Out In The Mountains : News - Samara Dinner Celebrates Scholarships, Grant Recipient

Andrea Van Liew.

Photo by Lynn McNicol.

      MONTPELIER - Samara Foundation benefactors, board members, and volunteers mingled at the foundation's Annual Thank You! Celebration at the Statehouse on September 15.
      Among those, of course, were representatives of Out in the Mountains/Mountain Pride Media, but there were also some new faces in the crowd.
       Andrea Van Liew, who started exploring the possibilities of foster care with her partner 10 years ago, spoke about the Gay and Lesbian Adoptive and Foster Families group (referred to as "Laff," because "you gotta laugh," Andrea quipped) that has been meeting for about a year now, supported by Samara.
      Andrea and her partner now have two daughters they met through foster care, and together with 30 to 35 other families, meet regularly to talk about parenthood issues and to support each other.
      Merry Gangemi also spoke about the radio show she started in January of this year with help from Samara. "Woman-Stirred Radio," the "Premier GLBTQ Radio Show," airs from 4 to 6 pm Thursdays from WGDR 91.1 FM at Goddard College.
       Merry spoke briefly about the beginnings of the show that has been a success from the start.
      "I'm amazed at how everything fell together," she said.
      Bill Lippert, past president of Samara, talked about the foundation's beginnings in 1992 in the middle of the AIDS epidemic when he lost some of his dearest friends.
      "I think it's incredibly important to honor where our roots lie," he said, referring to a friend who, close to dying, continued to urge Bill to make sure the Samara Foundation became reality.
      Samara Foundation President Suzanne Stofflet attended the dinner, as did her partner Mimi Emerson ("First Lady," her name tag read). Stofflet talked about being the "new kid on the block," as someone new to the local community taking over Bill's job. She emphasized the importance of looking not at places we don't want to go, but always keeping focused on our goals. — Ed.