Pictured: Bart Lowther (left) of Mariash Lowther Wealth Management with Chuck Johnston of 2J Farms. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

Each year, SRQ Media invites the community to nominate individuals with hearts of giving who have made a significant impact with local nonprofit organizations — from volunteers and board members to individual staff members and donors. Tuesday, December 5, attendees happily joined together to recognize our annual Good Hero Philanthropic Award recipients at the SB2: Philanthropic Agenda and Good Hero Awards Luncheon at Michael’s on East in Sarasota. We are delighted to feature each of the twelve honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.

Today we are recognizing Chuck Johnston, Owner of 2J Farms. Chuck has been an active volunteer for Resilient Retreat the last four years helping with fundraising events, property clean up and property maintenance, all in support of their mission to provide free, confidential, evidence-based programs and support to trauma survivors including first responders. Chuck knows something about the world of a first responder and the compassion fatigue they feel from all that they witness--he made a career out of responding to disasters. He joined the Sarasota Fire Department in 1972, serving more than a decade as a station captain and then chief of rural operations. In 1999, he joined the Florida Division of Forestry, leading efforts fighting wildfires. He’s managed emergency disaster response to floods and hurricanes and even served as interim chief of emergency management.

As Hurricane Ian bore down on southwest Florida in September 2022, Chuck wasn’t frightened, but he was concerned about potential catastrophic destruction to his community. “We have a higher sense of reality,” he says of disaster responders. “And the reality is, the storm is going to kick your butt. I know the potential of what we need to be prepared for it. It was scary as the storm was going through, but the next morning, you went out to help people,” he says. “And when that was done, only then did you go home to clean up your own yard.” 

Pictured: Bart Lowther (left) of Mariash Lowther Wealth Management with Chuck Johnston of 2J Farms. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.