By Andrea Poteet
It's come a long way from a helpline: With a new executive director, new staff members, expanded hours and exciting new programs, Affirmations, the Ferndale-based LGBT community center, is starting a new chapter after years of cutbacks in the recent recession. Below is a look at the center's staff and programs as it readies for its 23rd year.
Antonio David Garcia
The first few months at a new job are usually reserved for getting to know coworkers, establishing a routine and testing the waters with a few starter projects.
But for A. David Garcia, Affirmation's new executive director, who joined the center's staff in August, his first three months have been dedicated to a massive restructuring of programs, staff and policies. In his brief time on the job, he has extended the center's hours to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, hired key staff members, launched new programs and is planning bigger projects including a charter school.
The packed schedule already has led to sacrifices for Garcia, who keeps a sleeping bag in his car for late-night meetings that make the drive back to the Fenton home he shares with his 15-year-old son less than appealing.
"The hardest part is finding enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to happen, "Garcia says, "especially in the first 90 days, the first six months, the first year."
The next year will see some big changes for Affirmations, Garcia said. Expansion of anti-bullying programs, the opening of a faith alliance office to represent pro-LGBT clergy and amped-up programs for adult and senior LGBT people are all on tap for this year, while other programs, like what Garcia hopes to be the best progressive charter school in the country, adhere to a less strict timeline.
The school, which will be housed within the center's 17,000-square-foot building, will make the most out of the center's spare space by providing a place for high school students of all orientations to learn things often left out of public school curricula in a safe, bully-free environment. Garcia said he hopes to open the school's doors in the next three years.
"Even the best public schools, if you're lucky enough to learn who Walt Whitman is, they don't tell you he was gay," Garcia says. "Or Oscar Wilde, or Audre Lorde, or James Baldwin. In your science and math classes, if you're lucky enough to learn that Alan Turing is the father of computer science and created the Turing machine, they don't tell you he was gay, they don't tell you what happened to him because he was gay. Take health: Our normal students in the best schools are not learning about same-sex (people) at all in health class, much less same-sex health. We are failing our students. Even the best schools are failing LGBT students."
His dedication to gay youth began more than a decade ago when he was fired from his job as the community services coordinator of Swartz Creek High School in 2000 when he attempted to start a gay teen support group at the request of several students.
"I wasn't out professionally, and I thought it would be hypocritical of me to tell them about all of these things and not come out, so I did," Garcia says. "I told the superintendent that I was going to start this after-school support group, and the next thing you know, my desk was out in the hall and they rearranged my hours. It was just a bad situation."
Coupled with growing frustration surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard, Garcia said the incident spurred him into action. He marched from the doors of the school to the state capitol to deliver the first of many pro LGBT-rights speeches. His career also has included a stint as executive director of the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center. He is also an award-winning filmmaker and playwright.
With so much on his plate, Garcia said it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day tasks of launching new center programs, but his favorite part of his job comes when he reflects on his role in the larger gay rights movement.
"I can get lost in the budget of Affirmations and the daily responsibilities," Garcia says, "and then a parent will call on the phone and their kid's coming out and they don't know what to do, so I can meet with them in-house… or have a conversation with a clergy member who's on the fence and wants to support us but has a congregation that's a little more conservative than them and developing a strategy to deal with that. Those are things that I enjoy the most."
Jon Fitzgerald
When Director of Operations Jon Fitzgerald talks to potential volunteers, his story has a bit more weight than that of an average recruiter.
Just a few years ago, he was in their shoes.
After years spent in management positions for large corporations, Fitzgerald found himself without a job in 2008.
"I thought, 'What am I going to do with my time?'" Fitzgerald says. "And I started researching lots of LGBT organizations. The mission statement at Affirmations spoke to me the most because it included all sexual orientations. Not everyone in my life self-identifies as LGBTQ, so it was important to me that everyone was welcomed at the center."
His relatively quick rise within the organization is a credit to the organization and management skills he gleaned in the corporate world, he said. During his time at the center, the volunteer base he oversees has exploded from just about 60 to more than 475.
And most tell a story more than familiar to Fitzgerald.
