Gay Central Valley: September 2012 Newsletter

Gay Central Valley Newsletter: Volume 2 / September 2012

Welcome to the new Gay Central Valley newsletter! Each month we plan to bring you a quick look at what's going on with Gay Central Valley, the Fresno LGBT Community Center, and the Rainbow Delegation.

Note from GCV President Chris Jarvis....

We are very proud to announce that a project we started talking about this summer has come to fruition. Kate Henry, board member of Gay Central Valley has worked diligently with the Marjaree Mason Center to create a completely new brochure highlighting their services for the LGBTQ community...If you are in a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender relationship and are a victim of abuse, the Marjaree Mason Center is here to help you. We have services for LGBTQ community members. Contact us at (559) 237-4706 The brochure outlines the symptoms and statistics of domestic abuse and in LGBT relationships. Kate is also the very first LGBT+ representative on the?Chief's Advisory Panel?and has worked closely with Police Chief Jerry Dyer, resulting in the Fresno Police Department?s plan to distribute these new brochures to all FPD officers. This is the beginning of the LGBT Community working with the police department to create an understanding between officers and the community. We'd like to thank all those who made generous donations to cover the cost of printing the 2,500 brochures and helping jump start this project. Coupled with our new Cultural Competency Program, Gay Central Valley is continuing to find more ways to bridge the gaps between the LGBT and straight communities. To make a one time or recurring donation to Gay Central Valley, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by an all volunteer staff and board of directors, please visit <insert link here>

Connect to Gay Central Valley

We have a new way of collecting / maintaining contact info!?Please?click here to make sure we have your most up to date preferences..? Fresno LGBt Community Center: ? Book Choice of the Month, Meet the Staff, Calendar of Ongoing Center Events, Sponsors, Location/Hours, Volunteer Opportunities, and More! The RainbowDelegation:?Gay Central Valley took over the Rainbow Delegation earlier this summer. Read all about the changes, find out how to get your bracelet, see photos and read testimonials all on the new RD website! The Gay Central Valley Blog: News articles, op-eds, community submitted pieces, celebrity interviews, and local event coverage,?all in one place!

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Article Re-Wind

August was a busy month. In case you missed anything, here are some of the most popular stories and articles:

Introducing the 2012-2013 Bulldog Pride Fund Scholars

LGBT Friendly Business Spotlight: The Painted Table

In My Own Words: The Chick-Fil-A Event

Clovis Unified Sued Over Sex Ed

Health Survey: Sex is the Question

Community Corner:

Want to know what?s happening at your Fresno LGBT Community Center? Wondering when one of our new groups meets? Our handy calendar tool will keep you up to date.?Check it out here Rainbow Delegation:
We continue our mission to make the Rainbow Delegation a continuing force with LGBT people across the nation. We are shipping bracelets to all locations in the continental United States, and we now have a volunteer dedicated to running the program. In the last month, we have??received over 500 requests for bracelets!??To make a donation to help support the program, please visit here. Most of the requests for bracelets come from junior high and high school students who desperately want to feel like they belong and find a way to connect to one another. Gay Central Valley is pleased to announce our new campaign: Bracelets for Back To School! Working with GSAs, both local and countrywide, we are hoping to raise enough money in September to be able to get bracelets on as many youth wrists as possible.?

For the month of September, GCV is pledging to match any funds raised by the GSAs for bracelet orders.??GSAs are invited to raise money on their own or to direct interested supporters to this site where donors can specify the school / GSA they are supporting. To read more about this program, please visit here. Welcome, Fall Interns!
This fall marks the beginning of another GCV project: the GayCentral Valley Internship Program! We want to send out a big welcome to our Fall 2012 Interns: Mandy and Kayleia. In the coming months thee two will get some behind the scenes training on how a nonprofit works, event coordination, fund development, and project management. We are very excited to have them on board!
Don't forget to download your NOH8 photos! Information can be found here!

Staff Star of the Month

We want to take this opportunity to toot the horn of one of our very awesome volunteers?.. this month?s pick is Leon!

Leon has worked with Gay Central Valley for years, volunteering at events and contributing to our efforts to reach out to the community. He currently volunteers at the Fresno LGBT Community Center each Friday (Noon - 5pm), which is?our bilingual day at the Center. Leon is there to assist anyone who is more comfortable speaking in Spanish.

Leon has added to the Community Center by creating a Community Resource Guide and has created a bulletin board system for the LGBT Community to post notices for those seeking roommates, having items for sale, e Leon is an assistant grant researcher and general volunteer who also facilitates several of the ongoing support groups. He currently serves on the Tobacco Free Coalition and is a lifeguard workshop facilitator for the Trevor Project. He will graduate in 2013 with an A.S. degree in Social Work with a focus in counseling for alcohol and drugs, as well as Crisis Intervention. Leon is also a Certified Foster Care Giver. His desire is to work with LGBT youth. "My LGBT community has been, and still, discriminated, oppressed and overlooked for too long," Leon says. "It's time we step up to helping each other. Together as a community we can rise above."

Thank you Leon for all your hard work and dedication!

You can read more about our staff?here. If you are interested in volunteering, please click?here?for more information about our open positions.?

Sister Spotlight:

We?aren't?the only group in the Central Valley working for the LGBT Community. Each month we want to shed some very deserving light on one of our sister organizations.
This month?s pick is Fresno Reel Pride Fresno Reel Pride, the third largest LGBT Film Festival in California, marks its 23rd year this September.?The continuing mission of organizers is to increase awareness of the LGBT community through the exhibition of films that explore LGBT themes.??Gay Central Valley is proud to once again be a financial and media sponsor of the festival.?? The festival, which started out small on the Fresno State campus back in 1990 has grown to be a major annual event in the Central Valley. The festival runs from September 19th to September 23rd, with over 50 films and a variety of parties and events. It's important to realize how influential LGBT film festivals are to people across the country, particularly young LGBT people who are looking to see how they fit into society.?It is not an easy task for the programming staff, as there are always so many great films submitted, but organizers promise this year?s screening audience a quality and varied program. Again this year, program staff has been able to bring a variety of titles to Fresno. The festival always opens and closes with films intended to get people talking, the ?water cooler? movies. The middle three days will feature films that center around a theme that is showcased with a centerpiece film in the evenings. Films screened include comedies, dramas, and documentaries. In addition to the adult themed films, every year as part of its outreach program, the festival invites local youth to a specially selected free film screening and pizza party. (Admission is free to this event with valid school ID). We urge everyone to do what they can to participate and to attend this year's festival. Staff writer Chris Jarvis recently did an interview with James Figueroa, the Festival Director, which you can find?HERE. Organizers also invite you to visit?www.reelpride.com?for a full listing of this year?s selected films (including trailers when available). Hard copies of the 2012 Film Catalogues are available for pick up at the Reel Pride box office at the Tower Theater.? *************************************** Thank you all for reading!? Want to become more active?? Visit here?to find out which volunteer and donation option is the right choice for you! If you would like to contact Gay Central Valley, you can do so? by calling 559-325-4429 or emailing us at info@gaycentralvalley.org

Source: http://www.gaycentralvalleyblog.com/2012/09/september-2012-newsletter.html

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