On a Thursday morning, before the afternoon guests arrive, John Coulon is usually already at work — stacking cordwood, raking brush, filling the bird feeders, or out behind the mower. This time of year the lilacs are winding down and the front lawn is growing fast, so there’s no shortage of it. John doesn’t mind. He likes, in his own words, to “get dirty in the garden,” and four wooded acres of accessible trails and flower beds offer plenty of chances to do exactly that. The work is hard and often tedious, and for John that’s part of the appeal — it’s how he clears his mind.
We’re taking some time to thank the volunteers who keep Rest-Stop-Ranch running, and John — our Garden Crew lead and a member of the Board — is near the top of that list. He’s been giving his time here since 2010, hundreds of hours by now.
John grew up in Lynn and went to St. John’s Prep. A retired Local Public Health Officer in Topsfield, he traces his lifelong habit of volunteering back to his junior year in 1968, when he started spending time on the campus of what is now the Hogan Regional Center in Danvers. For the next five years he built and ran an after-school open gym program for residents with developmental disabilities. He went on to earn a degree in Special Education, and he still keeps a notebook listing all twelve of the organizations he’s given his time to over the years — alongside his record as a regular blood platelet donor.
He found us almost by accident. In 2010, John was working with Town Hall as Mary and Karl were looking to expand what the garden could offer. On his first visit, the mission clicked into place for him — using horticulture to make a space that caregivers and their loved ones can actually reach and enjoy, wherever they are on a health care journey. In retirement he joined the Board of Directors, though he’ll tell you he’s happiest when he can “relieve Karl of smaller responsibilities so he can work on a bigger project.”
Ask John his favorite task and he won’t hesitate: mowing the front garden lawn.
When I look back at the straight lines of freshly cut grass, I feel a satisfaction that I accomplished something good.
Mary, Karl, and the rest of the RSR staff and volunteers would only add that whatever John is doing out there — cordwood, brush, feeders, or those straight green lines — he is always doing something good.
Thank you, John.
If you’d like to learn how to become a Rest-Stop-Ranch volunteer, reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Christel Charlesworth, at volunteer@rest-stop-ranch.org.