|
|
|
|
|
|
Letter from the President
|
|
 Dear Members and Supporters,
We are in full swing of the LGBT Community Fund’s 2016 fund-raising, and want first to thank you for your continued support. For those who have pledges, you should by now have received an invoice, and for those who contribute annually, please do so. Our 2016 pledge deadline is April 30th.
This year we are also launching our “each one reach one” program, where we are asking you to help us increase the number of Members and Supporters of the LGBT Fund. If each one of us can recruit one friend to contribute, we will be able to significantly increase the good we are doing in northeast Florida.
I am very proud of the work that the LGBT Community Fund is supporting. JASYMN is just exploding with new programs and new energy. ElderSource’s trainings for LGBT sensitivity for the elderly are reaching large audiences. This year the UNF LGBT Center is piloting a mentoring program for LGBT students as they enter their careers. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will read about the second training that the LGBT Community Fund provided for mainstream non-profits, as they work to become more inclusive. And PFLAG is in the midst of its strategic planning process.
A few things about our work continue to stand out. The first is how the work builds on itself and improves. In many cases, we are starting something that just gets better and truly helps our community become more inclusive. The second is that in a number of cases our seed funding has spurred other funding. This has been the case at both UNF and JASYMN. Finally, the programs we are funding are achieving regional and national recognition. So this is good work!
Thank you for your continued support, and remember our goal: each of us reaching one new Member or Supporter.
Michael R. Meyers
President
|
|
 As you know, PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) is a 2015 Grant Recipient of the LGBT Community Fund. PFLAG of Jacksonville President Garry Bevel and LGBT Community Fund President Michael Meyers recently attended the PFLAG National Conference in Nashville. Garry presented a workshop exploring Diversity in the LGBT Community (including discussions of the intersections of sexism, ageism, racism, bi- and transphobia).
Expanding our reach:
Garry and Michael also had an opportunity to meet and network with the founder of the new St. Augustine chapter of PFLAG and current leaders of PFLAG's Gainesville chapter. Garry was also able to meet and develop a working relationship with our Gulf Regional Director out of Atlanta, Conal Charles.
Attendance at several workshops led to changes at the local level including development of a Governance Committee for the Jacksonville PFLAG Chapter to ensure regular Board development and recruitment efforts.
PFLAG had its first strategic planning session with Laurie Price on January 9th. Laurie will be coordinating the work of consultants and trainers listed in the grant to ensure cohesion and development of a clear road map moving forward.
Garry has been trained with ElderSource to deliver ElderSource Institute LGBT Competency Trainings and plans to have ElderSource join PFLAG for a chapter meeting on caring for and understanding the needs of LGBT Elders.
More Grant News:
Another grant made by the LGBT Community Fund underwrote ‘LGBTQ Inclusion for Your Nonprofit Organization: Internal Practices’ – a workshop hosted by The Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida. A full morning of learning about LGBT Cultural Competency took place in February.
|
|
|
|
Jodie Leach, Aidee Douglas, Cindy Watson, Colleen Nevitt
|
|
|
Nationally recognized educator and trainer Elizabeth Schroeder, Ed D, MSW helped guide the conversation about inclusion.
|
|
UPDATE: Human Rights Ordinance
|
|
 If you’ve been following the effort to pass a fully-inclusive Human Rights Ordinance, you know it’s just like our weather—wait a minute and it will change.
After months of Mayor’s Conversations, City Council Meetings and two meetings of the Committee of the Whole, the LGBT community is, once again, in limbo—with no bill currently being considered, no date set for it to be reintroduced and without support from Mayor Lenny Curry.
A noble effort has been made by the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality. Working closely with scores of supporters, including hundreds from the business and faith communities, JCE has stood up to the rhetoric and fear mongering coming from the opposition. JCE coordinated closely with Councilmember Tommy Hazouri to get legislation introduced. The Hazouri bill, co-sponsored by Councilmembers Aaron Bowman and Jim Love, was withdrawn from consideration by Hazouri on February 18th. A bill that had been introduced by Council Member Bill Gulliford to put the issue on the ballot as a voter referendum was also withdrawn.
Hazouri has committed to re-introducing his bill in several months and is dedicated to getting a fully-inclusive HRO passed. In the meantime, the city will begin implementing protections against discrimination for reasons of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to city employees and the employees of the vendors and contractors doing business with the city.
Members of the LGBT Community Fund Steering Committee are committed to doing their part to educate the Mayor and city council on this issue.
|
|
|
For additional information, please contact Christina Fleck, cfleck@jaxcf.org or (904) 356-4483.
|
|
Not a member of the LGBT Community Fund
for Northeast Florida?
Join us today! And be sure to keep up with the LGBT Community Fund for Northeast Florida on our website: www.lgbtnefl.org!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
