Thanks, Jaime! You are the tops!
Fellow PFLAGger’s,
I hope that everyone is finally enjoying some warmer weather and making summer plans. I encourage you and your local PFLAG chapters to make plans to participate in any area Pride Celebrations and Parades. You will find excellent opportunities to meet wonderful people and also to get the word out about the work that you are doing with PFLAG. Hopefully you will see some of the impact from the work that PFLAG and other groups are accomplishing.
We have a lot to celebrate with our chapters and the work that they are doing and also we can celebrate the fact that marriage equality is being embraced by another state, legislation is being presented for justice to those who perpetrate crimes against us and I believe that we will see schools actively seek ways where students don’t have to suffer in silence from harassment and bullying. We cannot rest until there is full equality and equality will not be attainable without YOU!
Speaking of celebrating, Tri-Cities PFLAG (east Tennessee) is celebrating their First Anniversary. Kerry Holland (president) and John Shuck have provided EXCELLENCE in leadership and Tri-Cities PFLAG is a thriving chapter with energetic members who want to make a difference and are active in that pursuit.
Recently I had the honor of speaking, along with David and Joan Parker, at East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina. This is the first year for their GSA and the group was so inquisitive and SOOO polite. How pleasant it is to see such accepting young people in high school, this is a club that would never have been allowed to form when I was in high school and to this day my high school STILL doesn’t have a GSA.
I also recently had the joy of presenting Catherine Carmichael with a plaque honoring her dedication for the last 18 months as PFLAG Asheville’s president. Catherine has recently resigned after serving tirelessly to PFLAG and the LGBT community in Western North Carolina. One of the most recent programs and most successful programs of PFLAG Asheville is Youth OUTright, a dynamic group of young people which was started through PLFAG and is now their own independent entity. Please view their website http://www.youthoutright.org/.
I would love to hear from your chapter. The South-Atlantic Region covers the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky. Fortunately I have been able to visit chapters in Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina. If you would like a visit don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me and we will get a time set up.
Jaime Combs
PFLAG Regional Director
South Atlantic Region
(865) 755-1362
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