On Saturday, Kjome, a renowned activist and leader of human rights initiatives, turns 100 and will be joined by some three dozen friends and family from around the world via Zoom. With glaucoma and macular degeneration, Kjome is blind, but the voices of those who cherish her will be loud and clear.
âI love you, my dear, and so do all these people,â Kjome friend, Susan Schmidt, told Kjome during a group call with the Tribune prior to the landmark birthday. â(This occasion) is not going unnoticed.â
Kjome expressed excitement about connecting with members of her global circle, unable to have in-person visitors at her residence at the Benedictine Manor long-term care facility in La Crosse. But while Schmidt clued her in on the Zoom, there were surprises in store for Saturday, with a group serenade in the works and Rep. Jill Billings scheduled to present Kjome, virtually, with a Legislative Commendation.