CHARLESTON, S.C. — Melissa Moore, executive director of We Are Family, shared a statement as advocates working to ensure a safe space for LGBT youth on the Lowcountry’s Giving Day on May 3.
It reads: “As a teenager, Andy Barrera lived in a tent city in Charleston. He felt rejected and alone. Andy sought out support from We Are Family and found a stable home. He now lives in Chicago and works in a small mom and pop café in the city. He is happy and has a strong network of friends.
“Andy was able to turn his situation around, but LGBT young people don t have many places to turn. We Are Family gets calls every week asking about resources for kids who are currently or who are about to become homeless. Right now, we have to rely on individual, one-off arrangements to help them because there is no stable place for young people to go.
“We Are Family is working with local businesses and individuals to open a drop-in center where LGBT youth can be safe and can be matched with resources and support. Today, May 3rd is Lowcountry Giving Day, a day to donate to local organizations who are making a difference.
“A slew of bills have been introduced in recent weeks attacking the health, rights and dignity of LGBT people. It is not enough to simply say we are not this. We need to help push for positive solutions to support young people in South Carolina to not just survive, but to thrive.”
To learn more about the services that the organization provides, email info@waf.org or visit its website.
info: waf.org.
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Does your organization or special interest group have events or great information to share with our readers? If so, be sure to send in your information to specialassignments@goqnotes-launch2.newspackstaging.com. In the upcoming months, we ll feature one of you in our news notes section in each issue. Are you a part of a Meetup, Yahoo or Google group and do you do something that s really newsworthy? Do you provide a service for the community or hold fundraisers for worthy causes? Do you educate the public about LGBT issues or concerns? Of course, this is only a sampling of things we are interested in. It s the aim of these pieces to inform, enlighten and educate our readers about what we re doing here in the Carolinas to champion LGBT rights, as well as offer resources for those who may be interested in what your group is doing.