Mary Lou Harrison

Passionate Storyteller. Connector of People and Possibility. Changemaker. Dial Mover. Rotarian.

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

@TTChelps Can someone please clear the snow at Bathurst Station? Many people exiting the 511 streetcar were elderly and/or coming back from hospital appointments. Riders helped other riders to disembark while TTC employees just watched.

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

@TTCnotices Please get some staff inside St Clair to direct people to the shuttle buses! You’ve got seniors and others standing outside in Yonge Street waiting

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros]

The partnership between @Rotary and @WHO goes back since 1988. In fact, Rotary were the pathfinders in first proposing the #EndPolio idea – inspired by the historic eradication of smallpox.

And today, we are on the cusp of history, despite the setbacks.

Rotarians are showing what the world can be:

A world where courage defeats fear;

Where community defeats indifference;

Where determination defeats disease;

Where peace defeats war;

A world where your motto – service above self – really matters.

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

@heatherpsauce @TTCnotices @TTChelps Someone could have stopped people
from coming down onto the platform to allow the place to clear. No TTC staff present anywhere!

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

@TTCnotices Very dangerous situation created at Spadina with a very narrow staircase and no one to manage people flow.

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

@jkdegen @debdundas @TorontoStar Thank you for sharing your beautiful St. Anne's memories. I remember you all with great fondness from my time working there with the Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer.

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

No child should suffer from polio. Donate to @EndPolioNow & @gatesfoundation will triple it! @Rotary #endpolio https://t.co/sJKuGFCyaA

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

A fundraiser that attracts new members https://t.co/u35VXoXcAM via @rotary

[Nemat Sadat @nematsadat]

Dear Friends of LGBT+ Afghans,

Today is the second-year anniversary since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, marking the darkest day in the country’s history. During the past two years, Roshaniya has been at the forefront of the rescue effort to save Afghanistan’s LGBT+ community. We have worked nonstop to provide evacuation assistance, humanitarian relief, and mental health support. We have vetted and approved about 2000 LGBT+ Afghans for safe evacuation and we hope to secure a safe passage for everyone on our list who continue to be trapped in Afghanistan or left in limbo in a neighboring country. We remain steadfast in continuing our efforts to empower Afghanistan’s LGBT+ community to emancipate themselves to freedom.

Here’s a highlight of what we have accomplished so far:

1. Helped 215 LGBT+ Afghans obtain relocation to Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, and Germany. Helped one gay man evacuate Afghanistan who later went on to Ireland via family reunification and evacuated nine LGBTs to Pakistan who were later resettled to the UK.

2. Sponsored the applications of 45 LGBT+ Afghan Human Rights Defenders to obtain $5000 evacuation grants from Urgent Action Fund. This comes to $225,000 direct transfer to the recipients in the largest allocation of money to Afghanistan’s LGBT+ community in history.

3. Transferred the $39,345 raised via GoFundMe to over 300 LGBT+ Afghans to obtain a passport, visa for Iran or Pakistan, transportation via overland pass, medical costs and/or emergency food assistance.

4. Thanks to Coalition Plus who allocated $22,000, we purchased tickets on charter flights for 15 LGBT+ Afghans to travel from Kabul to Islamabad via Pakistan International Airlines.

5. Evacuated 18 LGBT+ Afghans in a minibus and paid for their living expenses in Pakistan.

6. Helped over 50 LGBT+ Afghans to secure shelter at safe houses in Peshawar and Islamabad.

7. Transferred a total of $15,000 among 150 LGBT+ Afghans in March 2022 as a Nowruz gift.

8. Transferred a total of $5000 between 115 LGBT+ Afghans in August 2022 for the #LetUsLive hashtag campaign and the historic LGBT+ Afghan protest in Islamabad led by Ozlam Mahshar.

9. Transferred a total of $2900 between 58+ LGBT+ Afghans for promoting my nomination for the 2022 PinkNews Award for Campaigner of the Year.

