We Are the Change: The 2019 PFLAG National Convention is just two months away!
And today, we’re proud to announce the winners of the 2019 PFLAG Chapter Awards. They’ll be honored at our awards luncheon in Kansas City at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown on Sunday, October 27.
Join us in giving a (virtual) round of applause to:
PFLAG Denver (CO)
PFLAG Denver has created a support and outreach program that will likely be a model for chapters nationwide for years to come. They not only offer in-person support groups for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, but also online support groups for Spanish speakers. Their online support efforts have expanded their reach throughout the state and region. Additionally, PFLAG Denver has cultivated a strong online and social media presence to complement their printed newsletter. This work has helped to make their support, education, and advocacy efforts accessible to more individuals and families in need of help and encouragement. And if that weren’t enough, they have also provided scholarships to young people who show great promise and dedication to the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado.
PFLAG Greater Boston (MA)
With 14 support groups that meet in the Greater Boston area, including four that are specific to the needs of trans and non-binary individuals and their families, a 24-hour hotline, and one-on-one support offerings, PFLAG Greater Boston is proud of their reach throughout the state. Their safe schools program, which provided education and training to more than 5,000 individuals in 2019 demonstrates their dedication to community education. But it is their advocacy work that truly shines. As founding members of Freedom for All Massachusetts they successfully campaigned on 2018’s Yes on 3 vote and lobbied to pass a conversion therapy ban in 2019. And they didn’t stop there: PFLAG Greater Boston members are now working tirelessly to ensure there is a gender neutral identity marker available on state-issued IDs.
PFLAG Las Cruces (NM)
Over the last 12 months Las Cruces, NM has seen an influx of asylum seekers which has overwhelmed the systems in place to care for individuals and families in need. Often, LGBTQ+ asylum seekers have been thrown out by family, experienced discrimination, and lived through violent attacks before crossing the US border. In the face of that reality, PFLAG Las Cruces established The Rainbow Refugee Project. They partner with other community groups, to provide housing, food, financial assistance, and more to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. Since the program launched in 2018, with support from the local board and chapter membership, PFLAG Las Cruces has provided support to eight LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. They have used this effort to build coalition, connect with local churches, and grow their relationships throughout the region.
You can learn more about these phenomenal chapters, as well as all of the others who were nominated, by going to pflag.org/2019nationalconvention and selecting the “Chapter Awards” tab. And if you haven’t already registered, now is the time to be sure you're with us in Kansas City to help celebrate exemplary work being done by chapters to further PFLAG’s mission. Registration rates go up the day after Labor Day, so register now!
Sincerely,
Jean-Marie Navetta
Director of Learning & Inclusion
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