The Morris County Board of Freeholders recently honored an Eagle Scout from Morristown for an ambitious scout project that has made it easier for vision impaired people to traverse Morristown High School, and for calling attention to the issue of blindness and vision impairment in general.

The freeholders presented a certificate of achievement to Andrew Chin of Scout Troop 228 in Morristown for his accomplishment.

The scout, a senior at Morristown High School, was joined by his family at the ceremony, held at the Board of Freeholders’ Sept. 28 meeting in Morristown, to celebrate the positive achievements of this young county resident.

Earlier on Wednesday, the freeholders’ declared October as Blindness Awareness Month in Morris County to call attention to the issues facing many county residents who have impaired vision.
The freeholders praised Chin for completing the service project that earned him the Eagle Scout designation, which is attained by less than four percent of Boy Scouts nationwide.

“This is a remarkable young man who has really made a difference in his high school community, helping to raise awareness among young people of the needs of people with sight issues, but to also show them the incredible assets this group of people bring to our community,’’ said Freeholder Director Kathy DeFillippo.

For his Eagle Scout project. Andrew raised funds to install federally compliant Braille signs throughout Morristown High School to make the school more accessible to blind and visually impaired persons, like himself.

He subsequently organized a Blindness Awareness Day program at the high school where more than a dozen exhibitors, such as Seeing Eye and the N.J. Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, promoted awareness of vision issues and daily living solutions for blind and visually impaired persons.

Andrew is an honors student and member of the National Honor Society, and also is a member of the Morristown High School swim team and runs track and field. Additionally, he is a peer counselor and a Bonner Scholar.