![Memphisbuliding](https://www.advocate.com/media-library/memphisbuliding.jpg?id=32715695&width=1200&height=876)
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The Memphis, Tenn., Gay and Lesbian Community Center is in danger of closing but has launched a fund-raising drive in an attempt to avoid doing so.
The center has seen reductions in individual donations and grant opportunities because of a change in its financial setup, in addition to the weak economy, Memphis's Daily News reports. It is seeking to raise $45,000 by the end of May to avoid closure.
The center used to operate under a system in which donors paid a membership fee, but it ended that last year and could have publicized the change more effectively, board chair Christy Tweddle said. "We didn't do as good of a job as we should have going back to those former membership donors and asking them to continue to give," she said. "That's where we fell down, and it had a large impact on us."
The center, founded in 1989, offers youth and family programs, free HIV testing, referrals for counseling, and cultural opportunities including a book group and a film festival. Jonathan Cole, board chair for the Tennessee Equality Project and a former board member at the Memphis center, particularly praised the center's work with young people, noting that, among other services, it can arrange temporary shelter for youths who have been kicked out of their homes for being gay.
"You may not access these services yourself, but there are people in this community who desperately need it," Cole told the Daily News. "It will be a travesty for the center to close for lack of funding."
Read the full story here, and find more information on the center here.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Elon Musk’s comments about his trans daughter prove why she doesn’t speak to him
July 23 2024 9:16 AM
Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 22 2024 4:07 PM
Charli XCX declares Kamala Harris IS brat & our next President's campaign agrees
July 22 2024 3:08 PM
Pete Buttigieg roasts JD Vance and his gay tech bro billionaire
July 22 2024 1:42 PM
The AIDs pandemic can be ended by 2030, but governments must act: report
July 22 2024 1:01 PM
Conservatives' first attack on Kamala Harris: Pronouns and accessibility?
July 22 2024 12:45 PM
Advancing equality during Disability Pride Month
July 22 2024 11:30 AM