Affirmations offers free trial of Community Connections Board

FERNDALE –
The time has come for the single LGBT people of the Detroit area to start hooking up at the Aff! At least that's the plan with Affirmation's new Community Connections Board, which allows people to post ads seeking friendship or companionship for free the entire month of April.
After April, the service is only $10 for two months of posting access, with the fee going to help out the struggling LGBT community center. Mary Hobart, a longtime member of Affirmations, came up with the program as a way to help people who may be lonely or simply want to expand their social circle.
"Affirmations is such a great place with people coming and going for all types of reasons," Hobart said. "There are other means of meeting, such as personal ads in newspapers and on the net, but I think those can be expensive and impersonal. I also think anyone connected to the center is committed to the community in some way and may be a better candidate for dating."
With the Community Connections Board, a person can post an ad by stopping by the information desk at Affirmations and filling out an index card describing what they are interested in, along with an e-mail address. No names, phone numbers, addresses or other private information will be listed on the cards. The person must read and agree to the rules and guidelines of the board. Then, their ad is posted on the board in the hallway near the cyber center so that interested parties can contact them via e-mail.
Hobart added that though she expects the board will be a great place for dating, she also hopes it will connect people for other useful purposes. "If a person has a hobby or a particular interest," she said, "they can look for others to share those same interests – such as traveling, biking or anything."
Maureen Jones, Affirmation's social and enrichment coordinator, applauded Hobart's efforts. "Mary is a hard working volunteer who put a lot of time and effort getting this Community Connections Board together," Jones said. "Without volunteers, ideas like this would not be possible. It's nice to be in a position to take suggestions from people in the community and help make them happen."
The board began in January with meager response, but Jones is hopeful that by running the month of April for free, it will give people a chance to try it out and gain interest. "A lot of people meet their partners doing community service, attending group meetings or coming to our events," Jones said. "The Community Connections Board just gives people one more easy way. We hope people will give it a shot."