The Center in the Community
Over the past few months, a broad spectrum of events stand out for very different reasons.
The New Year brought confirmation that our request for funding from the Dyson Foundation would enable us to finally hire part time staff. Additionally, The Dutchess Arts Council provided us with a portion of the money needed to begin recording the Coming Out stories of our elders. And most recently, The Working It Out Project focusing on rural lesbian and gay teenagers was funded through a gift from Henry Van Ameringen. All of these grants help create important educational and cultural components critical to the growth of the Center.
Through the combined efforts of Lambda Legal Defense, Fried Frank Harris Shriver and Jacobsen, and the Workers Rights Law Center, our right as a 501(c)3 to be relieved of property taxes on that portion of our building used for the work of the Center was finally secured from the city of Kingston.
All the while the Men's Discussion Group thrived; the Voices of Diversity Group was launched; CenterSAGE was formed; CenterFamily continued to bring our LGBTQ parents and their children together; the PRIDE Committee worked toward our Fourth Annual PRIDE March and Festival; an AlAnon group began meeting at the Center with meetings coinciding with an established AA meeting; and the Women's Discussion Group and O.LO.C. found opportunities to come together socially.
The newly formed CenterSAGE took action immediately welcoming State and local leaders to the Center to discuss issues of importance to our LGBTQ elderly, and challenged us to help with some programs important not only to our community, but to the larger community as well: the Food Stamp Program and the Home Energy Assistance Program, both of which provide vital support to those in need. Our first round of volunteers completed training and will soon provide intake services for these programs.
Additionally, a Center volunteer, and former health care administrator, has been certified in the policies necessary for Medicare/Medicaid intake and will soon begin that important work.
Our third annual Come Out/Find Out Conference, which is one of the Center's major educational opportunities, is once again being organized under the very able auspices of Vanessa Shelmandine who was recently hired as our Center's Program Coordinator. Vanessa, who worked tirelessly as a volunteer with our program efforts since the first organizing meetings of the Center, continues her work today as the first paid employee of the Center.
Ron Nyswaner and Barbara Salzman's educational film series, featuring films from our extensive film archive, has become the place to be for film lovers once a month, with or without popcorn. Open Mic nights, coffee hours, and game nights each month are helping the Membership Committee to boast 1200 Center members. None of this would be possible without the abiding support of members, volunteers and friends.
In February, Harvey Fierstein joined us for Our Catered Affair, a Gala event owing its success to the incredible talent, hard work and dedication of the entire Capital Campaign Committee, joined by some of our most steadfast volunteers. Artists, craftspeople, retail businesses, and gifts from members and friends made the auctions a highlight of a splendid evening.
Yet, all of that is just a piece of the Center's story.
The tragic death of Lawrence King brought GLSEN, Planned Parenthood, PFLAG, the Ulster County Mental Health Association, Ulster County YWCA, and the Center together to bear witness to a young life lost to homophobia. We need no such tragic reminders of the importance of working together to support the efforts of GLSEN, Circles, the GSA's and all the efforts committed to making schools safe for every youngster.
In late February I spoke to a group of key administrators from almost two dozen Hudson Valley assisted-living agencies about the issues of LGBTQ elders who are, or may become, residents of their facilities. I asked how many of those in attendance had discussed, in a professional gathering, the topic of LGBT seniors. Not a single hand went up. Members of the group stated that this was the very first time they had ever been to any professional gathering at which LGBT elder issues were discussed. The Center has been invited back and OLOC has provided materials from their Project Visibility that will help address these very circumstances.
Look for concerns of our elders to gain visibility in the Fall with It's About Time: LGBT Aging in a Changing World. SAGE's Fourth National Conference, from October 12-14, 2008 in New York City, is sponsored by AARP. The Center is proud to be part of the coordinating committee charged with helping to organize the conference.
As we come into Spring and Summer it's natural to think of renewal and the time, effort, and satisfaction that come from being a part of the growth process. The seed of an idea that becomes a reality has its mystery to be sure. But, bringing about something as real as the Center depends less on mystery and more, in large measure, on the shared efforts of the many who give their time, energy, resources, and inspiration. Each of those elements is vital; each of us has something to bring to our continued growth. Δ
- Ginny Apuzzo