Our First Ten Years: Looking Back....
Our History...
Ten years ago, a group of people got together to discuss forming an LGBT organization in Walworth County, the purpose of which was to provide support for the LGBT individuals and families living in the area.
Our focus was to be two-fold:
1. To provide support for young people and their families
2. To provide a safe environment for both social and informational get-togethers and events
Our application for non-profit status (5013c) was approved and we were ready to go.
We started by hosting some LGBT picnics and movie nights to get the word out.
We tried hard to make connections with the public school districts in the county but were met with limited success.
For several years, we held Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigils. The first two years saw great attendance by both individuals and local LGBT school groups. Numbers continued to decline until our last one 4 years ago which saw 3 individuals in attendance.
We had a small float in Milwaukee's Pride Parade for several years. Again, the number of participants got smaller and smaller each year.
We tried on several occasions to start support groups.
Our Christmas Movie/Pot Luck Party was well-attended each year. Finding a venue became more of a problem as the years rolled on.
Without a doubt, our greatest success was the Walworth County Pride Fair. Set in the downtown park in Elkhorn, we had sites available for vendors (including food), service and health providers, churches, schools, and other organizations. We offered free AIDS testing. There was a gathering tent with a DJ. The teen tent provided a place for students from schools all over the area to meet. The overall turnout for the 3 years we held it was great and there was a lot of community support.
Unfortunately we started losing Board members just as COVID struck. And we essentially shut down.
Currently, not only has COVID continued to be an issue, but over the last few years the political climate has become more volatile for everyone one the LGBTQ+ spectrum (and family and friends).
For years, there was only a single individual trying to keep the organization up and going -- doing the finances, social media, and communications. Time has taken it's toll on this Director who, as they age (now 72), is forced to deal with worsening health issues (both physical and emotional).
It's time a new group dedicated people to step up and take the lead. The problems facing us include growing anti-LGBT concerns in the political arena, living in an area with a spread-out population, school districts who would rather keep things "in house", and increasing isolation due to COVID and social media. These concerns are not insurmountable, but will require a dedicated group of individuals.
A new group of excited individuals are working hard on a reboot of the organization with the hopes of making it as important to the people of this decade as it was ten years ago. Stay tuned....
the best is yet to come.
Our focus was to be two-fold:
1. To provide support for young people and their families
2. To provide a safe environment for both social and informational get-togethers and events
Our application for non-profit status (5013c) was approved and we were ready to go.
We started by hosting some LGBT picnics and movie nights to get the word out.
We tried hard to make connections with the public school districts in the county but were met with limited success.
For several years, we held Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigils. The first two years saw great attendance by both individuals and local LGBT school groups. Numbers continued to decline until our last one 4 years ago which saw 3 individuals in attendance.
We had a small float in Milwaukee's Pride Parade for several years. Again, the number of participants got smaller and smaller each year.
We tried on several occasions to start support groups.
Our Christmas Movie/Pot Luck Party was well-attended each year. Finding a venue became more of a problem as the years rolled on.
Without a doubt, our greatest success was the Walworth County Pride Fair. Set in the downtown park in Elkhorn, we had sites available for vendors (including food), service and health providers, churches, schools, and other organizations. We offered free AIDS testing. There was a gathering tent with a DJ. The teen tent provided a place for students from schools all over the area to meet. The overall turnout for the 3 years we held it was great and there was a lot of community support.
Unfortunately we started losing Board members just as COVID struck. And we essentially shut down.
Currently, not only has COVID continued to be an issue, but over the last few years the political climate has become more volatile for everyone one the LGBTQ+ spectrum (and family and friends).
For years, there was only a single individual trying to keep the organization up and going -- doing the finances, social media, and communications. Time has taken it's toll on this Director who, as they age (now 72), is forced to deal with worsening health issues (both physical and emotional).
It's time a new group dedicated people to step up and take the lead. The problems facing us include growing anti-LGBT concerns in the political arena, living in an area with a spread-out population, school districts who would rather keep things "in house", and increasing isolation due to COVID and social media. These concerns are not insurmountable, but will require a dedicated group of individuals.
A new group of excited individuals are working hard on a reboot of the organization with the hopes of making it as important to the people of this decade as it was ten years ago. Stay tuned....
the best is yet to come.