opportunity because it was a great one.”
I am very thankful for everyone who attended and greatly appreciated all those who came and volunteered.
