anna genoese

The book meme is on hold today for a post about something quite important. My good friend Krista Benson has written a guest post, asking for your generosity. Dive in:

When I was 15, it occurred to me that I was not exactly straight. I didn’t have any other words for it at the time –- I grew up in Kalispell, Montana, where fags were still beat up behind my high school, where "dyke" was an insult you could throw around a classroom without your teacher batting an eye.

I didn’t come out until later, not even really to myself. It took me moving to a city that was larger and more supportive than Kalispell to really even consider that as an option. But this isn’t a sob story -– this isn’t a story of me lying to myself and it being forever damaging. But it is a story of isolation, of loneliness.

Many people don’t fit into the world we see around us. Imagine now that you are even more statistically likely to experience feelings of isolation; become homeless; experience harassment from strangers, peers, family, and teachers; be physically harassed or assaulted; become victims of hate crimes; and experience higher usage levels of drugs and alcohol.

The gateway to the statistical life changes is isolation and lack of support, and the top two concerns for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth are a lack of community and a lack of positive role models.

In semi-rural areas, where there it is less-likely there is a visible LGBTQQ community, that need is even more significant.

Odyssey Youth Center is the only all inclusive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and straight-allied (LGBTQA) youth center in the Spokane, WA, area. Our mission is to work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth and their allies to provide a safe place, education and advocacy to promote positive growth and self empowerment. We envision a future where LGBTQ youth grow into confident, successful, productive and contributing members of our community.

Odyssey provides life skills and socio-emotional learning curriculum, social service referrals, leadership development, HIV education and testing referrals, organizer training, political activism opportunities, community outreach and education on LGTBQQ-related issues through a youth speaker’s bureau, programming, and a place to hang out. Youth between the ages of 14 and 21 have Odyssey for a safe place where LGBTQ youth can connect with peers.

Odyssey is a vital part of the LGBTQQ community in Spokane and the only established resource for youth. After the market crash of 2008, donations have slowed and grants have decreased. These resources, something I (and many of us) desperately needed and didn't have as a teenager, are in severe distress, and now Odyssey is in danger of closing -- which would leave the at risk GLBTQQ youth of this area with no resources and no safe place where they can be themselves.

On October 30, 2010, we will be holding the Annual Masquerade Ball in benefit of Odyssey Youth Center. Currently, I am a part of a team trying to solicit donations for a silent auction, raffle, and live auction that will be held that night. All donations are needed -– from signed copies of books (ideally from the authors) to editorial services to crafts to anything you can think of. The sky is the limit on your creativity, creativity that just might change some kid’s life.

It would have changed mine.

Please contact me at krista.benson@eagles.ewu.edu for more information or to offer a donation.

Times are tough for everyone these days, but even the smallest bit helps -- and all donations are tax deductible, because the shelter is a 501(c)3; they're happy to provide verification if you need/want it.

Thanks, guys. We'll be back to the regularly scheduled book meme posts tomorrow!