Veterans Alliance ERG Recognizes Memorial Day
From May 21 through May 30, the Veterans Alliance employee resource group (ERG) honors Memorial Day with informational booths located across Houston Methodist. The booths include information on Memorial Day, as well as the meaning and significance of the various federal holidays. Poppy pins are available for employees and guests in remembrance of fallen service members.
Discussion Explores Asian Demographics
The Asian Heritage ERG closes out its observances of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) with the virtual “Demographics of the Asian Community in Greater Houston” discussion from noon to 1 p.m. on May 30. Paul Gor, senior director of Community Development at the Asian Chamber of Commerce, Houston, discusses the changing demographics within Houston’s Asian community. Click here to join the meeting (Meeting ID: 262 669 110 05. Passcode: kz6RaS). For more information, email AsianHeritage@houstonmethodist.org.
Happy Shavuot!
The holiday of Shavuot (pronounced Sha-voo-OHT) is a two-day holiday observed this year beginning at sunset on May 25 through sundown on May 27. The word Shavuot (or Shavuos) means “weeks.” According to Hebrew tradition, it celebrates the completion of the seven-week period between Passover and Shavuot. The holiday commemorates the act of the Torah being given by God to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai on Shavuot more than 3,300 years ago. Every year on Shavuot, many in the Jewish faith renew their acceptance of God’s gift, and God “re-gives” the Torah. The observance of Shavuot began as an ancient agricultural festival to mark the end of the spring barley harvest and beginning of the summer wheat harvest.
Celebrating Ember Days
In the Catholic faith, Ember Days are traditionally days of fasting and partial abstinence (no meat except at the primary meal). Collin Foley, physical therapist, Houston Methodist West and chair of the Fathers in Health Care ERG, discusses the significance of these holy days.
“Each of the four Embertides include three days of fasting and partial abstinence—Ember Wednesday, Ember Friday, which calls for fasting and full abstinence, and Ember Saturday. Ember Days occur quarterly around the beginning of the four seasons and are intended to focus us on God through his marvelous creation. Ember Days should also remind us of our obligation to serve as stewards of the Earth.”
The next Ember Day is observed on May 31 (Ember Wednesday in the Octave of the Pentecost). The remaining 2023 observances take place in June, September and December.
Learn More About Your Colleagues
Would you like to learn what it’s like to “Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes?” The DEI Toolkit provides resources on building more empathetic teams and numerous other topics to help you and your team continue the conversation around DEI topics. The Toolkit is continuously updated, so check back regularly for more resources.
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