Congressman-Elect Lawler Presents Heimishe Yid as Citizen of the Year Award

By M.C. Millman

Congressman-Elect Mike Lawler honored five Rockland County residents for their tremendous service to the community as Citizens of the Year.

The award ceremony took place on Wednesday, December 28. Chaim Lebowitz was among those recognized, along with Rob Chiapperino, Alan F. Seebach, Sr., Father Mike Petit-Homme, and Brianna Tuckey.

“When COVID struck,” Lawler said during the ceremony, “Chaim Lebovits, a lifelong Rockland resident, saw a need in the community and identified Convalescent Plasma as a means to combat COVID effectively, donating his plasma to help those in need. He also worked to set up Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Sites across the country, especially in underserved neighborhoods, to help those less fortunate have the tools they needed to fight COVID. He has conducted himself with great honor, compassion, and integrity in the pursuit of helping others.”

“I was extremely humbled by the fact that I was selected to be honored with this award,” Lebovitz shares with Rockland Daily. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mike Lawler. A lot of electeds you can only find around elections, but Mike goes around helping people every day, even those not in his district. When someone asks for help, he helps them.”

Lebovitz certainly knows the meaning of going out of one’s way to help others, having helped hundreds of thousands in making convalescent plasma available, something he started in March of 2020 by bringing it to New Rochelle. After that, he worked with Refuah to set up more of the same, followed by Lakewood, Williamsburg, Flatbush, Crown Heights, Boro Park, and Michigan. Soon he was helping blood banks all across the country, galvanizing the frum community via social media to donate wherever the drives were taking place, creating a tremendous kiddush Hashem while saving countless lives.