Rowland Named N. Philip Shelton Humanitarian Award Recipient
Kevin Rowland
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowKiwanis member Kevin Rowland is this year’s N. Philip Shelton Humanitarian Award recipient. Born in 1964 in Evansville, he grew up in Warrick County on a dairy farm. After graduating from Tecumseh High School, Rowland joined the Marine Corps and served in Okinawa, Japan. He finished his tour of duty at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia and pursued a degree in surveying from Vincennes University.
Rowland was introduced to the practice of helping others by his parents, Arthur and Viola, and his five older sisters. His father was a long-time member of the Kiwanis Club of Elberfeld and his mother also supported the Kiwanis Club by helping out during events and cooking meals. Both parents were also very active with their church, New Jerusalem United Methodist Church.
His list of volunteer experiences throughout his lifetime is impressive, to say the least. Rowland joined the Elberfeld Kiwanis Club in 1988 and jumped right in to help the club with their park and baseball facility. He continued his service through Kiwanis on the Vincennes Kiwanis Club’s board of directors, served as president of the Vincennes Club from 2015 to 2016, and is an active member of the Riley/Kiwanis K.I.D.S. Committee as a regional Riley advocate. Rowland routinely makes the trip to Riley Hospital for Children to volunteer and had previously served as the Riley fundraising chair for the Indiana District of Kiwanis.
He has been on the Knox County Development Corp. Board of Directors, and also served as director for the Vincennes Area Builders Association, the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors and Leadership Knox County. During his time volunteering with Leadership Knox County, Rowland and two other members formed “Up with Knox County,” a group that raised funding and worked on homes in Knox County for families in need. He was also recently presented with the “Right Stuff Award” by the Deputy Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation for his service to others.
Rowland and his family moved to Hendricks County, Indiana in the summer of 2017. He and his wife, Marci, have been married for 27 years and have a ten-year-old son named Zacariah. The couple has also served as foster parents for the last 10 years. Rowland is currently a member of the Plainfield Optimist Club and serves on the Board of Directors for their baseball league.
A family physician in Vincennes, Dr. Shelton lived a life of dedication to his community and serving others. In recognition of his service, the Dr. N. Philip Shelton Humanitarian Award was established in 1998. The purpose of the award is to recognize and promote humanitarian achievement in our community.
Shelton Humanitarian Award nominees must be Knox County residents who have demonstrated extraordinary efforts in working to improve the general well being and happiness of others; worked consistently to meet the physical, social, economic and/or educational needs of individuals in our community; and exemplified the spirit of Dr. N. Philip Shelton by actions and deeds. Some of the past winners include: Horace Foncannon, Scott Shipman, Mark Hill, Siegfried E. Schleicher, Jimmie Morrison, Nancy Carie, Jennifer Jones, Velma Hendrix, John Lyons and Max Renshaw.