On the evening of Veterans Day, two Lynn Rotarians, Captain Kevin Johnson and Dr. Richard Cowdell, were honored by Rotary District 7930, as part of their Celebration of Heroes night at the Danversport Yacht Club function hall. Several other Rotarians from various clubs within the 7930 District were also honored. All honorees were presented with a Paul Harris Award, which is presented to those people in the community who make a significant contribution to their community. Mr. Harris founded Rotary in 1905.
Rotary District 7930 has approximately 50 Rotary Clubs, primarily in northeastern Massachusetts, under its umbrella.
Captain Johnson is the commanding officer of the Salvation Army headquarters in Lynn. He was honored for his extraordinary efforts in helping to relieve food insecurity issues during the COVID pandemic beginning in March/April 2020. He established a drive-thru food distribution at the Lynn headquarters. He also distributed food provided by the Greater Boston Food Bank, (GBFB), as well as food provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“I remember a day in July 2020 when we gave food to 15,000 people,” Captain Johnson said. “During the pandemic, we distributed over 1.5 million pounds of food items from the GBFB in 2020 alone, with a similar amount in 2021, as well as at least 2 million pounds from the USDA over the course of the pandemic.”
During the over eighteen month period he, and the organization he created, distributed over 10 million meals to approximately 15 thousand families. His efforts undoubtedly saved lives during the pandemic.
Dr. Richard Cowdell has served as Camp Rotary director for over 25 years. However, the two summers of the pandemic, 2020 and 2021, were the most challenging. For the 2020 summer, he had to close the camp completely, and then he faced the daunting task of reopening the camp for the summer of 2021 under very strict guidelines. In reopening the camp, Dr. Cowdell demonstrated firmness in meeting very rigorous state health guidelines and requirements. He also demonstrated a calming empathy and understanding of the fears and concerns of campers and parents alike. At the same time, he kept in mind the importance of creating a positive and fun environment for the campers and staff members.
During the eight-week period of the camp season, approximately 1,000 campers enjoyed a COVID-19-free experience. All campers and the 120 staff members were tested periodically for COVID, and there was not one positive test. And that was during the period when COVID-19 cases were spiking. A fun summer was had by all.
2021 is also the centennial year of Camp Rotary; it was 1921 when several Lynn Rotarians had the idea of purchasing a camp in Boxford to provide a respite for the youth of Lynn and other areas. It is assumed that many of the first campers in 1921 had lost a father in World War I. It has operated continuously every year since, except for 2020.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee was unable to attend the Celebration of Heroes; however, he sent congratulations to the Lynn Rotary Club’s Captain Kevin Johnson of the Greater Lynn Area Salvation Army and Dr. Rich Cowdell for their nominations as Rotary Foundation 2021 Heroes. He recognized that both of these Lynn Rotarians went above and beyond to serve the community over the last year plus during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a telephone interview, Mayor McGee said that “Captain Johnson led the effort of providing millions of meals to those who needed it most, and Rich ensured that Camp Rotary was prepared to welcome our youth back safely for a summer full of fun. Lynn is extremely fortunate to have people like this lifting up our community.”
