Greetings, dedicated volunteers and supporters!
What a year 2022 has been! Our progress this year speaks for itself. Collectively in 2022, we:
- Distributed $6,000 in scholarships for LGBTQ+ volunteers pursuing post-secondary education.
- Paid off our $25,000 note (our only long-term debt other than our mortgage), which had been borrowed to help with the down payment on our building in 2017.
- Donated thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteer hours to local organizations, including: Tivoli Theatre, Owen County Community Foundation, Middle Way House, Owen County Chamber of Commerce, Owen County Soil & Water Conservation District, Owen County Humane Society, Cloverdale Main Street, IU Health Foundation/Positive Link, Owen County Public Library, and many more.
- Held the 15th annual Spencer Pride Festival, which was our largest-ever event.
- Welcomed record number of guests to our commUnity center.
- Began offering monthly health & wellness educational events for our volunteers and the public.
- Completed the critical elements of our second-floor expansion project, resulting in an office for health & wellness programming and services, a brand-new event space (the Golden Discovery Ballroom), a dedicated area for our screenprinting operations, and two additional non-gendered ADA-compliant restroom facilities.
- Established a Director of Advocacy, to increase our organizational capacity in this area
- Welcomed many new volunteers.
While we could simply be coasting on our amazing 2022 success, we are already beginning to plan for the following 2023 initiatives:
- Hosting a Youth Winter Dance, the first such event we’ve hosted for local youth since our alternative prom in 2019 (pre-pandemic)
- Hosting Owen County’s most fun and fabulous community event, the Spencer Pride Festival
- Increasing health & wellness programming and services, leveraging our new space
- Continuing progress on our building rehabilitation, with new project leadership and a renewed plan, that prioritizes not only our programming, but also our desire for accessibility and inclusion
- Establishing an advocacy policy, to help inform and prioritize this important work
- Establishing a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion policy, to clarify our commitment and guide our efforts in being a local leader in driving increased representation and an environment where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging
This – and much more! – awaits us in the coming year, thanks to your meaningful contributions to our work. We cannot ever thank you enough for all that you do for Spencer Pride.
Happy New Year!
Katie & Jonathan
