‘God has put me here to do it’
Entertainer Tommy Cowan honoured by Rotary, hails purpose
Tommy Cowan was hailed as the awardee of the Victor Rhone Ethics Awards at the recently held Rotary Club of New Kingston Vocational Service Awards ceremony.
According to Cowan, the honour cements his beliefs in continuing to do impactful work.
“The word of God is true, ‘Don’t grow weary while doing good for in due season you will reap a rich reward if you faint not,” he told the
Jamaican Observer.
“I did not expect this recognition as I don’t really work to get honour, rewards or recognition. I do my work with a simple belief which is, if you do good, you will get a blessing, and if you do bad you will get beaten. It’s your choice.”
The Victor Rhone Ethics Award is made by the Rotary Club of New Kingston to an individual who has displayed high ethical standards in the pursuit of his/her vocation.
Formerly known as the Ethics Award when it was first awarded in the Rotary year 2014/15, the inaugural Victor Rhone Ethics Award is named in memory of charter member and past president of the Rotary Club of New Kingston,Victor Hugo Rhone.
“The fact that this is what God has put me here to do, it’s ‘my work’. In other words you can fire me from my job but you cannot fire me from ‘my work’, which is what I am here to do,” Cowan explained.
Others honoured at the awards event include Sandra Samuels (Rose-Marie Gibbs Transformational Woman awardee), Donovan Watkis (Gary Grant Vocational Rotarian awardee), and Desi Jones (Gary Grant Vocational Non-Rotarian awardee).
The impresario further noted that he remains anchored in his faith as he goes about executing his career to the best of his God-given abilities.
“Two of the greatest days in one’s life are the day they were born and the day they know why they were born,” he said. “It amounts to purpose; why do I exist? A sense of personal purpose because of vision which leads to hope. I have a passion for knowing that music can impact the world in becoming a better place, creating a preferred future; music is mentioned in the
Bible 1028 times to be exact. God must consider music to be very important to do this. Psalm 100:26 says ‘Come before His presence with singing.’ God is implying that He has a preference in how he is approached — through praise and worship,” he shared.
Cowan said he is currently working on three albums for his wife, gospel singer Carlene Davis-Cowan; his daughter Sara Cowan-Conner; and saxophonist Verlando Small, as well as the Best Dressed Chicken Fun In The Son.