"Unfortunately the economy really went south, so people all of the sudden had time on their hands," he says. "And they really wanted to fill that time by giving back. People were just showing up by the droves to volunteer."
And with all the burgeoning programs at the center, the influx of volunteers will have plenty to do.
Johnny Jenkins
With extended hours, the center is going to need something to fill them with.
That's where Johnny Jenkins comes in.
Jenkins, the center's director of programs, is charged with evaluating and identifying programs to add to the center's schedule after programs were slashed in recent years due to economic strain.
Programs currently in development include a more active stance on marriage advocacy, bullying and hate crimes, amped-up health and mental services, and a tough stance on obesity to include more fitness options for LGBT people of all ages.
"A lot of them feel comfortable coming to the center," Jenkins says, "so we feel like it's something we need to be doing more of as we look at expanding programs."
After graduating from Western Michigan University with a marketing degree, Jenkins was active in corporate marketing and event organizing, skills he used as co-creator of the black gay pride event Hotter Than July, for which he is still a lead producer.
He said he loves that his current job, which he started a month ago, secures his place in the gay rights movement while allowing him to use his networking skills.
"My favorite part is that I'm still a part of a movement toward equality," he says, "and making sure our LGBT community is healthy, informed and well networked."
Meghann Hollowell
Program Coordinator Meghann Hollowell has been at the center for only about a month, but the activism that led her there started at a much younger age.
"I've been community organizing since I was 6," she says. "As a kid, I held rallies in courtyards of apartment complexes and suburban intersections, encouraging the community to go vegetarian because I believed that all animals should be treated equal. I wanted to be a voice for those who couldn't speak for themselves."
After coming out at 13, she attended an Affirmations youth group and said she realized she needed to extend her activism to include gay rights.
She went on to volunteer at various nonprofits promoting environmental and social change before taking on a job as Citizens Outreach and Campaign Director at the Arizona Public Interest Research Group in Phoenix, Ariz. before moving back to the area, where she volunteered at Affirmations for a year before being offered her current job.
At Affirmations, Hollowell is responsible for assisting the Director of Programs with developing, implementing and promoting a variety of programs including strategizing for a future gay marriage campaign.
"I love being a direct link to the community – a face of Affirmations, so to speak. The center is going through so many exciting changes – and with that comes a lot of work."
Shelly McCallister
For Shelly McCallister, her ability to listen isn't just a good character trait; it's a job necessity.
As counseling supervisor, McCallister supervises nine to 13 graduate-level interns who provide reduced-cost counseling services to people ages 18 and over. McCallister said the individuals, couples and families the interns see either cannot afford traditional counseling services or simply feel more comfortable receiving them at Affirmations.
In the two years she's been employed with the center, in addition to her full-time position with the Visiting Nurse Association, she said watching the interns work reminds her why she initially chose a career in social work.
"The interns are always so eager to learn and grow in their chosen profession," McCallister says. "The exchange of ideas concerning theory and treatment practices between the interns and myself has a way of revitalizing my initial excitement. We all need to be reminded of that feeling at times."
Mark McMillan
Mark McMillan is thinking about bashes.
Under McMillan, who has served as events and sponsorship manager at the center since June, the center's annual Spring Bash event will now have a more casual sibling at a lower price point. The annual event will get gussied up in 2012 when it is held at the Detroit Institute of Arts and be joined by a Harvest-themed fall event at a yet-to-be-determined location in October 2012.
" I think with the first one coming to the DIA, people will be blown away," McMillan says. "The venue at the DIA is overwhelmingly beautiful and fantastic. I would hope people coming to the October event will find a welcoming environment, a fun environment and an 'Oh, I didn't think Affirmations was like this' type of environment. They may have stayed away for whatever reason, but hopefully they'll say 'Oh, I might try this out again."
McMillan started his ties with the center as a volunteer in the early 2000s, but came back to volunteer when he lost his retail job in 2009. He said the center's warm and welcoming environment drew him there as a way to fill his suddenly-free days.
"For me this is a beginning and I want to keep going and do the best that I can."
Cass Varner
In her eight years with Affirmations, Director of Communications Cass Varner has seen big changes at the center.
