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R.U.1.2? Communtiy Center: Laying the Foundation
R.U.1.2? Community Center
:
Laying the Foundation
with files from Tim Evans
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| Shortly after the group's formation, they were a presence in the '99 Pride parade. photo: Max Stroud |
The Burlington R.U.1.2? Community Center, Inc., may not yet have a door bearing its nameplate, but that doesn’t mean the organization doesn’t have a presence within the community.
In less than a year and a half of organized existence, Vermont’s first GLBT community center has already established and engaged the community in regular – and very successful – programming.
The latest initiative is the center’s most ambitious yet: a series of recreational six-week summer classes. Dubbed Summer Semester @ R.U.1.2?, the courses cover topics from spinning and yoga to storytelling and music appreciation, organic farming to politics. Instructors donate their time, and sliding-scale tuition fees ranging from $20 to $75 are intended to support similar year-round classes. As of mid-June, more than 30 people had registered for the classes, which run through July and August.
The classes join a range of popular events in the R.U.1.2? repertoire. Monthly sunset potluck picnics near the Burlington waterfront have become a staple event during good weather, and bimonthly coffeehouses draw crowds of nearly 100 to socialize and take advantage of an open mic. And carrying on with an event it organized for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Equality Begins at Home initiative in 1999, the community center has created a tradition in its community dinner, which this year drew more than 200 attendees from far beyond its Burlington location.
Since the group was born of a University of Vermont student project in late 1998, organizers have also increased their ranks, formed a board of directors and established bylaws and committees, and joined a national organization of GLBT community centers. It also maintains a Web site and publishes a regular newsletter. Financially, the organization has used grassroots fundraisers, special events, grants, and a “Seed Money” campaign to raise a $14,000 budget for the past year. R.U.1.2? anticipates a substantial budget increase in the coming year as a result of increased fundraising and grant-writing, and the organization recently applied for non-profit status with the IRS.
So with structure and programs in place and funding steadily growing, how close is the organization to creating dedicated community center space? Board co-chair Leroy Padgett explains that the group, halfway through a two-year plan, hopes to have rented and prepared an appropriate space by the end of that time. “We need to identify our community needs first before renting a space,” said Padgett, adding that to sign a lease first and identify needs later could mean substandard space or cramped operating style.
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| The center's annual Community Dinner has become a fixture event after only two years in existence. photo: Max Stroud |
Padgett and others behind the project are aware that programming, however attractive it might be, won’t be enough to sustain the center if the foundation isn’t solid – and they’re not thinking “foundation” of the bricks and mortar variety. Preparing the ground for the community center for these folks means meetingsˇ and assessmentsˇ and more meetings. Before any concrete is poured or leases are signed, the organization wants to make sure it has a clear vision of the role it needs to play.
For the board and committee members behind R.U.1.2?, that’s meant inventory: taking stock of community needs and trying to determine where service gaps lie.
“Many of the needs in the GLBT community are already being met,” said Padgett. He said they wanted to be sure not to use their limited resources to provide services that other agencies already offer, such as youth services offered by Outright Vermont or HIV/AIDS prevention and support provided by AIDS service organizations and consumer groups.
During a May 3 community assessment summit in Burlington, R.U.1.2? organizers discussed the center’s progress and service issues and needs with representatives of other groups and members of the community at large.
The assembly agreed “the big need is for safe, substance-free, family-oriented stuff,” said Padgett, “a place where GLBT people can bring their kids and not be in a bar atmosphere.” The group also agreed that the center should strive to be a resource guide for people of color and low incomes.
In assessing the project’s strengths, consensus was that energy, diversity, allied support, and GLBT services and resources are already in great supply. “One of the great things that came out of it,” said board member Mike Bensel, “was that people seemed to think that we were on the right track, and confirmed our belief that taking it slowly was the right way to go.”
The group also identified a number of areas for improvement, including fundraising, event space, better communication among organizations and involvement of the GLBT community from all of Vermont, not just Chittenden County, where the center will be located. Those in attendance spent a great deal of time discussing perceptions that the community center is a Burlington-only project.
“We definitely have been talking about dropping the Burlington from our name,” said board member Mike Bensel. “We’ve opted to focus on Chittenden County for now, because that’s where our strengths and support lie,” he said. However, he pointed out that two of eight Summer Semester courses are taking place outside the Burlington area – one in Addison County, the other in Windsor County.
Another misconception dealt with, said Padgett, is the notion that the organization is only for youth. “There are a number of young people working on the project,” said Padgett, “but the ideal is an all-encompassing, all-ages center.”
The group came up with a list of challenges facing the larger community in the future. Some of the most important included motivating people to get involved, a policy on alcohol, keeping a focus on health, aging/retirement, finding a space, and the question of how the Vermont GLBT community is defined.
“We were very happy to learn from the summit that the vision for the center seems to be shared by the majority of the community,” said Bensel. He said the R.U.1.2? board plans a retreat toward the end of the summer to review the results of the summit and come up with future plans.
R.U.1.2? will also host the northeastern regional conference for the National Asociation of Lesbian and Gay Community Centers in September. “The national organization is very excited about us,” said Bensel. “They can’t believe how much we’ve already accomplished in so little time and with such a small budget.”
Tim Evans lives in Burlington.