Out In The Mountains : News - R.U.1.2? Community Center Receives $60,000 Grant

by Joel Nichols

R.U.1.2?'s headquarters on Burlington's waterfront.

      Burlington’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Intersex, and Questioning Community Center has received a $60,000 grant from the Gill Foundation.
      The Gill Foundation has also pledged to support the R.U.1.2? Community Center with fundraising training, donor development seminars, and organizational development programs.
      The board of directors of R.U.1.2? have decided that the next step will be to hire an executive director to enable the organization to best serve the LGBTIQA community.
      According to Don Eggert, co-chair of the organization, one goal for the new executive director would include leasing or buying a building for the Center to better execute the Center’s social, cultural, artistic, and educational missions. The new director will be in charge of all day-to-day management and organization of the center.
      The Gill Foundation’s 21st Century Initiative for Non-Urban LGBT Community Centers grants $2 million to support and establish new community centers in non-urban communities across the country.
      OITM’s Joel Nichols recently spoke with Don Eggert about the grant.

How did R.U.1.2? originally get started?
The project to organize a community center in Vermont began during a series of open community-wide meetings held at the University of Vermont by two undergraduate students working on a community development project for their Sexual Identities class. Consensus from these winter 1998 meetings indicated that there was a need for a permanent, public venue for the expression of our LGBTIQA community.

What is the current staffing conditions? How many people volunteer there now?
We have 20-25 unpaid volunteers who work on the board of directors, sit on committees, plan support groups, host social events, and help out with mailings.

It seems like the queer community in Burlington is growing. Is there a way to quantify the number of people the Center serves?
In December we began tracking the number of people who use “Headquarters” on a day-to-day basis. The following groups currently meet on a regular basis: Both Sides Now, Dignity Vermont, Vermont Diversity Health Project, GLBT Alcoholics Anonymous, and Center Book Club. Regular events include GAYme Night, Movies & Munchies, Two Coming Out Support Groups for adults (one mixed-gender, one women-only), and a women's drop-in social.

This Gill grant represents a major advance for R.U.1.2?. How did the board become aware of the initiative?
At NGLTF's 2000 Creating Change Conference for grassroots progressive lgbt organizers in Atlanta, the Gill Foundation announced the 21st Century Initiative for Non-Urban Community Centers. We were encouraged to apply because we received general operating support from Gill in 2001 and met the proposal guidelines.

What are the qualities of the ideal executive director sought by the board?
R.U.1.2? would benefit from an executive director who has significant experience in non-profit management and is willing to guide a relatively new organization through an exciting and turbulent period of growth. We want to hear from candidates who are not afraid to get out into the community, listen to people's needs and concerns, and devise a plan of action that makes use of the expanding resources at our community center. Essentially, our executive director will be a leader who focuses his/her efforts on outreach to LGBTIQA Vermonters both within, and outside the walls of R.U.1.2? Headquarters.

There aren’t that many gay jobs around. How many applicants do you expect?
It is hard to say. We think it's a great job for someone who wants to work full-time for our community and make a real impact on the lives of LGBTIQA Vermonters.

How will the center grow with the new executive director?
We hope that the E.D. will be more accountable to the needs of our community and be available as a public representative of the center. Having someone in this position allows us to be at the table when important decisions are being made that affect our lives. We look forward to having an E.D. that will help us secure the long-term funding necessary for establishing a space of our own.

What are the immediate goals?
Our immediate goals will be to keep the center open and available for anyone who needs to use it, especially during business hours. We need to keep our current programs strong by constantly recruiting new volunteers with fresh ideas.

What do you hope the Center will do in the long term?
As the Headquarters reaches its capacity we will be planning for expansion to a facility that will house multiple meeting rooms, a library, a cybercenter, gallery space, event space, and offices for other like-minded organizations.