Toledo LGBT center to open office on Delaware Avenue

by Skeeter Hunt

Toledo Since July 2002, the Toledo Area Pride Center steering committee has been working hard to bring together a central organization for the LGBT community of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan with the mission of educating in order to reduce the prejudice and discrimination that harms our communities.

Toledo is the only metropolitan area in Ohio that has been without a LGBT community center.

The TAP Center seeks to promote community development and a sense of security among LGBT and questioning people of all ages in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. The center will provide a safe haven open to LGBT people and organizations for social and educational events, programs, and meetings. It will also be a resource center that will provide the LGBT community with local and business information, as well as a year-out events calendar posted on the TAP web site and a monthly calendar posted on the TAGALA web site where all local LGBT organizations can list their events or meetings for free.

The TAP Center has secured office space above the Collector's Corner on Collingwood Avenue at 450 West Delaware Avenue, thanks to the generosity of steering committee member Ed Hoffman. This site will serve as the temporary location of the center until funding allows it to find and purchase a large permanent facility.

The office will soon have a telephone and an answering machine, a fax machine, a computer, a conference table and other office furniture. The office will then be available for use by local LGBT organizations for their meetings and other events. Volunteers will staff the office until there is significant funding to secure paid personnel.

The steering committee currently consists of five women and six men. To date the TAP Center has filed the articles of incorporation and the 501(c)(3) paperwork with the state of Ohio and has adopted a set of bylaws. The center has had several successful fundraisers (including the Christmas Dinner Dance and the Valentine Tea Dance) and others are being planned. A domain name has been secured for the web site, which will be up and running in the near future at www.tapcenter.org.

Looking to the future, steering committee members have visited other. established LGBT centers in Michigan and Ohio in order to gain information about securing funding from sources such as foundations and grants, and to learn more about what programs are most valuable in other communities.

For more information about the TAP Center, or to volunteer to help, e-mail to taptoledo@aol.com, tapcenter@ tapcenter.org, or call Tom or John Meinecke at 419-241-1961.

Skeeter Hunt is a steering committee member of the Toledo Area Pride Center.

HEY! Look Me Over!

Tell our advertisers you saw them in the Gay People's Chronicle!

PRIDE GUIDE 2003 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Scene

PAVILION

Formerly Nautica Pavilion

A-15

Melissa Etheridge

Live

Summer

Tour

2003

plus special guest John Eddic

AWECAN BE SOCIETY

There's a Place in This World for Everyone.

For you, it's with us.

HAROLDJAFFE

JEWELERS

Toledo Ohio

M & TH 10:00-8:00 T, W & F 10:00-6:00 SAT 10:00-5:00 419.472.4480 800.472.4480 www.haroldjaffe.com

MEMBER, LEADING JEWELERS OF THE WORLDTM

Tickets On Sale June 20th @ 10 AM

www.melissaetheridge.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23 8:00 PM

Earth Wind & Fire Saturday, June 14 • 8:00 PM Smokey Robinson

July 3 • 8:00 PM Norah Jones

July 7. 7:30 PM

Heart

Saturday, July 12 • 8:00 PM Aretha Franklin Sunday, July 27 8:00 PM Hall & Oates / Kenny Loggins

Friday, August 22⚫ 8:00 PM

For complete schedule, check out www.hob.com/scenepavilion

ticketmaster 216 241 955 (Cleveland) 1 330.945 9400 (Akrom) | TICKETMASTER.COM Port your to kets 70DAY ticketfast" at ticketmaster.com

Torbets are avarable at an TR.KETMASTEP centers ncluding Laufmann's and select Giant Eagles Ticke's atto warsblot the Box Office on show nights

MICHELOR

LEDING

light

ORLD

SIRIUS

Scene

Get Tickets at

PRODUCED BY HOOOG: BLOGO CONCEPTS hob.com HOJOCH

* 15 172