THE SAN DIEGO LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER ANNOUNCES A COMMUNITY OFRENDA (ALTAR)
Ofrenda To Honor Those Lost To The COVID-19 Pandemic
March 17, 2020 -- SAN DIEGO-- The San Diego LGBT Community Center announced the creation of a three-day community ofrenda to honor those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the one-year mark of the Governor’s shutdown order to combat the pandemic is upon us, The Center wants to acknowledge this life-altering year and the heartbreaking loss it brought. Every culture has traditional approaches to commemorating those that they have lost, such as singing a dirge, saying a praryer, burning incense at a shrine, or creating an ofrenda (altar).
To honor and remember individuals who have passed due to COVID-19, please visit The Center’s community ofrenda to pay respects however your culture does so: light a candle, burn incense, sing, pray, meditate, leave flowers, pictures, food, or hand written sentiments. The Center encourages all attendees to wear a mask and practice social distancing so that we may all stay healthy as we work together to end this pandemic.
"This community ofrenda is so important at this time to commemorate one year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but more importantly, to honor and remember those family, friends, loved ones, co-workers, and community members we have lost," says The Center's CEO Caroline (Cara) Dessert, "We wanted a tangible way to honor the incredibly heartbreaking loss that all of our community, and country, has experienced, and a community ofrenda (altar) can bring us together in a safe and socially distant way to honor and pay respects."
If community members are unable to attend and would like special assistance to honor a loved one, please contact Ricardo Gallego at ofrenda@thecentersd.org.
Ofrenda hours and information:
- Thursday, March 18, 2021 and Friday, March 19, 2021 from 4pm - 7pm
- Saturday, March 20 from 10am - 1pm
- The community ofrenda will be held at the side entrance off The San Diego LGBT Community Center's parking lot at 3909 Centre Street, San Diego CA 92103.
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The San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, Inc., (d.b.a., The Center) is one of the largest and most vibrant LGBTQ community centers in the nation. Functioning as the San Diego LGBTQ community’s anchor organization, The Center is led by an 11-member board of directors, employs more than 70 paid staff, and utilizes more than 1,200 community volunteers to achieve its twin goals of promoting LGBTQ health/wellness and human rights. The Center provides targeted programs and services to the full diversity of the San Diego LGBTQ community, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, nonbinary, immigrant, and HIV communities to the betterment of our entire San Diego region. Last year, The Center provided more than 87,000 direct service visits to San Diego community members, and through its events, activities, and advocacy, touched the lives of thousands more.