She's seen the center move in 2007 from its former location at 195 W. Nine Mile, an older building the staff shared with "creepy crawlies," to its new location just down the block. She's also seen the public's perception of the center shift with the move and the expansion of its services.
"There was a lot of perception that Affirmations wasn't a welcoming place to come to," Varner says. "So a lot of work has been done specifically targeting that issue."
That work includes a planned multicultural advisory committee, from which a report is due in the winter. A strategic plan for the next five years, to be unveiled at the Spring Bash, will also address the community's feelings on nearly every aspect of the center, from its logo, to its evolving mission. Both projects seek to reestablish the center's reputation as a welcoming, inclusive space, Varner said.
Varner, who began at the center using her secondary education degree in her role as a youth coordinator, said she became more interested in marketing as time went on and when a position in the center opened three years ago, she jumped at the chance to use her artistic skills on the center's various publications.
London Bell
Health and Wellness Manager London Bell can empathize with the LGBT people she helps every day.
As a lawyer in Chicago, she said her sudden illness and resulting struggle with the convoluted health care system made her realize how difficult receiving adequate health care was for her LGBT loved ones.
"I had to go through the system of getting medical care and I had my own struggles with that," she says. "So I understand that the LGBT community has been marginalized and has not received the standard of care that we all deserve."
A straight ally and the daughter of a lesbian mother, Bell has used that awareness to open doors for the community in the three years she has been with the center. Last year, she partnered with Trasgender Michigan to launch the state's first Transgender Health Fair to help fill a hole she saw in the health services available to transgender people.
Next year, she plans to further broaden the Transgender Health Fair with expanded services and add STD screenings to the full-time offerings of the center.
For Bell, the added services are all about helping the people she has come to befriend during her time at the center.
"I really love being able to interact with community members on a daily basis," Bell says "There are people that come regularly from the community, I get a chance to talk with them, get to know them, let them know who I am, and provide resources and a place they can come and be who they are. That's what we work toward every day."
Kathleen LaTosh
Kathleen LaTosh has held a variety of positions during her decade at Affirmations. So now that she's recently been promoted to Special Projects Consultant, she's enjoying time to focus on just a few projects, including the center's multicultural advisory committee, setting up billable mental health services at the center and working on an older adult LGBT coalition that seeks to establish an LGBT-centered retirement community in the area.
It's a welcome change for LaTosh, who has held positions ranging from communications director to chief administrative officer before recently transitioning to a part-time role to spend more time with her partner and two young boys.
"(In my past positions) every single day was different and there's a lot you're responsible for, it's very broad," LaTosh said. "I really enjoy being able to focus my attention on particular projects. I feel my impact can be greater."
Making the biggest impact for social change, after all, is what drew LaTosh to Affirmations and prior to that to the field of social work. She has worked for nonprofits catering to HIV awareness and domestic violence.
"I've always been interested in social change," LaTosh says. "And no matter what I do, it's going to be to affect change."
DeShaun Smith
Very few jobs include on-the-clock time spent in bars.
But one of the programs coordinated by the Center's Youth Empowerment Program staff sends youth ages 13 to 20 to Ferndale-area bars and restaurants with a message.
After educating themselves about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, the 15 members of YEP's peer-to-peer outreach program X the Line visit establishments to seek signatures from bar owners on a pledge stating they will never sell alcohol to minors, YEP Staff Member DeShaun Smith said.
For Smith, that's just one of the many youth-oriented programs she loves overseeing at the center. She also supervises drop-in hours from 4 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays where teens can come to dance, hang out and play games. She is one of two YEP staffers at the center.
Smith, who began her year-long stint with Affirmations as an intern before being hired for the program, said making the lives of the youth better is her goal. She said she was drawn to the center because she loves spending time inspiring creative young people who visit it.
"If I could be a part of creating a space where a lonely youth could feel less alone, if only for a few hours, or if I can help to create a space where a youth can feel safe to be themselves, then I can go home at night feeling proud of what I do," she says.
Sarah May
Office Administrator Sarah May might not be the first face people associate with the center, but her behind-the-scenes roll is crucial to its smooth running.
