Thoughts on the Center at Five, by Mary O'Sullivan, Board President
During 2008, the Center grew from a largely volunteer organization, to a full-fledged service agency for the 7 Rivers Region, LGBT people, and our allies. It was an incredible year for the Center with exponential growth of services provided and activities organized. This was due in large part because Rosanne St. Sauver was hired as our first Executive Director in August and immediately set about expanding the Center. Her work has made the Center more visible with many more people utilizing its services.
However, the Center has a longer history than might be generally known. This spring marks the 5 year anniversary of the inception of the 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center, when Kelly Teachout invited a group of us to meet and explore the possibility of how an LGBT Center might be used by the community. By August we had invited others and created an Advisory Board for the Center. Members of that first Advisory Board were: Beth Cherne, Susan Erlandson, Jeanne Fischer, Joy Holthaus, Cindy Killion, Ann Kramer, Dan Lintin, Mary O’ Sullivan, Kelly Teachout, Pam Walhovd, and Will Van Roosenbeek.
During the fall of 2003 several meetings were held with the community to explore unmet needs for LGBT people in the area, and the mission for the Center was formed. During 2004 that group wrote the bylaws (largely the work of Joy Holthaus) and began the work toward incorporating as a nonprofit organization. By June of 2004, the Center had its first office located in the Scenic Concepts Building. With the help of an AmeriCorp member, the Center had open hours beginning in September. Activities and programming increased each year since then and when the Center moved to Pearl Street in spring of 2006 it was well on the way to becoming an established part of the community. To see what was accomplished each year as the Center grew from 2003 until today, visit the Accomplishments page on our Center website.
Many people have supported the Center with their dollars and their labor over these past 5 years and I am grateful to have been a part of the development of an organization that I believe is positioned to become a significant resource in our community. Of course, we all need to continue to support the Center with our dollars and labor, but I know the Executive Director and board have the commitment and skills necessary to take the Center to its next steps.
My term on the board and as board president ends with our January 17, 2009 annual meeting. I intend to continue working for the Center as a volunteer, and I invite you to join me in supporting your 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center in all the ways that you can. Together we will celebrate this year’s milestone of a 5th anniversary and together, we can look forward to celebrating the Center’s 10th anniversary and those beyond as well.