Jack Lancelotta: Thousands of hours of service to his community, wherever there is a need.

You can be a hero without saving a life. In fact, you can be a hero without even shedding any blood—unless it is the blood, sweat and tears of good, hard work, like planting trees in the community or creating a green space an entire state can take pride in.

AmericanTowns Heroes are people in communities across the country who make a difference by the way they live their lives. They are nurses and veterans, young athletes and social workers and people like Jack Lancellotta who answer to a higher calling.

“We believe service to humanity is the best work of life” is the last line of the JAYCEE creed. It is a motto the organization has stood behind since 1947 when it was first adopted and a saying brought to life every day by one outstanding individual. John J. “Jack” Lancellotta is the Executive Director of the JAYCEE Education and Library Foundation, established in 1990 to enhance the educational, charitable, leadership development, and community action programs of JAYCEES. He is also the Administrator for the Kent County Junior Chamber and the driving force behind many local projects and efforts, like obtaining nationwide certification as a Tree City/USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation or working with the Kent County Order of the Sons of Italy in America and its Vince Lombardi Lodge #2357 to bring the St. Joseph Day Ceremony back to the Pawtuxet Valley.But those are just things Lancellotta does to get warmed up. Lancellotta has volunteered thousands of hours to various community organizations over the years. He was even awarded a Presidential Lifetime Service Award in 2005 for “outstanding, extensive and dedicated volunteer service and civic participation,” including more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service. Many hundreds of those hours were spent in the development of the JAYCEE Corridor & Arboretum, the award-winning nature lane and community esplanade, that has become a statewide attraction.The Arboretum really is the “jewel,” but in typical JAYCEE fashion, Mr. Lancellotta would rather acknowledge all the other people who get involved and do the right thing, like Mr. Alan Feinstein who has “dedicated millions of dollars to Rhode Island elementary and secondary schools, and to its colleges and universities, to advance the importance of community service in education and the values of caring, compassion and brotherhood.”In addition to being a representative on several parish councils, Mr. Lancellotta serves on numerous charitable committees in being certified by the Diocese of Providence with its St. Vincent de Paul Society and holding membership in countless charitable organizations.Mr. Lancellotta’s accomplishments since getting involved with the JAYCEES in 1978 are almost too many to note. It is a tale of someone who takes the JAYCEE creed to heart and raises the spirits of an entire community in the process. For that reason he is an AmericanTowns Hero. Someone who makes a difference in how the community looks and feels and how the people of a community act toward one another. If you would like to get involved in volunteer efforts in your community, check volunteermatch.org to see what feels right for you. Many worthy organizations, like Meals on Wheels could benefit with just a little bit of your time. What you might find, once you get started, is that it is the most rewarding few hours you spend each week. Like the saying goes… ‘service to humanity is the best work of life.’