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News: Gender and Sexuality |
Community Center Offers More Then Just A Gathering Place
by Lisa Harrison
Email: lisah (at) wwts.com (unverified!) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jul 2003 |
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“Our number one phone call is from people looking to get connected with the gay and lesbian community in Kansas City. KC is so spread out that people in Lee’s Summit want to know what’s going on in Olathe. We serve as a chamber of commerce of sorts for the gay and lesbian community” Quote from Jamie Rich, Community Center Director. |
The Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Greater Kansas City first started in 1992 at the Supreme Bean Coffee House (what is now the Crave Café) in a meeting room upstairs. They were open 1 night a month for just a few hours. In 1994 they became a chartered organization. In November of 2001, they outgrew the one room and moved to their current location of 207 W Broadway. They are governed by a Board of Directors that are local community activists as well as an Advisory Board of local business owners. They are currently open 6 days a week (Monday thru Saturday) from 10am to 8pm.
The LGCCGKC serves as a “centralized clearing house providing vital and timely information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resources and services through the area” according to the Mission Statement posted on the website (www.lgcc-kc.org) . They offer resources such as allowing the use of their meeting rooms for local organizations (for a nominal fee), provide info about local activities of interest to the gay and lesbian community, offer advice and referrals for everything from someone needing a confidential HIV test to needing an attorney to apartment information. Director Jamie Rich said it this way; “Our number one phone call is from people looking to get connected with the gay and lesbian community in Kansas City. KC is so spread out that people in Lee’s Summit want to know what’s going on in Olathe. We serve as a chamber of commerce of sorts for the gay and lesbian community”
The Center relies on grants, community donations and individual donations. They recently received a Kauffman Foundation Grant that will go towards the “Unifying Families Project”. This is a project that will help lesbian and gay parents with small children connect with each other and promote unification. The grant will allow them to hire and Parent and Families Coordinator, do community outreach, as well as have monthly meetings and monthly potlucks for the families. They also plan on having play dates as well as other social outings. The group also offers advice on how to adopt and connecting with your child’s school, just to name a few.
The community center has many groups that meet weekly and/or monthly as well. Passages, which is a youth group for 14-21 year olds that either identify as gay or lesbian or have questions about whether they are, Gen Q, a group for young adults aged 21-29, Alcoholics Anonymous, Four Freedoms Democratic Club, a yoga group, a lesbian book club, and even a movie club. This is just a sampling of the groups that meet there. Stop by the center and pick up their written information or go to www.lgcc-kc.org to get more information.
When asked how he thought the acceptance of the gay and lesbian community has changed over the last decade, Jamie said, “I think it’s good and getting better all the time. The problem is the opposition is getting better all the time too. It seems they’re better organized. We need to become just as organized, if not better, then they are.” |
See also:
http://www.lgcc-kc.org
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