Community Compass
Community Compass is a service of OITM. GLBT organizations from around the state are invited to provide brief — 200 words or less — descriptions of recent or upcoming activities and events. Send your submissions to us by email by the 15th of the month.
PWA
Coalition World AIDS Day
Hop to it if you want to be at the
benefit concert on World AIDS Day - Wednesday, Dec. 1. It's an omnibus
gala, featuring well known Vermont musicians and poets and even a play:
Jon Gailmor, Coco Kallis, Paul Miller, Michael Arnowit, Nadell Fishman,
and Terrance McNally's one-act play Andre's Mother. It's all
happening at Montpelier's City Hall Auditorium - thanks to Lost Nation
Theatre. The concert begins at 7 pm, and admission is by donation at the
door. All proceeds benefit the Vermont People with AIDS Coalition, a nonprofit
consumer advocacy group whose mission is to improve the quality of life
for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. For more information, call
the PWA Coalition office at 800-698-8792 or 802-229-5754, or contact Herb
Proper at socitele@sover.net
Go, have fun, it's a good cause, and you know that the future of funding
for AIDS-related work isn't looking real cheery.
Freedom to Marry: Good News / Bad News
Now that the elections have past, we are
faced with both good and bad news. It is time to look back and move forward.
Vermont is still one of the states the rest of the country looks toward
for leadership on the marriage front. We took the first step.
We were the first state to truly, legally
recognize our families and have the full discussion neighbor to neighbor
about why this is an important issue for everyone. Through that discussion
Vermonters came to understand this legal recognition strengthens the community
as a whole. Exit polls show that more than 75 percent of Vermonters feel
that our families deserve that protection and legal recognition. Forty
percent choose marriage as the better option over civil unions. The polls
also show that a diminishing minority wants our families to have nothing.
The ongoing discussion is working!
So what is next? Our goal at the Vermont
Freedom to Marry Task Force is to continue to build a favorable majority
in Vermont. We want a grassroots majority to demand the option of marriage
be offered to all families. Full equality is the only true and fair way
to treat each other.
How can you help? If you are interested in getting involved, in making
history, please contact the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force through
our website at www.vtfreetomarry.org
or call (802) 388-2633 and leave a message. We are at a critical moment
in our history and the time is now to act. We need all the help we can
get. Currently we are in need of board members, regional coordinators
and general volunteers.
Thanks to all of you who have done so much.
Let's take the next step now.
Consumer Help for PWAs
The Vermont People with AIDS Coalition is
very pleased to announce that we have hired a part-time Consumer Advocate,
Trampas Graham, in the Burlington area. He is available to help anyone
who is having difficulties with HIV services, or to answer questions about
HIV/AIDS or available services. Call him at 802-324-1507.
Volunteers Extraordinaire
Without the help of volunteers, Mountain
Pride Media would be unable to publish both "Out in the Mountains"
and its parallel website, www.mountainpridemedia.org. For assisting with
the stuffing of the November issue, we extend warm thanks to: Ron, Miguel,
Yelena, Amy, Greg, Bob, and Lynn. We also thank our volunteer route drivers:
Fran Moravcsik, Danny, Bennett Law, Tim, Keith Ribnick, Oliver, Keith
Goslant, Patrick, Amy, Rick, Cheri, Linn, Daryl, Cynthia, Kathy, Thom
Fleury, Nat, Lisa, and Rick Wold.
A special thanks goes out to Julie
- our wonderful volunteer driver in the Springfield area. After years
of volunteerism, Julie is moving on. We thank you for your service to
your community! We already miss you and wish you well.
A warm welcome goes to Will, who will now
be delivering papers in the Springfield area... and beyond!
CARES Open House
Please join Vermont CARES at our open house
on December 14th from 5:30-7pm. This is an opportunity to meet our friendly
staff, learn about the agency, and explore volunteer opportunities. Light
refreshments will be served, feel free to call for more information at
863-2437. 361 Pearl Street, Downtown Burlington.
Equality VT: Mark Your Calendars
Join Equality Vermont, RU12? Community Center,
and other GLBT organizations at the Vermont State House for Visibility
Day on January 28th, 2005 from 8:00AM to 1:00PM. This day is an opportunity
to educate legislators about who we are and what our issues are for the
legislative session. Organizations will be able to set up displays in
the Cardroom (just outside the House Chambers) for the day. In the morning
there will be an information workshop about the bills of concern to our
community.
We hope that you will be able to attend
Visibility Day. It is important for legislators to see and hear from us.
If you have any questions, or if your organization would like to set up
a display, please call Equality VT - 802-310-6296 or email at info@equalityvt.org
Balls Are For Kicking
After a successful trip down to P-town to
mix it up with soccer players from Boston, New York and CT, the Upper
Valley Stingrays (aka the U.V. Rays) soccer team is excited to move inside
and improve our soccer skills. Join us for practice. We will be playing
at 8 pm, most every Thursday night throughout the winter in West Lebanon.
With a growing core group of dedicated beginners and more advanced players,
we are always looking for more players. Come join us! For more information,
contact Jim at jcmcc@valley.net
Show Your Colors
It's that time of the year again and the
PRIDE committee is gearing up to plan 2005's PRIDE celebration. We can't
wait to hear the ideas you have to make this year's PRIDE the best party
yet! Check out www.pridevermont.org
for fun pictures from last year. For volunteer information, please email
pridevermont@pridevermont.org
Come be a part of the fun!