RFK Children’s Action Corps Honors the Late Paul Lewis

Paul Lewis knew firsthand what it was like to overcome marginalized adversity in urban communities. Raised by a single mother in East Boston’s Maverick housing development, he worked hard to defy racial prejudices and socioeconomic disadvantages to become a record-breaking football star at Boston University and an 11^th round draft pick for the New England Patriots. While his athletic accolades prevail, it was his work off the field to bridge gaps between youth, community and law enforcement that he considered his biggest win.

On Friday, May 10, Lewis will be honored posthumously during the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps’ Embracing the Legacy event at Boston’s JFK Presidential Library and Museum. The event will celebrate those whose extraordinary actions reflect the social values and hopes of the late Senator by combatting societal injustice and inequality. His wife, Andrea Perry, will accept the posthumous Embracing the Legacy Award on his behalf. His brother, Robert Lewis, Founder and President of The BASE, will also receive the award.

“Paul believed in the power and potential of young people and devoted his career to creating opportunities for youth and working with adults to ensure that all kids can thrive, regardless of race, gender or class,” says Perry. “, He had this innate ability to connect with everyone – teens, business people, police officers, in a way that allowed him to find commonalities and build community.”

After being sidelined by an injury, Lewis channeled his passion for people into the public sector where he worked for three decades to breakdown stereotypes and strengthen communities. He served as Community Liaison for the City of Boston under Mayor Raymond L. Flynn, Recruitment Coordinator for City Year Boston and Program Director for the very organization that soon will honor him, the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps.

In 1998, Lewis founded Positive Approaches Inc., which provided workshops for neighborhood and school-based groups in Boston and Providence. In 2000, he joined the North American Family Institute where he served as director of training for the Youth & Police Initiative, a program designed to change the dynamic between urban youth and the police officers who patrolled their neighborhoods.

Lewis’ legacy lives on throughout Greater Boston. His number 42 uniform from playing football at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School was retired and the team gives out an annual award to outstanding running backs in his honor. His two-time All-American plaque remains in the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame, and his work with law enforcement and urban youth lives on in the work of North American Family Institute.

ABOUT THE ROBERT F. KENNEDY CHILDREN’S ACTION CORPS’ EMBRACING THE LEGACY AWARD:

The Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps’ Embracing the Legacy Award celebrates the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy and the work of the organization founded to carry out his principles of social justice for the poor and disadvantaged. Through its annual Embracing the Legacy event, the agency raises money to support some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable youth and families, giving them a second chance for a better life. The agency, which is celebrating its 50^th year of service, is a national leader in developing and implementing model, successful child welfare and juvenile justice programs.

During the event, Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III, RFK Children’s Action Corps’ board member, will reflect on his late grandfather’s legacy and the lasting contributions he made toward protecting society’s most vulnerable children and families.

The event will include a cocktail reception, seated dinner and program, including the award presentation to Robert A. Scannell, Jr., President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club Dorchester; Mary Kinsella Scannell, Vice President of the Boys & Girls Club Dorchester; Darrell Crate, Founder and Managing Principal, Easterly Capital; Robert Lewis, Jr., Founder and President, The BASE; and Paul Lewis, Director of Training, North American Family Institute (posthumous).

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