For those who may not have heard the news, I am sad to report that Rotary International President-Elect Sam Owori passed away on July 13 due to complications following a surgical procedure in Texas. Owori was a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda for 38 years. His term as RI’s 108th President - and only the second from Africa - would have begun on July 1, 2018.
In the announcement of Owori’s passing, current RI President Ian Riseley said: “Please remember Sam as the outstanding, hard-working Rotarian he was. In this difficult time, I ask you to keep his wife, Norah, the Owori family and Sam’s millions of friends around the world in your thoughts. Sam was a special person in so many ways, and his unexpected death is a huge loss to Rotary, his community and the world.”
Owori was the chief executive officer of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda, whose mission is to promote excellence in corporate governance principles and practice in the region by 2020. Previously, he was executive director of the African Development Bank and managing director of Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd., and director of Uganda Development Bank. He has also served as corporation secretary of the Central Bank of Uganda and as a director on several other boards in Uganda.
Alisa or Ali as she likes to be called is a local Mom, Writer and parent of a transgender child. What does that mean??? We found out in her brave representation of her story last Thursday morning. Imagine having a child born a girl but never played with "girly" things. As Ali said when she was born I had all these thoughts of what my child and I were going to do through out life, her first boyfriend, her first dance, the prom and getting married. Ali said she noticed subtle differences as her child was growing up, at 2 she only played and dressed in boy things. She only played with boys. But she only saw this after her experience brought her where she is today. Ali said she has had lots of fights along the way from haircuts to what her son wants to wear. Ali fought a few but in the end after therapy and many years of trying to wrap her mind around it did she finally get it. Her child is a boy or what we would call a transgender individual. He has female anatomy but in all other respects he is a boy. Ali explained that is took her three years to grasp an understanding and being truthful it took her husband even longer. From the bullying in the girls bathroom where her son had to hold himself all day till he got home to today where he is mostly accepted by his peers has been a journey. It took a lot for Ali to come and tell her the story and if you were not there I am trying to upload the video of her talk with Steve Gould's help look for it very soon. Dig deep and put yourself in her position and wonder how you would deal with this. Ali is also running for school board in our district because as she says a lot of people told her she was qualified to do good job because of her education and experiences. A little about Alisa Bowman:
Alisa Bowman is a professional writer and editor who has co-written dozens of books, including Raising the Transgender Child, with Dr. Michele Angello. Before 2004, Bowman admits that she didn’t know much about what it meant to be transgender. Her knowledge started and stopped with news stories about Chaz Bono. But as her child grew older, it became increasingly clear that her child was living and presenting outside of society's gender norms. That sent the Bowman family on a journey that included consultations with many experts, along with much research and soul searching. In order to find the healthiest path for their child, they were forced to confront their own stereotypes and misperceptions about gender as well as grieve the daughter they’d never truly had. Bowman's transgender son is now an honor student at LMMS who is active in theatre, martial arts, and choir, among many other hobbies.
To watch this presentation on captured video, please click the link below:
Come to the 33rd Annual Rotary Strike-Out Hunger Night on Friday, August 11th where the Phillies take on the New York Mets at 7:05 pm in Citizens Bank Park. The following seating ticket locations are reserved for District 7430:
11 tickets in section 136- $47 each
20 tickets in section 144- $38 each
50 tickets in section 202- $30 each
50 tickets in section 310- $20 each
All other seats I will order
Remember your Club will get $10 on EVERY ticket they purchase. That's $10- even on a $20 ticket. The money will come back to your Club as Foundation credits that you can use for giving Paul Harris Awards.
Ticket orders are being taken now, don't delay they are going fast. Each club should have a member who will collect all ticket money and then send payment to me, PDG Gerry Long. Tickets will be sent to that Club representative after receiving payment.
Tickets are very popular as it's Phillies Alumni Weekend when Pete Rose will be added to the Wall of Fame. Get your groups together so that we can get you the good seats!
Check the list below to see if you are scheduled to serve as Greeter & Raffle, Sign-in Table, Invocation or EREY.
If you will not be at the meeting when you have an assignment, please arrange for another member to swap with you or cover for you. NOTE-CHANGES MAY BE MADE FROM PREVIOUS TRUMPETS.
Thank you for taking your turn and helping Emmaus Rotary Club run a smooth meeting.