May handles payroll and accounts payable for the center, tracks donations and provides administrative support to staff members. Though she's worked as an office administrator at several companies, May, who has worked at the center for about a month, said she was excited to work for a nonprofit with a mission she believed in.
"What I love most about my job is the positive energy inside the center," May says. "Everyone at Affirmations works very hard to make this community center possible, and they are all passionate about their roles in making a difference. That type of working environment feeds upon itself and creates a motivational and inspirational atmosphere."
Jack Miller
If you've ever marveled at the welcoming feel upon entering Affirmations' building, you have Jack Miller to thank.
As facilities manager, Miller ensures the building is clean and tidy, with a precision left over from his military career. After a strict religious upbringing in Livonia ("not a great start for a gay guy"), he spent six years in the U.S. Navy in the late 1960s. After returning home to attend college, he married and divorced a woman before joining the Michigan National Guard as a volunteer and later as a full-time sergeant. He retired in 2000 after 24 years of service.
After attending the men's discussion group at the center, he decided he needed to give something back to the community center from which he received so much. He started as a volunteer four years ago and was offered the part-time job as one of two facilities supervisors last month.
"I absolutely love volunteering at Affirmations because of the people I get to meet and, hopefully, I can help those who visit us with questions and problems," he says. " The staff and volunteers are a dedicated group of people who toil many hours for little or no pay to ensure our community has somewhere safe and welcoming to go."
Rachel Crandall
Ever since she fielded her first depressed caller as a helpline worker more than 30 years ago, Rachel Crandall has been hooked.
"It gets in your blood," she says. "You have to be really empathetic and have a lot of patience."
Crandall says those skills come easy to her after her own fights, with a speech impediment and a struggle with her own transgender identity. But although she feared judgment about her speech, she says her desire to help won out. Her first call at an East Lansing crisis hotline came from a caller who threatened suicide, and lasted more than two hours. When she put down the phone, the caller had reconsidered and Crandall said her career path was laid out for her.
In her six-year tenure with the center, Crandall moved up from a helpline counselor to her current job as its clinical specialist, overseeing two staff members and 10 interns. In that time, she has seen the mostly local calls expand to include callers from all around the country. She says she's excited that the wider call area means she is helping to reach more troubled people.
"Sometimes it takes living through something to know what that feels like," she says.
Her desire to help people who struggled with problems she knows firsthand was also behind her decision to co-create Transgender Michigan in 1997, for which she also runs a helpline.
"When I came out, I was so lonely and isolated," she says. "I had very little support and I didn't want that to happen to anyone else."
And at both Affirmations and Transgender Michigan, she said she hopes her work eases those feelings for anyone on the other end of a telephone line.
Current Programs at Affirmations
Programs at Affirmations are changing as quickly as the Michigan weather. Here's a sample of what's available.
Advocacy: Includes programs to promote civic engagement and social justice, initiatives for anti-discrimination laws and marriage rights, along with legal referral services. Planned programs include a faith-alliance initiative comprised of area clergy. Programs aimed at bullying, adoption and hate crimes are also possible.
Culture and Society: Includes programs designed to create a welcoming space for LGBT people of common interests to gather and socialize. Groups include Caring Caregivers, Dykes on Bikes, Men's and Womyn's film groups and groups for the newly single and polyamorous.
Growth and Development: Groups designed to support and encourage growth in LGBT individuals and families. Includes the Youth Empowerment Program, a hang-out spot for LGBT youth, youth discussion and support groups and a Partnership in Parenting class. Possible additions include GED and Literacy programs.
Health and Wellness: Works to eliminate disparities in health for LGBT people while providing support for their health and well-being. Programs include Adult and Youth HIV testing, Tobacco Free Michigan initiatives, counseling services and the center's first program, a helpline. Obesity programs and mental health services have been discussed as additions.
Recreation: To provide fun, socializing and relaxation. Includes a choir, Eucre and yoga. Zumba has been discussed.
Partnerships: The center works with organizations including Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Crossroads, GLSEN, Metro Parent and Motor City Bears, with more partnerships to improve the lives of LGBT people and allies to come.
