Tola receives ordination
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Elaine Tola was ordained as a vocational deacon in the Episcopal Church on Jan. 24 at The Canterbury School in Greensboro, N.C.
Tola’s wife, Lauren Kilbourn, served as one of the cantors for the liturgy. Additionally, she assisted the vicar, Rt. Rev. Ann Hodges-Copplein, in vesting Tola with her red stole during the ceremony.
The next day Tola ministered to her congregation, The Episcopal Church of the Advocate, 8410 Merrin Rd., during morning worship. The church is welcoming and affirming.
In addition to her duties at her church, she will be serving as a chaplain at the University of North Carolina hospitals.
info: theadvocatechurch.org.
Youth group initiates book project
DURHAM, N.C. — inSIDEoUT will celebrate is 10-year anniversary in 2016 and is launching an “LGBTQ+ Activism Across the Decades” book project. The goal is to showcase the hard work that young LGBT activists have done in N.C. over the past decade and honor the people who have enabled them to continue the tradition of progressive organizing in the state.
They are seeking adult volunteers to collect as much content related to LGBTQ+ activism in N.C. Content will be divided into sections and will include profiles of every Gay-Straight Alliance in North Carolina, adult activist biographies and interviews, organizational and non-profit profiles, youth activist profiles (including iNSIDEoUT alumni), iNSIDEoUT archival material and news articles and feature stories about youth activism across the state. Those interested in helping with research or have materials to donate should email rewells318@gmail.com.
info: insideout180.org. insideoutamy@gmail.com.
Dads book to be published
DURHAM, N.C. — Henry Amador-Batten will join author Hogan Hilling in penning “Dads Behaving Dadly: Truths, Tears and Triumphs of Gay Dads.”
Hilling’s “Dads Behaving Dadly: 67 Truths, Tears and Triumphs of Modern Fatherhood” debuted successfully in June 2014 and the author wanted to share the stories of gay dads worldwide. The new version will be comprised with a collection of stories with diverse family dynamics, income levels and ethnic backgrounds.
“We feel that the time is right to create this new platform in which to shine a light on the ever growing number of gay men joining the ranks of fatherhood,” Amador-Batten shared. “It has become my honor and my obligation to become a storyteller for these dads. It is my sincere wish that this book will build bridges, touch hearts and help to solidify our place within the global parenting community,” he added.
The authors invite gay dads to submit stories for the upcoming book. To learn more about submissions, visit dadsquared.org. Deadline is April 30.
Amador-Batten is a certified holistic life coach. Hilling is an expert on creating father-friendly environments in the community.
info: dadsbehavingbadly.com. hogan@hoganhilling.com. info@dadsquared.org.
Org revamps image
RALEIGH, N.C. — ReachOUT NC has announced that it is making new commitments in 2015, while holding on to the fulfillment of their mission to enhance LGBT visibility, promote goodwill and unite communities in N.C.
To that end, it has recently shared that it is developing new partnerships with non-profits and groups in the Triangle so that it can serve them in service projects.
It also has rebranded itself and has also launched a new website. The site comes complete with an event registration system for its members, including check-ins and wait-list options.
Members transformed Pullen Park into a holiday wonderland with Raleigh Parks and Recreation’s Holiday Express event in December. And it rang in the new year with staining the wooden service ramp at the Oak City Outreach Center.
Upcoming projects include sorting and packaging food for the Food Bank of North Carolina on Feb. 14 at 9 a.m. Following that will be a house build for Habitat for Humanity on Feb. 28 at 3 p.m.
The organization is always looking for new members as it expands its outreach.
info/registration: reachoutnc.org.
Have news or other information? Send your press releases and updates for inclusion in our News Notes: editor@goqnotes-launch2.newspackstaging.com.
Share your news with us
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.