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Project Rainbow is only $8,000 away from being able to open West Virginia's first LGBTQIA safe haven shelter. Please consider donating (or at least sharing) this gofundme link. 🌈
This program is a miracle.
And it's exactly the kind of miracle we so often see in West Virginia - people who aren't rich coming together to do something impossible. From the Mine Wars to the Teachers Strikes, this is who we are.
Last year, WV Can't Wait started our Hometown Hero program to honor these West Virginians who do the work that government fails to do. Emergency responders, labor activists, mutual aid leaders, fed up grandmas, people with criminal records, you name it.
We wanted to recognize the people who have the least, but sacrifice the most. Project Rainbow is led by a group of Queer individuals and allies -- harm reductionists, people in recovery, and unsheltered folks. One of their founders is Cassidy Thompson, one of our first Hometown Heroes. As a Hometown Hero, she got $2,000 to support her harm reduction work -- along with free organizing training, access to mental health and safety services, and a community of support. When she asked if we could serve as a fiscal sponsor for Project Rainbow, we offered to help with that too.
The Project Rainbow team has done the hard work - finding a great location, raising seed money, organizing unsheltered people, and building community support. Now they just need our help to cross the finish line.
$8,000 will allow them to sign their first 8 month lease, buying them time before their first rounds of grant funding come through. If they raise more than $8,000, they can hire some of their volunteers as staff and speed up the process of furnishing, stocking, insuring, and expanding the services available at the shelter.
If you have any questions about this project, if you'd prefer to send a check, or if you want to make sure you receive a tax-exempt letter for your donation, please hit reply to this email. I would love to work with you!
Sincerely,
Stephen Smith
Co-Chair, WV Can't Wait
304.610.6512
PS Like the rest of our 41 Hometown Heroes, this group started with a few people who were brave enough to try a thing. If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.
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