On the Other Hand

This section includes updates on activities that John is involved with that are not directly part of his professional life. He feels that a healthy balance of career, family, and community involvement enriches and energizes him, and gives him a better perspective on business.

Friday, October 19, 2007: 13th Annual Dads in the Hood —
Front Yard Campout

Download the flyer and registration form here: Microsoft Word document or PDF file.

Overview:

“Dads in the Hood” is a grassroots fatherhood initiative that honors and promotes personal and community commitment to the role of fatherhood.

Registration deadline for the Campout is October 12. Download the flyer, above.

Overview:

Last September, the Bourkes and numerous other fathers and their families and friends attended the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Collin County Father of the Year Gala. They did not imagine for one minute that John would win because they heard many tales of fathers and grandfathers who seemed extraordinary to them.

“I didn’t see myself as the pinnacle example of fatherhood. All of us in the neighborhood felt so grateful for this award; we are celebrating parenthood. The award puts a stamp in time that we have stopped and said this is good. That is profoundly important to me,” said John.

Heather Darrow is a Plano-based freelance writer and a frequent contributor to Plano Profile

Read the entire article, here.

Overview:

Dads in the Hood is the noble creation of a well-meaning chap named John Bourke, who was once "Father of the Year" in Collin County. It was John's idea to offer dads and sons in about 700 homes in West Plano a bonding experience…

My sons – who this year turned 12, 10 and 7 – also think it's a really cool experience. They adore the Dads in the Hood ritual, ignoring the fact that their dad considers it almost as much fun as a root canal.

Boys sleeping in tents don't actually sleep, as I've come to find out. They swap stories, they pontificate and, my goodness, they even fight! Your blanket is bigger than mine! Quit kicking me! I do not smell, and She is NOT my girlfriend!

By Michael Granberry

Read the entire article, here.

“Dads Involvement Unyeilding”
Plano resident named 2002 Collin County Father of the Year
[Date] article from the The Dallas Morning News newspaper

Overview:

The Plano father of two was named the 2002 Collin County Father of the Year on Saturday night at a black-tie fund-raiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Mr. Bourke, 46, was chosen from 10 finalists and 60 nominees.

His nomination, the judges said, was unusual in that several nonrelatives endorsed it. “It was like his whole community, his whole block nominated him,” said Dr. Erwin Tang, who, as the 2001 Plano Father of the Year, was among the judges. More than a dozen friends and relatives wrote that Mr. Bourke's compassion and sense of humor have changed their lives for the better.

By Linda Stewart Ball

Read the entire article, here.