Dear Aldea Tribe,
There is no doubt that certain moments in life invite us to courage. Let’s call these moments, “defining moments.” Big and small, defining moments contain a challenge or obstacle that we must navigate and even transform. Sometimes we choose these defining moments. But often they choose us.
In the Jewish scriptures there is a story about a young woman, Esther, who is called upon to make great sacrifices for her people. She must summon the courage to speak her truth to the king – which could cost her her life. As she ponders her challenge, a wise old man says to her that she was “born for such a time as this.” She was born for her “defining moment.”
We all have these types of moments – some are big and some or simply everyday actions we are invited to take. This week we will explore our own “such a time like this moments” and how to engage them with courage.
We are excited this week that we will have a guest speaker – Sarah Owen – joining Dave for a conversation about defining moments. Sarah’s work and life is a model seizing defining moments. She and Dave will discuss how her spirituality has shaped her ability to answer the call.
Learn more about Sarah below:
Sarah Owen, president & CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, leads a passionate and diverse team dedicated to cultivating regional change for the common good. The Foundation is committed to connecting the community through conversations and action that creates sustainable positive change and leveraging the funding to make those changes a reality.
Her journey into the non-profit sector followed a career in investor relations, public relations and corporate communications. She worked for publicly traded companies on the New York Stock Exchange as well as private companies throughout the Southeastern United States. Her corporate experience was in the automotive and engineering industries and Sarah was sought out by innovators and entrepreneurs developing emerging technologies to create strategic communication plans.
Sarah brings this focus on innovation to her work at the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. In concert with a visionary Board of Trustees, Sarah is guiding the Foundation in reimagining its role in the region. In 2017, Sarah oversaw the execution of a public private partnership with the City of Fort Myers to create Collaboratory, a $10.5 million project funded with New Market Tax Credits that opened in late 2018. Collaboratory comprises the rejuvenated 1920s Atlantic Coast Line Railway depot and a technologically advanced 14,000 square foot addition designed to support the vital work the region’s nonprofit organizations, businesses, residents and visitors.