AUGUST 2012 - It really came as a surprise recently to realize that coming up this August the Rainbow Family & Friends Club will celebrate our fifth anniversary.  Our original purpose in forming the Club was to bring people together so that we might all recognize just how many brothers & sisters lived here in the Villages and also so we might begin to form an identity & develop a sense of pride in the community we represent.   Without a doubt we have come a great distance in accomplishing this goal.  Through regular meetings on a wide variety of topics, through social events of all kinds, and through community service projects we have gathered our family together with joy, hope, & love in our hearts and witnessed first hand what it really means to “belong”.  We should all be proud of what we have accomplished to date and it is only appropriate that we offer our sincerest thanks to all those who have stepped up to help create the momentum that has carried us to these new heights.

Celebrating our success is important, but it is just as vital to look thoughtfully to the future to see what might help us continue on a path to creating the kind of community we can collectively thrive in and enjoy to the fullest.  Discussions have taken place with several groups for some time concerning directions we might choose for the Club and several themes have emerged.

One is that our family is very interested in “giving back” or, in other words, community service of some type.  Since 2008 we have had as part of our Club the “Power of Love Campaign.”  This program, operating on a rather casual basis, has been responsible for over $20,000 in donations to a wide variety of social agencies, animal shelters, children’s projects, food banks, etc.  We have relied primarily on funds generated by our social gatherings to fund this charitable giving and as a group we have been able to make a difference in many ways.

But, if we can accomplish this without a real focus or directed effort, what could we do if we actually made the “Power of Love” a major direction of our group?  This is what people have been asking for and something that will become a major component of the Club moving forward.  For example, recently some urgent needs have been identified by one of our members at a local elementary school.  We responded by writing a modest check to cover the cost of some supplies and some badly needed glasses for one student.  But let’s not stop there since we know other needs exist.  With the help of our member, who has agreed to act as the leader for our efforts to assist this school, we as a group can make a real difference during tough economic times. 

What this will require is your help in identifying needs within the larger community plus your willingness to step forward with your time, energy, and yes, sometimes even your money so we might create a positive impact on the world we live in.  Here is where we can do what the LGBT community has always wanted to do - to live from the heart and show the world what a generous and loving collective we really are.

As I sit to write this I am aware that CNN is announcing that President Obama has just publicly endorsed same sex marriage.  What a monumental occasion we are seeing at this moment.  To step forward from the shadows to millions of dinner conversations in homes all across the country is an amazing thing and is a direct result of the positive visibility we have enjoyed over the past decade.  Let’s take this opportunity to keep that momentum moving through the prideful and loving efforts our community service program offers.

With best regards,

Wendy L. O’Donnell

Co-chairperson, Rainbow Family & Friends Club