Community Compass
Community Compass is a service of OITM. GLBT organizations from around the state are invited to provide brief — 200 words or less — descriptions of recent or upcoming activities and events. Send your submissions to us by email by the 15th of the month.
News
from the Vermont Women’s Council
The Brattleboro Branch, American Association
of University Women (AAUW), once again is offering four $1,000 college
scholarships to qualified women candidates of Windham County. Deadline
for applications is May 1. Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to
highschool/preparatory school/home school senior women, legal residents
of Windham Co., who are enrolling for fulltime study at an accredited
four-year college granting a Bachelor’s degree. One additional $1,000
scholarship will be given to a woman age 25 or older who is pursuing education
part-time. She must have achieved her junior or senior year, be in a college
program leading to a Bachelor's degree, and have been a legal resident
of Windham Co. for at least five years. Applications should be sent by
May 1 to AAUW Scholarship Committee, c/o Martha J. Fenn, 192 Western Ave.,
Brattleboro, VT 05301. Submissions should include a personal letter, financial
statement, two letters of recommendation (one from a teacher), and official
transcripts. Applicants will be judged on academic performance, extra-curricular
activities, community involvement and financial need.
Also, Vermont Legal Aid and Legal
Services Law present the website: www.vtlawhelp.org/.
It offers free legal information on a variety of topics, including Abuse
and Domestic Violence, Work, and Taxes.
CARES Seeks Peer Outreach Workers
Interested in teaching others about
HIV and earning money for your time?
Vermont CARES Peer Outreach program
is a community-based program through which individuals reach out to their
own peers with HIV prevention information. Individuals are able to use
their natural connections in their communities to most effectively reach
others at risk for HIV. Some peer outreach workers may also be trained
to provide oral counseling and testing or needle exchange. Volunteers
may receive financial stipends for their service.
The next training will be held on
April 13, 14 & 20th in Burlington. For more information or to reserve
your space, please call Kelly at 1-800-649-2437.
SafeSpace Raffling
The SafeSpace annual 50/50 raffle
continues! Last year's winner won $800 and we hope to have as fantastic
a turnout this year. Buying a raffle ticket (1 for $6 or 2 for $10) not
only gives you a chance to win big, it's also a chance to show your support
for SafeSpace and help us continue to provide a number of services for
LGBTQQ survivors of violence. The drawing will be held on April 6 at The
Waiting Room (a benefit featuring performances by Jane “Daddy”
Holdman, Antara, and Dana Shellmire), so buy your raffle tickets now!
Other SafeSpace events coming up include:
a fun concert at Pearls featuring The Smittens on April 3 and "Cheese
Days" (a grilled cheese sale with cheese donated by Cabot!) outside
Bailey Howe Library on the UVM Campus on April 20 and 21.
SafeSpace is on the look-out for board
members: if you or someone you know might be interested in joining a fantastic
team of folks, contact Kara DeLeonardis at Kara@safespacevt.org.
Also, SafeSpace has recently revamped the volunteer program. We couldn't
be a successful organization without the support of our volunteers; call
the office at 863-0003 or send an email to
info@safespace.org for more information about the Wild OATS (Outreach
Awareness Team for SafeSpace), the direct services program, or the Fundraising
Committee, who claim to put the "Fun" in Fundraising!
PRIDE Bustling All Over
Spring out of those snow-hills folks,
Summer is just around the corner and that means Pride's not too far away,
either! Keep your calendars marked: July 10 is Vermont'’s day of
Pride. Be Pride-Proud and get involved: spread the word!
Pride Parade Registration forms are available
now! Visit our website at www.pridevermont.org
for the form. Also available are easy-to-download packets for interested
sponsors and vendors. While at the site, take a few minutes and check
out the latest and greatest happenings with P.R.I.D.E. Are you in need
of a laugh? Check out the P.R.I.D.E. meeting minutes with outtakes!
P.R.I.D.E. meetings are open to everyone.
