DreamHour Panel Series: InterFaith Panel

Join in this community conversation with faith leaders within San Antonio as they explore the foundational ethic of Compassion and its drive — Reciprocity, aka. the Golden Rule. Conversation starters include Waheeda Kara (Ismaili), Rajam Ramamurthy (Hindu), Emma Alexander (Christian), Jan Puckett (Buddhist), and Ann Helmke, Faith Liaison for the City and CompassionateSA.

The Rev. Ann E. Helmke – Moderator  

The Rev. Dr. Ann Helmke will be facilitating the InterFaith Panel for the 2024 DreamHour Panel Series. She is the Faith Liaison for the City of San Antonio as well as leads the City’s effort as an official Compassionate City among ~650 cities globally. Considered a lead among those cities, CompassionateSA also created CompassionateUSA and gifted this educational campaign at no-cost to mayors of any and all U.S. cities, towns, and territories. www.CompassionateUSA.org through the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2023.

Panelists:

• Waheeda Kara:Waheeda is the World Affairs Council International Citizen of the Year 2023 Award recipient. Her accolades include a State of Texas Resolution, City of San Antonio Distinguished Citizen Award, Bexar County Commissioners Court recognition and more. She has been fighting for social justice for over 28 years. She has served as the President of SOL Interfaith Center, President of Abode, Contemplative Care for the Dying, Founding Director Muslim Cultural Heritage Society, President of Staff Organization at Our Lady of the Lake University and Board member for Musical Bridges Around the World, to name a few.

• Rajam Ramamurthy:Rajam Ramamurthy is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology at the UT Health Science Center, where she was faculty for 37 years.
  She is a founder member of the Interreligious Council of San Antonio (ICOSA), founded in 1996. She was named the 2017 ‘Peace Laureate’ of San Antonio, an honor bestowed by the Peace Center of San Antonio.
  She is a fellow of the Compassion Institute and is actively involved in the compassion initiative in San Antonio. She often speaks on the ‘ Arts and healing,’ ‘Spiritual Diversity and Healing,’ and “bringing up a Generation for Peace.”

• Emma Alexander:Dr. Emma Alexander has over twenty years in the education field. She is a mental health coach and has a passion to see people reach their fullest potential. She was born in Misawa, Japan, is married to Bishop Trevor Alexander where they pastor True Vine Church. Proud parents of three beautiful daughters and one granddaughter. A twenty-one-year Breast Cancer survivor.

• Jan Puckett:Jan Puckett is a retired anesthesiologist and Buddhist practitioner. She attended Texas A&M University, as one of the first 2 women pre-med students to graduate from A&M. She received her medical and anesthesiology training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, then moved to San Antonio in 1978 to practice anesthesiology for 34 years before retiring in 2012.
  Jan has been a practicing Buddhist since 1984, and is a member of Nalandabodhi, an international Tibetan Buddhist community founded by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.

Doors open at 6 PM