News and happenings for, by, about and affecting the LGBT Valley.
Project of Community Link, Inc: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Service Organization.
EST. September 1995

Community Link Projects

Gray Alliance is a group for LGBT seniors and their allies, and we get together twice a month for social functions.

We have a potluck the final Sunday of each month at First Congregational Church Fireside Room from 2-4 pm. It’s located at the south end of the church campus at 2131 N Van Ness Blvd in Fresno. Please note that although we are using a church facility, Gray Alliance has no religious affiliation.

The second Wednesday of the month month at 6 pm we meet at different restaurants. Here’s a list of the next three restaurants we’re going:

August 14, Kaya Korean, 4151 N Blackstone, Fresno

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Linda Schinkel at 559-356-7220 or John Richardson at 559-260-1565. Hope to see you soon!

Youth Alliance News July 2019

As always, the month of July is bringing triple-digit weather to Fresno. Most adults start planning vacations to the coast in order to get a break from the heat. Our LGBTQ Youth Alliance members report they are unaffected by the heat, and show up to group wearing black zipped-up hoodies, long pants, and army boots! What a fun bunch of people!

We had an unexpected experience at one of our recent Youth Group meeting. Not only did our beloved Rachel, AKA Banana, finally get a Friday night off to run the group meeting, but we all experienced the rumbling of the earthquake that was centered in Ridgecrest, CA, that evening! The youth had never experienced a tremor, so the rolling shocks were exciting! We saw a lot of stunned expressions as the temblor rolled through the room! Everyone agreed it seemed to last forever! Luckily, the epicenter was hundreds of miles away and our experience was mild compared to what happened in Ridgecrest. But we joked that Banana’s return to group was a shocking event!

One of our youth brought the card game, Cards Against Humanity, to group on the night of the earthquake. For those who are not familiar with the game, one person reads a card that has an incomplete sentence, and the other players complete the sentence by choosing cards that contain words or phrases that are usually considered offensive, risqué, or politically incorrect. The person who reads the incomplete-sentence card chooses which of the responses is the funniest, making the person who presented the card the “winner.” Our youth had a marvelous time playing the game and laughing at the answers!

Our Grand Poobah, Jeffery Robinson, joined us a few weeks ago in order to present a proposal to the group. He reported that Community Link, the umbrella program for our Youth Alliance Group, recently took over the Rainbow Delegation, a project that was started years ago in order to bring awareness to the hardships faced by LGBTQ youth. The Rainbow Delegation sells rainbow bracelets for $1 to individuals who then wear the bracelets in order to show their support for LGBTQ youth. Jeffery proposed that the Youth Group take one night a month to package the bracelets so they can be mailed out to individuals who request them. Our youth agreed that the project was a great idea and pledged their time to the project! Yay, group!

We save the last Friday night of the month for our world-famous potluck! Last month, our pizza-buying adult got skunked by his usual pizza establishment, Douggy Fresh Pizza, when the owners went on vacation for two-weeks! Luckily, Little Cesar’s was nearby, so the kids got their pizza! And they didn’t seem to mind the change of plan! The youth brought their usual chips, dips, drinks, and desserts, and everyone ate to their heart’s content! As usual, the noise level was off the charts and everyone had a great time!

The Fresno LGBTQ Youth Alliance meets on Friday nights, at 7 PM, in the Fireside Room of the First Congregational Church (The Big Red Church), located at 2131 N. Van Ness, in Fresno. We welcome any and all LGBTQ youth and their allies, ages 14-25, to join us on Friday nights! Check out our Facebook page for reminders about the group! We usually post a reminder about the group meetings on Friday mornings! Just go to our Facebook page, “Fresno GLBTQ (yes, in that order) Youth Alliance,” to check it out!

Local

The second annual Visalia Over the Edge!

Visalia, CA, July 19, 2019– The Source LGBT+ Center, serving Tulare and Kings County, announces the second annual Visalia Over The Edge (www.visaliaovertheedge.com) fund raising event.

On November 9, 2019 people from all over the Central Valley will take the leap and go Over The Edge to raise money to support The Source LGBT+ Center.  

In just 3 short years, The Source LGBT+ Center has twice expanded it’s walk-in center, located in downtown Visalia’s Montgomery Square. Last year’s Over The Edge helped fund our rapid growth, with over $100,000 raised. Now go Over The Edge with us again this fall and help us continue to serve our community. Our goal is another $100,000. With your help, we know we can do it!

There are 92 slots available, and each participant’s goal is to raise $1,000 or more to support the future operations and continued growth of The Source LGBT+ Center. Employees can raise money to “toss the boss” Over the Edge for $1,000! If he or she matches that donation, they can select a team member to take their place. This is a great team-building event that supports an important community non-profit organization.

Individuals will rappel from the 8th floor of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Visalia. Last year people from all walks of life, and all age groups, went Over The Edge, with two rappelers in their 70’s!

Persons or groups interested in signing up to go Over The Edge can register at www.visaliaovertheedge.com