10. Coached dozens of LGBT+ Afghans to become Human Rights Defenders and help launch Roshaniya’s sister organization, Behesht, a queer and trans collective based in Afghanistan.

11. Thanks to the help of philanthropic donors, we evacuated 10 members of Behesht Collective to Tehran, Iran and paid for their airplane tickets, visas, and living expenses for three months.

12. Organized a powerful in-house LGBT+ Afghan protest in Kabul at the start of LGBT+ History Month on February 1, 2023.

13. Ensured the visibility of LGBT+ Afghans in the international press by interviewing with the media and connecting members of the community to journalists, leading to more than a hundred published articles about the plight of LGBT+ Afghans.

14. Linked up several dozen donors in the West to LGBT+ Afghans, which resulted in at-risk LGBT+ Afghans to receive humanitarian financial assistance to ensure their survival.

15. Referred over a dozen LGBT+ Afghans to NGOs offering urgent medical assistance in Afghanistan. Connected a pregnant Lesbian Afghan to Behesht’s in-house medical doctor who provided crucial assistance to get a safe abortion.

16. Hosted Zoom training in how to become a data analyst and obtain a digital nomad visa.

Please support us so we can continue our life-saving work. You can make a donation to our GoFundMe or make a transfer to Roshaniya's PayPal account at [email protected]. Thank you!

With much love,

Nemat Sadat
Chief Executive Officer, Roshaniya

https://t.co/E4mNHFWz4G

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

@ugLGBTQrefugees @SteveKabuye Happy belated birthday @SteveKabuye5 !

[Steven Kabuye (He/Him) @SteveKabuye5]

As we embark upon a new week, let's reflect upon the sobering truth that our actions and negativity have led to loss of life, homelessness, and displacement for countless individuals. It's high time we foster love and unity and show unwavering support for those who have been marginalized. Together, let's push for change and repeal AHA23, rejecting hate and advocating fiercely for human rights. #RepealAHA23 #SayNoToAHA23 #StandUp4HumanRights

[Rainbow Railroad @RainbowRailroad]

Folks - @KimahliPowell here, CEO of Rainbow Railroad. Today, we have received concerning news - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law one of the world’s most extreme pieces of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation. Here is what you need to know:

[Daniel Lutaaya @DanielLutaaya]

“I am a human rights activist and openly gay man in Uganda” - Steven Kabuye
#Viewpoint247 https://t.co/Azq8rTYI7e

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

You bet we do!

[Mary Lou Harrison @RotarianMaryLou]

Help is urgently needed to help people impacted by Uganda’s Anti Homosexuality bill and the resulting fear and trauma. Donate To Uganda's LGBT Shelters here https://t.co/hleypreDnd

[Fort York Food Bank @FYfoodbank]

Our Monday food delivery program for seniors is still going strong with over 160 seniors served each week. The program started during COVID however it quickly became clear that this was an everyday need. Thank you to all our volunteers who support the program!

[John Hewko @JohnHewko]

Invest in peace by becoming a Global Peacebuilder District. Your district can help #Rotary address the immediate needs of people affected by conflict. Our organization has a long-term strategy to create environments where peace can flourish.

Learn more: https://t.co/W0T8j6xND0

[Trans Youth Equality Uganda @TransYouthEqua1]

Uganda today joins the world celebrating the #IDAHOBIT23 We call upon all Ugandans to stand Up for equality and the fight against stigmatization and discrimination of the LGBTQI community. It comes in times of the fight against AHB2023 that intends to criminalize Homosexuality.

[Rotary International @Rotary]

🏳‍🌈 We are proud to have all LGBTQ+ Rotarians as a part of our community.

Check out the Rotary LGBTQ+ fellowship for resources on creating more inclusive clubs: #internationaldayagainsthomophobia #internationaldayagainsttransphobia
👉 https://t.co/tYzZQV3W3Z