Levy a Hidden Hero as earned with Town Rotary
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Farrell Levy, center, is the first recipient of Rotary Club of Farragut’s 2025 Hidden Hero Award, which he received during a RCF meeting in Fox Den Country Club Wednesday, Nov. 13. Joining him, from left, are RCF selection chair Tom Woodbery; Dream Connection president Beth Milam; Levy’s daughter, Rachel Patton; wife, Laura Levy; daughter, Carolyn Gilliam; and RCF president Scott Bertini. - Photos by Tammy Cheek
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During the ceremony, Woodbery prepares to present Levy with the Hidden Hero Award. - Photos by Tammy Cheek
Rotary Club of Farragut has found a Hidden Hero in Knox County — Farrell Levy.
Levy was selected as the first recipient of the award, which the club initiated this year, receiving the award during RCF’s regular meeting in Fox Den Country Club Wednesday, Nov. 13.
“I’m very grateful for this award,” Levy said. “I am very humbled by it when I look out into the audience, all the Rotarians I see that have done so many great volunteer things.”
“The award recognizes unsung heroes in Knox County who go out of their way to help others in need,” said Tom Woodbery, RCF chairman of the selection committee.
“Levy, a Farragut native and partner in the McDonald, Levy and Taylor law firm, is one of the founders of The Dream Connection, an all-volunteer organization that makes dreams come true for children with serious and life-threatening illnesses.
“They were a group of volunteers who worked at the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital,” Woodbery added. “They looked around and said, ‘We would like to do something to help kids who have serious, life-threatening illnesses, something for them.’
“So, they came up with the idea of the Dream Connection.”
Levy has been active as a president, treasurer, a board member, as a legal advisor and a mentor.
“The Dream Connection is a special organization,” Levy said. “It’s an all-volunteer organization. Over the years I’ve been involved, we’ve had hundreds of volunteers.
“One of the unique things about the Dream Connection is the money we raised goes to the children, to those dreams,” he added. “We have no paid staff; we have no paid office space. All of our very modest, ongoing expenses are paid for by donations.”
In addition to being a Dream Connection co-founder, Levy is a long-time Rotarian and a multiple Paul Harris Award winner, as well as a Fox Den Country Club past president, an attorney, a licensed pilot and volunteer ombudsmen for Employers Support for the National Guard and Reserve.
“This (award) is our way to honor individuals in our community who exemplify the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self,’” RCF president Scott Bertini said.
“Farrell has been a key leader since we were formed,” said Beth Milam, board president of The Dream Connection.
“Thanks to his involvement, we have provided 1,100 dreams for children in East Tennessee,” she added.
Woodbery said the 2024 Hidden Hero Award nomination process was open to the public.
“Just a couple months ago, we announced the program,” he said. “The idea of the award is there are those of us out there in the community who are doing good things, who are living the Rotary motto of ‘Service above Self,’ but are not getting recognized for it on a regular basis. It’s not part of their job description.
“It’s not because they want recognition; it’s because they have that true servant hero attitude about life,” Woodbery added. “We got a lot of nominations from the community.
“We felt, after looking at all the nominations, that there was a clear winner.”
Don Ball nominated Levy.
“‘Farrell was instrumental in the formation of The Dream Connection in 1985 and has been a mentor and guide
for a lot of people for forty years,’” Woodbery quoted Ball as stating in his nomination document.
