We aren't asking for much. Just a pledge of $10 a month; about the cost of taking yourself and a friend out for a fancy drink or a foo-foo coffee. But, even the smallest donation makes a huge difference!
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Spring has come to the Central Valley! Perhaps a bit early, perhaps not on the schedule we had hoped for, but never-the-less, spring is here which means that summer is just around the corner.
Here at the Fresno LGBT+ Community Center we are excited about the change of seasons. Summer brings Pride. Summer brings the Laramie Project - 10 Years Later. Summer brings the NoH8 Project to Fresno.
As we pause a moment now to take a slow deep breath of the newly blooming flowers (or a quick breath and then an allergy pill), it is good to remember those goals we set back at New Years, those to-do lists that we were going to work on, the resolutions we might have forgotten, the promises we totally intended to keep...
I know a lot of you thought about being more active in your community in the coming year. I know a lot of you hoped to be able to spend more time at the Community Center or wished to find a way to be more supportive. Well, the good news is that you still have that chance!
Yes, I can contribute $10
to help add more groups, more events, and more places for people to come together, to find solace and community.
Our Fresno LGBT+ Community Center is the only brick and mortar center of its kind between Sacramento and Los Angeles. We service, on average, over 240 calls, over 40 walk-ins, and several dozen email information requests a month. We support our community with an ever expanding lending library of books (fiction and nonfiction), DVDs and even VHS tapes. (The library is in the process of being computerized so you will soon be able to tell, from the comfort of your couch, what titles we have available.)
But we are probably the most proud of the unique and ongoing support and social programs that we are able to host. Currently we provide space over 30 times a month for groups and individuals to come in, get informed, get involved, to meet, and to connect.
As the economy spiraled down and unemployment rose, we know many of our community members struggled financially. But we also know that the need is greater than ever in today's climate of fear and conservative thinking.
Yes, I can contribute $10
to help us answer the phone calls that come in, from youth to the elderly, to transgendered individuals in need of support.
This is where you come in.
I would like to invite you to consider becoming a monthly donor to the LGBT+ Community Center. Obviously, we are grateful for any and all one time donations, but as we look towards expansion and providing even more services to our community we want to able to plan, to dream big, and that takes consistent community support.
We aren't asking for much. Just a pledge of $10 a month; about the cost of taking yourself and a friend out for a fancy drink or a foo-foo coffee.
$10 a month can help us keep the lights on, the coffee pot plugged in, and the folding chairs set up for those in our community who need our services.
$10 a month can help our staff be here and able to answer the phone calls that come in, almost daily, from youth that need help with bullying, middle aged community members who need help finding legal advice, elderly transgendered people looking for a friendly ear... basically they all need a way to not feel so isolated and alone.
$10 a month can help us add more groups, more events, and more places for people to come together, to find solace and community.
$10 a month can help us expand our office hours from 20 hours a week (currently) to maybe 25... and then maybe 30...
The possibilities are endless. But we can't do it alone.
All donations are tax deductible, but more than that all donations are essential to helping the center thrive.
Even the smallest donation makes a huge difference.
It's spring. It is time to plant... seeds for tomorrow, hopes for the seasons to come.
Yes, I can contribute $10
to help us expand our office hours from 20 hours a week to 25... and then maybe 30.
Thank you,
Gay Central Valley Board of Directors
Jason Scott, President
Chris Jarvis, Vice President
Kaylia Metcalfe, Secretary
Brooke Burk, Treasurer
Kate Henry, Member
Jaymi Morgan, Member
Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law
 
More about the Fresno LGBT+ Community Center:
The Fresno LGBT+ Community Center, which opened in January 2011, currently serves as a safe space, a resource center, an ever expanding lending library, and a meeting site for multiple programs including support groups (AA, CMA, Transgender, Women, Coming Out, etc), social programs (creative, hobby, and community building), and informational workshops (name / gender change, legal rights, etc). The Center also facilitates several community activities such as LGBT themed health fairs and fund raisers, as well as bringing nationally renowned cultural events to the Fresno area such as the San Francisco Gay Men’s Choir, the NOH8 Campaign, the Laramie Project – 10 Years Later, etc.
Gay Central Valley and the Fresno LGBT Community Center are staffed by volunteers and volunteer board members. Our programs are also facilitated by volunteers from the community and by volunteer board members. Currently, we have no paid positions. All board members are fiscally supportive of Gay Central Valley and the LGBT Community Center. Several of our board members donate 15-30 hours a week to Gay Central Valley and the Fresno LGBT Community Center.
For a full listing of programs and upcoming events, please visit the Fresno LGBT Community Center’s website at www.fresnlgbtcenter.org
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