Join us at UVM's Waterman building in room 427A the second and fourth
Tuesdays of each month at 7pm. Pride will be fantastic if you're involved!
Call to Artists
Seeking Submissions for Homo Macho:
Eroticizing Masculinities / Exploring masculinity, sexuality and male
bodies in art.
Nashoba is currently developing a
new collection of art for a three-year evolving exhibition tour beginning
in Burlington, Vermont in June 2004 with additional anticipated exhibition
sites in Montreal, Seattle, New York, San Francisco, and more.
Artists are invited to submit two-,
three-, and nonlinear dimensional art in a variety of categories which
include fine arts (oil, gouache, watercolor, charcoal, pencil); fine-art
photography; graphic design and computer-assisted arts; erotic folk arts
(cartoon, drawings, snapshots); sculpture, ceramics, blown-glass, and
other 3D art; historical artifacts; found art objects; film and video;
music and sound art.
Submission guidelines, additional
information and all other inquires to: Les Wright, curator@bearhistory.com
or write to Nashoba Institute, PO Box 926,
Fitchburg, MA 01420
R.U.1.2? on the Move
Don't miss out! R.U.1.2?'s 6th Annual Community Dinner and Silent Auction
will be Saturday, April 10 at the Wyndam Hotel (formerly the Radisson)
in Burlington at 6:30PM. Featuring keynote speaker Matt Foreman, executive
director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, entertainment by
local jazz chanteuse Jenni Johnson, the Volunteer of the Year award, the
best silent auction in town and more! Tickets $35, in advance only, this
event will sell out! Call 860.7812 for more information.
R.U.1.2? is excited to be taking over management
of VTM4M.net, a project committed to the
health and welfare of gay and bisexual men in Vermont. R.U.1.2? is currently
accepting resumes for two part-time peer outreach workers for the VTM4M.net
project. Hours are two evenings and one weekend day a week, approximately
10-12 hours a week of internet-based peer outreach and office staffing.
Call 860.7812 for more information; gay and bisexual men, transgendered
men and women and people of color encouraged to apply.
Samara Thanks Us All
A big thanks to our many donors and
supporters who have given this year. We at Samara are grateful to all
of you who have joined us in strengthening our GLBT community organizations
and projects. Your support is helping to create a more welcoming and respectful
Vermont!
Samara Foundation received a generous
anonymous gift that puts us very close to our annual fundraising goal
- AND the donor created a $7,000 challenge to help us reach our goal.
In April, the board will determine how much will be given in grants and
scholarships this spring. To make your gift, you may call the Samara office
at 802.860.6236 to make a credit card payment, or mail your check to:
Samara Foundation, P.O. Box 1263, Burlington, VT 05402. Thank you!
Do you know a Vermont high school
senior who is working to create a more respectful and welcoming community?
If so, encourage them to contact the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
(VSAC) about the 2004 Samara Scholarship. Samara Scholarships for Year
2004 will be processed through the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
(VSAC). Samara Scholarships are listed in VSAC's Scholarships (for the
College Year 2004-2005). For a copy call 1-800-642-3177. Information about
applying will also be included at www.samarafoundation.org,
along with a link to VSAC's website, www.vsac.org.
Applications must be postmarked by April 1, 2004. The Samara Scholarship
was established in 2000 as an investment in the future of Vermont students
who oppose discrimination and prejudice and who stand for the elimination
of of homophobia in our society.
Free Screening
The Vermont Diversity Health
Project will be holding a day of free and confidential screenings for
alcohol, other drug, and gambling problems. If you think you might have
a problem but don't know where to turn for help, just stop in. All screenings
will be done by qualified addiction professionals who will provide you
with information, and referrals for further assessment and treatment if
necessary. The location is R.U.1.2?'s new office at 34 Elmwood Ave. in
Burlington and the screenings are open to all regardless of age. No appointment
is necessary, just stop by the office between 2 and 7 PM on April 8th.